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How are Appointments Scheduled?
Do I Stay
with My Child During the Visit?
What About Finances?
Our Office
Policy Regarding Dental Insurance
Sedation and General
Anesthesia
How are
Appointments Scheduled?
The office attempts to schedule appointments at your
convenience and when time is available. Preschool children should be seen in
the morning because they are fresher and we can work more slowly with the
child for their comfort. School children with a lot of work to be done
should be seen in the morning for the same reason. Dental appointments are
an excused absence. Missing school can be kept to a minimum when regular
dental care is continued.
Since appointed times are reserved exclusively for
each patient we ask that you please notify our office 24 hours in advance of
your scheduled appointment time if you are unable to keep your appointment.
Another patient who needs our care could be scheduled if we have sufficient
time to notify them. We realize that unexpected things can happen, but we
ask for your assistance in this regard.
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Do I Stay with My Child During the Visit?
We invite you to stay with your child during the
initial examination. During future appointments, we suggest you allow your
child to accompany our staff through the dental experience. We can usually
establish a closer rapport with your child when you are not present. Our
purpose is to gain your child's confidence and overcome apprehension.
However, if you choose, you may come with your child to the treatment room.
For the safety and privacy of all patients, other children who are not being
treated should remain in the reception room with a supervising adult.
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What About Finances?
Payment for professional services is due at the time
dental treatment is provided. Every effort will be made to provide a
treatment plan which fits your timetable and budget, and gives your child
the best possible care. We accept cash, personal checks, debit cards and
most major credit cards.
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Our Office Policy
Regarding Dental Insurance
If we have received all of your insurance information
on the day of the appointment, we will be happy to file your claim for you.
You must be familiar with your insurance benefits, as we will collect from
you the estimated amount insurance is not expected to pay. By law your
insurance company is required to pay
 each claim within 30 days of receipt.
We file all insurance electronically so your insurance company will receive
each claim within days of the treatment. You are responsible for any balance
on your account after 30 days, whether insurance has paid or not. If you
have not paid your balance within 60 days a finance charge of 1.5% will be
added to your account each month until paid. We will be glad to send a
refund to you once insurance has paid us.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND that we file dental insurance as a courtesy to our
patients. We do not have a contract with your insurance company, only you
do. We are not responsible for how your insurance company handles its claims
or for what benefits they pay on a claim. We can only assist you in
estimating your portion of the cost of treatment, we at no time guarantee
what your insurance will or will not do with each claim. We also can not be
responsible for any errors in filing your insurance, once again we file
claims as a courtesy to you.
Fact 1 - NO INSURANCE PAYS 100% OF ALL PROCEDURES
Dental insurance is meant to be an aid in receiving dental care. Many
patients think that their insurance pays 90%-100% of all dental fees. This
is not true! Most plans only pay between 50%-80% of the average total fee.
Some pay more, some pay less. The percentage paid is usually determined by
how much you or your employer has paid for coverage or the type of contract
your employer has set up with the insurance company.
Fact 2 - BENEFITS ARE NOT DETERMINED BY OUR OFFICE
You may have noticed that sometimes your dental insurer reimburses you or
the dentist at a lower rate than the dentist's actual fee. Frequently,
insurance companies state that the reimbursement was reduced because your
dentist's fee has exceeded the usual, customary, or reasonable fee ("UCR")
used by the company.
A statement such as this gives the impression that any fee greater than the
amount paid by the insurance company is unreasonable or well above what most
dentists in the area charge for a certain service. This can be very
misleading and simply is not accurate.
Insurance companies set their own schedules and each company uses a
different set of fees they consider allowable. These allowable fees may vary
widely because each company collects fee information from claims it
processes. The insurance company then takes this data and arbitrarily
chooses a level they call the "allowable" UCR Fee. Frequently this data can
be three to five years old and these "allowable" fees are set by the
insurance company so they can make a net 20%-30% profit.
Unfortunately, insurance companies imply that your dentist is "overcharging"
rather than say that they are "underpaying" or that their benefits are low.
In general, the less expensive insurance policy will use a lower usual,
customary, or reasonable (UCR) figure.
Fact 3 - DEDUCTIBLES & CO-PAYMENTS MUST BE CONSIDERED
When estimating dental benefits, deductibles and percentages must be
considered. To illustrate, assume the fee for service is $150.00. Assuming
that the insurance company allows $150.00 as its usual and customary (UCR)
fee, we can figure out what benefits will be paid. First a deductible (paid
by you), on average $50, is subtracted, leaving $100.00. The plan then pays
80% for this particular procedure. The insurance company will then pay 80%
of $100.00, or $80.00. Out of a $150.00 fee they will pay an estimated
$80.00 leaving a remaining portion of $70.00 (to be paid by the patient). Of
course, if the UCR is less than $150.00 or your plan pays only at 50% then
the insurance benefits will also be significantly less.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, please keep us informed of any
insurance changes such as policy name, insurance company address, or a
change of employment.
