Whether you are new to our practice or have been a patient for years, we would like to familiarize you with our policies concerning treatment, payment, and missed appointments. If you have been with us for a long time, you may notice some changes in some of our policies. We are always trying to find ways to improve the level of dental care and personal service we provide, so we hope you will find the changes helpful. As always, if you have any questions about the information on this page don't hesitate to call us.

Treatment Policy

We want you, the patient to be involved in determining the course of your treatment. Gone are the days if the dentist telling you what you "need" and not providing options. Dental health is a team enterprise with one collective goal - nurturing your teeth, mouth, and gums to simply be the best they can be.

Maybe you've neglected your dental health for a bit too long, or maybe past experience has left you with apprehension when it comes to dental care. Dental technology has come a long way from what you might remember. We make every effort to make your treatment a pleasant experience.

Preventive dentistry is our goal for every patient. It involves the daily care, good nutrition, and periodic check ups and cleanings that maintain good dental health. Preventive dentistry may not be where we start with every patient, but it's where we like to finish.

Restorative dentistry is basic repair of the mouth. We mend broken or leaking fillings, build crowns and bridges, fit partial and full dentures, and improve your bite. Where necessary, gum disease is treated prior to major restorative treatment. The prevailing belief behind restorative dentistry is a simple one: you can keep all your teeth for all your life.

Cosmetic dentistry is coming of age with new materials and procedures that make a beautiful smile accessible to everyone. Because our preventive and restorative programs have been so successful, we now have the luxury of considering cosmetic treatment for gaps, chips, and otherwise less-than-perfect smiles.

We work hard to control the cost of dental care. It's part of our philosophy that quality care should be available to everyone. Our first rule of thumb: before any work is performed, we'll sit down together and go over our estimate of charges--every detail.

Payment Policy

We ask that all patients make payment in full on the day of their first appointment. For patients with insurance we will reimburse you the amount covered by your policy when we receive insurance payment.

For subsequent treatment we will bill patients with insurance for uncovered amounts after we receive payment from the insurance company. Patients without insurance will be expected to pay for services at the time they are delivered. Payment can be by cash, check, or VISA/MasterCard. If this is impossible we have a payment plan called CareCredit available to help make your care more convenient for you.

Missed Appointment Policy

We understand that illness, emergencies, flat tires, and bad weather do occur. We ask our patients to give us 48 hours' notice whenever possible, if they cannot keep an appointment. This allows us time to fill our schedule with other patients who may by waiting.

If you do happen to miss an appointment without adequate notice, we will notify you with a phone call and reschedule you at the next available time. If you should miss a second appointment in the same year, we will send a letter reminding you of our policy and asking you to call us to reschedule. A third missed appointment will result in a letter notifying you that you will not be rescheduled. We don't like to go to these lengths, but the cost of needlessly missed appointments is borne by us all--in overhead, time and energy, and eventually, in patient fees.

Patient Privacy Policy

In 1996 Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as a means of increasing the confidentiality and security of health information. As a part of this law, we are required to provide all patients with a copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices, which outlines your rights and our obligations in dealing with your private health information. We hope you will feel comfortable and secure in the knowledge that we will keep all of your private information confidential. If you would like to access your dental record please ask us and we will arrange it. View our Notice of Privacy PracticesYou will need Adobe Reader 5.0.