New Patients
New patients are always welcome
to our office.
At your
first appointment, you may be
scheduled with the doctor only
or the doctor and the hygienist.
Dr. Gardner will spend
approximately a half an hour with you,
in order to perform a
comprehensive oral examination.
In this examination, some areas
which will be looked at may
include all (or partial) of the
following:
- Hard and soft tissues
- Condition of your previous restorations
- Head and neck areas
- All of your teeth
In order to provide all of our
patients with the very best in
care, Dr.
Gardner may also
request to take some additional
records, such as radiographs
(x-rays) and photographs, in
order to properly assess your
conditions
and to plan for
treatment. A second
consultation appointment may be required to discuss
treatment and to answer any
questions that you may have
prior to starting any dentistry.
A copy of the treatment plan and
all related costs will be given
to you at this appointment.
In addition, we have designed
some simple office policies and
guidelines. These are to
ensure that you have a clear
understanding of your
expectations of our office.
Any concerns will always be
addressed on an individual
basis.
You will need to arrive at the office at least 15 minutes prior to your first appointment to fill out a medical history form. If you prefer, you may print out our online medical history form and dental history form. You may complete these at your leisure, then bring them with you to the office. To view and print these pages, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Click here for free download.
Two
working days notice is required
to change your previously
reserved appointment, or a
fee will be charged according to
the amount of time booked for
your appointment. Failure
to attend appointments or
provide adequate cancellation
notice deprives other patients
of access to treatment (some of
which may be urgent in nature).
This also adds significantly to
the cost of everyone's dental
care.
Dental
Insurance
DENTAL INSURANCE COVERAGE IS
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY ... BUT WE
CAN HELP. Dental plans
vary greatly. The forms,
conditions, and percentages of
payments are contracted between
you, your employer or union, and
the insurance company (who
agreed to pay toward the costs
of your dental care, and the
specific benefits that they have
agreed to provide).
Regardless of what we might
calculate as your dental benefit
in dollars, we must emphasize to
you that the patient is
responsible for the ENTIRE
TREATMENT FEE. As a
courtesy to you, we do accept
assignment of benefit payment
from most insurance companies.
This will reduce your immediate,
out-of-pocket expenditures.
Insurance companies do not
inform dental offices of changes
to your policy. We
encourage our patients to know
their plan, in order to reduce
or eliminate any
misunderstandings regarding
payment and reimbursement.
REMEMBER, your dental
plan is not a treatment plan.
You should not allow your dental
plan to dictate the care you
receive. Only you and your
dentist can decide the treatment
plan that best meets your
specific needs and
circumstances. Our fees
are based on clinical expertise,
quality of care and materials.
We allow up to 30 calendar days
for your insurance company to
make payment. AFTER
THAT TIME, ALL INQUIRIES (FOLLOW
UP) ON PAYMENTS DUE BECOME YOUR
RESPONSIBILITY.
Patient Responsibility
The cost of your dental
treatment may be covered by a
dental plan. If your
dental plan does not cover 100 %
of the costs of your dental
treatment, you are required to
pay any outstanding balance.
It is your responsibility to
understand what percentage of
the proposed treatment is
covered by your dental plan.
As a courtesy to you, we will
pre-authorize new and major
treatment for our patients by
contacting your dental insurance
company.