Office Policies

Office Policies

Appointment Policy

The scheduled appointment is reserved specifically for your child.  Any change in this appointment affects many patients.  If a cancellation is unavoidable, please call the office at least 24 hours in advance so that we may give that time to another patient.

  • All restorative (fillings, extractions, etc.) procedures are scheduled in the morning.  Children, as well as adults, are more prepared and do better in the morning for these types of procedures.
  • We strive to see all patients on time for their scheduled appointment.  There are times when our schedule is delayed in order to accommodate an injured child or an emergency.  Please accept our apology in advance should this occur during your appointment.  We will do the exact same if your child is in need of emergency treatment.
  • Please plan to arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled appointment.  This will allow time to complete any additional paperwork and see your child on time.
  • If you arrive 10-15 minutes late for your appointment, you may be asked to reschedule for the next available appointment time. 
  • Again, please call at least 24 hours in advance if a cancellation is unavoidable so that we may give it to another patient.
  • Broken or missed appointments affect many people.  If you cancel two (2) appointments with less than 24 hours notice this will count as one (1) broken appointment.  If two (2) broken/missed appointments occur, our office reserves the right to NOT schedule any subsequent appointments.
  • A parent/legal guardian (with official documentation) must be present during the initial examination and/or any filling appointments.
  • Payment is due in full by cash, personal check or charge card within 30 days of rendered services.  A charge of $30.00 will be assessed on checks returned for any reason.
  • Dental insurance is a contract between your employer and the insurance company.  We cannot influence how much of our fees your insurance will cover.  Your benefits are determined by the policy your employer purchased.
  • Please be aware that the person bringing the child for dental care is legally responsible for payment of all charges (excluding Medicaid and Health Choice patients).

Please remember, even if you have insurance coverage, you are responsible for payment of your account.  Please realize that insurance coverage is a relationship between you, the insured patient, and your insurance company.  Your understanding and cooperation with this matter is greatly appreciated. 
If at any time you have questions, please feel free to ask our staff or call our office.  We are here to help in any way we can.  We appreciate you entrusting your child’s dental health to us.
Thank you!

Insurance Facts

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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