Appointments
Our staff will attempt to schedule your child’s appointment at your convenience as time permits. Please keep in mind that in our practice we cannot schedule all appointments after school. Dental appointments are an excused absence, and we will be more than happy to give your child an excused absence note.
Young children should be seen in the morning because they are “fresh”. This will allow us to spend more time with them, and make their dental visit more enjoyable. School-aged children who require treatment should also be seen in the morning for the same reason.
Always keep in mind that regular preventive dental care will keep dental visits to a minimum.
Many parents want to know if they may accompany their child during their visit.
We believe in an open door policy, space permitting. At your child’s first visit we feel it is important for you to be with your child. As your child grows older and develops a trust in us, you might not find it is necessary to accompany your child back to the hygiene area. If your child needs dental work, you are more then welcome to come be with your child. We do ask that only one parent accompanies the child as we are limited in space.
Payment Options
Our office has signed up for CareCredit. When you need health care and your insurance doesn’t cover all the costs for the procedure you want and need, where do you turn? CareCredit, a GE Money Company, gives you convenient payment options so you can get the procedure you want, when you want it.
Dental Insurance
Dental insurance is a growing part of our dental health picture. Coverage varies greatly. Although we are happy to assist you, please know that it is your responsibility to understand you policy.
Insurance policies are a contract between the insurance company and your employer. All financial arrangements for services rendered are made with you, not the insurance company. We will collect your co-payment based on estimates of how your insurance company has reimbursed us in the past. We file all insurance claims on the day of your child’s visit to help facilitate any reimbursements to which you are entitled.
Insurance companies are required by law to pay each claim within 30 days after receiving the claim. You are responsible for any balance on your account after 30 days whether insurance has paid or not. We will be glad to send you a refund within a week once insurance has paid us.
Dental insurance is intended to be an aid in paying for dental care. Most dental plans pay between 50% - 80% of the total fee. The percentage paid is often determined by how much your employer had paid for the coverage or the type of plan set up with the insurance company. At times you may be notified by your insurance company that its reimbursement rates are lower than actual fees. Often insurance companies will state that your reimbursement has been lowered because the dentist’s fees exceed usual and customary rates (UCR). This is misleading. There are hundreds of insurance companies that offer dental insurance, and each company sets its schedule of what they consider to be allowable. These allowable rates may vary greatly. The allowable UCR is arbitrarily established by data collected by the insurance company. Estimate of Benefits (EOB) reports of benefits you may receive may imply that your dentist is charging higher fees for your area rather than saying that they are “underpaying” so that your plan benefits are lower than usual and customary.
We believe prevention and semi-annual checkups to be the key factor in fighting dental carries. At your child’s visit we will follow the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry at each checkup, not what your insurance company may arbitrate.
Our fees are in keeping with those in our area and we feel more than fair in relation to the services and the facility we proved for our patients. We try to give total estimates in advance whenever possible. We offer the following methods of payment: credit card, cash, check or financing through Wells Fargo. Our primary objective is to complete your child’s treatment as quickly as possible and in as few appointments as possible. We will do this regardless of the payment method you select.
Managed Dental Care Plans
Dental insurance plans differ by:
The services they cover
The amount they pay for dental procedures
And who you may choose as your child’s dentist
Dental Plans may limit whom you may seek dental care for you child. Others might ask that you be referred in by a general dentist first.
Your child will receive the most appropriate care when you make informed decisions with the dentist of your choice.
When offered a choice of dental plans, know what services the plan does and does not cover before you enroll. Make sure you have the option to choose a pediatric dentist as your primary care provider.
Managed care insurances provide a list of dentists who have agreed to be in network with them. Some plans only cover dentists that have enrolled with them. Others, will cover dental work with out of network dentists, but will reimburse at a lesser rate. We are enrolled with three managed care insurances. They are, Delta Dental Premier, Dental Care Plus, and Superior Dental Care. Always call your dental insurance before visiting the dentist to know what your coverage is, as it may change yearly.
Find out if your employer offers less restrictive plans. Know your choices during your re-enrollment period. If you are not satisfied with your dental plan, you should consider voicing your concern with your employer. When parents decide to change their child’s dental provider for any reason, we will be there to assist you in the transfer of records to make the transition as smooth as possible. If you decide to switch to a more restrictive plan, and then are not happy with it, you are always welcome to return to our office.
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