HOW ARE APPOINTMENTS SCHEDULED
The Office attempts to schedule appointments at your convenience and when the 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 alot 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. Other patients who need 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. For your convenience an answering machine is available when our office is closed, please leave us a message.
WHAT ABOUT FINANCES
We expect payment at the time of your child/children's visit. If your child is in need of dental work, we can offer you a monthly payment option. Please note for your convenience we accept, Cash, Checks, American Express/Visa/Mastercard or Debit Visa/Mastercard.
OUR OFFICE POLICY REGARDING DENTAL INSURANCE
We currently participate with the following dental insurance companies:
GUARDIAN-PPO / DELTA DENTAL-PPO / CIGNA-PPO / AETNA-PPO /ASSURANT-PPO AND FIRST AMERITAS-PPO
FOR PATIENTS THAT WE PARTICIPATE IN THEIR PLAN
To better serve you, We will need your full insurance information prior to your child/children's first visit. Information needed from you will be: Name of policy holder (self)/ spouse, Social Security Number or ID Number, Date of Birth, Employer and Group Number.
You must be familiar with your insurance benefits, as we will collect from you any copay, deductible or amount insurance is not expected to pay.
INSURANCE PLANS WE DO NOT PARTICIPATE WITH
If your Dental Insurance carrier is not one of the plans named above, kindly let us know who your dental insurance is as we are always looking at new plans to better serve our patients.
Please understand that if we file dental insurance as a courtesy to you, we do not have a contract with your insurance company only you do. We are not responsible for how your insurance handles its claims or for what benefits they pay on the claim. We can assist you in estimating your portion of the cost of treatment, we at no time guarantee what your insurance will pay. If you would like we can submit a pre-estimate.
FACT - NO INSURANCE PAYS 100% OF ALL PROCEDURES
Dental Insurance is meant to be an aid to receiving dental care. You may have noticed that sometimes
your dental insurer reimburses you or the dentist at a lower rate that the dentist actual fee. Many patients think that their insurance will pay 90% - 100% of all dental fees, this is not true! Most plans pay on an out of network usual and customary fee schedule. The percentage paid is usually determined be how much you or your employer has paid for coverage or the type of contract your employer has set up with the insurance company. 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" usual and customary fees.
When estimating all dental benefits, deductibles and percentages must be considered! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask us.