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Sedation and General Anesthesia
Nitrous Oxide /
Conscious Sedation
Outpatient General Anesthesia
Nitrous Oxide
Some children
are given nitrous oxide/oxygen, or what you may know as laughing gas, to
relax them for their dental treatment. Nitrous oxide/oxygen is a blend of
two gases, oxygen and nitrous oxide. Nitrous oxide/oxygen is given through
a small breathing mask which is placed over the child’s nose, allowing
them to relax, but without putting them to sleep. The American Academy of
Pediatric Dentistry, recognizes this technique as a very safe, effective
technique to use for treating children’s dental needs. The gas is mild,
easily taken, then with normal breathing, it is quickly eliminated from
the body. It is non-addictive. While inhaling nitrous oxide/oxygen, your
child remains fully conscious and keeps all natural reflexes.
Prior to your
appointment:
-
Please
inform us of any change to your child’s health and/or medical
condition.
-
Tell us
about any respiratory condition that makes breathing through the nose
difficult for your child. It may limit the effectiveness of the
nitrous oxide/oxygen.
-
Let us know
if your child is taking any medication on the day of the appointment.
Conscious
Sedation
Conscious
Sedation is recommended for apprehensive children, very young children,
and children with special needs. It is used to calm your child and to
reduce the anxiety or discomfort associated with dental treatments. Your
child may be quite drowsy, and may even fall asleep, but they will not
become unconscious.
There are a
variety of different medications, which can be used for conscious
sedation. The doctor will prescribe the medication best suited for your
child’s overall health and dental treatment recommendations. We will be
happy to answer any questions you might have concerning the specific drugs
we plan to give to your child.
Prior to your
appointment:
-
Please
notify us of any change in your child’s health and/or medical
condition. Do not bring your child for treatment with a fever, ear
infection or cold. Should your child become ill, contact us to see if
it is necessary to postpone the appointment.
-
You must
tell the doctor of any drugs that your child is currently taking and
any drug reactions and/or change in medical history.
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Please dress
your child in loose fitting, comfortable clothing.
-
Please make
sure that your child goes to the bathroom immediately prior to
arriving at the office.
-
Your child
should not have solid food for at least 6 hours prior to their
sedation appointment and only clear liquids for up to 4 hours before
the appointment.
-
The child’s
parent or legal guardian must remain at the office during the complete
procedure.
-
Please watch
your child closely while the medication is taking effect. Hold them in
your lap or keep close to you. Do not let them "run around."
-
Your child
will act drowsy and may become slightly excited at first.
After the
sedation appointment:
-
Your child
will be drowsy and will need to be monitored very closely. Keep your
child away from areas of potential harm.
-
If your
child wants to sleep, place them on their side with their chin up.
Wake your child every hour and encourage them to have something to
drink in order to prevent dehydration. At first it is best to give
your child sips of clear liquids to prevent nausea. The first meal
should be light and easily digestible.
-
If your
child vomits, help them bend over and turn their head to the side to
insure that they do not inhale the vomit.
-
Because we
use local anesthetic to numb your child’s mouth during the
procedure, your child may have the tendency to bite or chew their
lips, cheeks, and/or tongue and/or rub and scratch their face after
treatment. Please observe your child carefully to prevent any injury
to these areas.
-
Please call
our office for any questions or concerns that you might have.
Outpatient
General Anesthesia
Outpatient
General Anesthesia is recommended for apprehensive children, very young
children, and children with special needs that would not work well under
conscious sedation or I.V. sedation. General anesthesia renders your child
completely asleep. This would be the same as if he/she was having their
tonsils removed, ear tubes, or hernia repaired. This is performed in a
hospital or outpatient setting only. While the assumed risks are greater
than that of other treatment options, if this is suggested for your child,
the benefits of treatment this way have been deemed to outweigh the risks.
Most pediatric medical literature places the risk of a serious reaction in
the range of 1 in 25,000 to 1 in 200,000, far better than the assumed risk
of even driving a car daily. The inherent risks if this is not chosen are
multiple appointments, potential for physical restraint to complete
treatment and possible emotional and/or physical injury to your child in
order to complete their dental treatment. The risks of NO treatment
include tooth pain, infection, swelling, the spread of new decay, damage
to their developing adult teeth and possible life threatening
hospitalization from a dental infection.
Prior to your
appointment:
-
Please
notify us of any change in your child’s health. Do not bring your
child for treatment with a fever, ear infection or cold. Should your
child become ill, contact us to see if it is necessary to postpone the
appointment.
-
You must
tell the doctor of any drugs that your child is currently taking and
any drug reactions and/or change in medical history.
-
Please dress
your child in loose fitting, comfortable clothing.
-
Your child
should not have milk or solid food after midnight prior to the
scheduled procedure and clear liquids ONLY (water, apple juice,
Gatorade) for up to 6 hours prior to the appointment.
-
The child’s
parent or legal guardian must remain at the hospital or surgical site
waiting room during the complete procedure.
After the
sedation appointment:
-
Your child
will be drowsy and will need to be monitored very closely. Keep your
child away from areas of potential harm.
-
If your
child wants to sleep, place them on their side with their chin up.
Wake your child every hour and encourage them to have something to
drink in order to prevent dehydration. At first it is best to give
your child sips of clear liquids to prevent nausea. The first meal
should be light and easily digestible.
-
If your
child vomits, help them bend over and turn their head to the side to
insure that they do not inhale the vomit.
-
Prior to
leaving the hospital/outpatient center, you will be given a detailed
list of "Post-Op Instructions" and an emergency contact
number if needed.
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