FAQ

All major credit cards are accepted, except American Express. Please see our Billing page.

Generally speaking, any dental insurance which allows you to go to any dentist is accepted at our office but to further benefit yourself, check with your insurance company or call us directly to find out if we take your insurance.

No, at this time we do not accept this type of insurance.

Yes! We accept all type of payments which can be found on our Billing page. We also offer extended payment plans through Care Credit and various payment options, please call us!

Absolutely! We have an easy to understand form we’ve created that we call a “Patient Estimated Financial Responsibility” form, and we will tell you your estimated portion based off the most current information we received from your insurance company so you can make an informed decision regarding your treatment prior to us starting. Additionaly, if you would prefer a guarantee of coverage from your insurance company before treatment begins, please let us know so we can send a pre-authorization to your insurance company, which takes about 4 weeks to receive an answer.

No. We bill all of your claims to your insurance company for you, and they send payment directly to us. The only thing that we request of you is your estimated portion based off of what your insurance company has told us they cover.

For instance, if you have a filling done and your insurance company pays 90%, we will collect the deductible, if applicable, and the 10% that we estimate your insurance will not pay at the time of service. We collect at the time of service because it is our company policy to help protect us and our patients from going into collections from unpaid bills.

We are very sorry, but as stated on our “Patient Estimated Financial Responsibility” form that you have signed, we have not contacted your insurance company and can not guarantee coverage. We estimate what the insurance company will pay based off of the more current information we received from your insurance company.

We will do everything we can to receive payment from your insurance company regarding treatment done, but if something is not paid, the balance is owed by the patient.

We honor a 10% senior citizens discount.

This is our #1 asked question. In short, no, most likely not. We use the most advanced techniques available for dental numbing. Our dentists and hygienists are continually trained in anesthesia techniques. Our aim is to make your visit as comfortable as possible…from the moment you sit down till the moment you leave. If, for any reason, you are feeling any discomfort during a procedure, we ask that you raise your left hand and we will stop and figure out what may be hurting, why it may be hurting, and how to continue without causing you discomfort. Dental treatment has come a long way and our goal is to show you that there is nothing to be afraid of.

Periodontal disease is a disease affecting the gums and the bones surrounding the teeth. There are many factors that contribute to periodontal disease which can range from insufficient home care to genetics. Once you have periodontal disease you can not get rid of it, but you can stabilize and maintain it with proper care and treatment. We can’t clean your teeth today because we need to address the periodontal disease by speaking with you about your options for treatment, and that takes some time. The actual cleaning for periodontal disease takes longer than a regular cleaning, and we simply don’t have enough time to give you the proper service you are paying for today.

When wisdom teeth are present in the mouth they are very difficult to keep clean because they are so far back. This can lead to periodontal disease and other problems including infection and cavities. Sometimes wisdom teeth don’t erupt properly, and can cause teeth to shift and may even cause infection and pain in the gums and jaw!

If you wait until it hurts, there may be more treatment needed than was initially recommended. Additionally, your emergency may then occur at an inconvenient time, like the middle of the night, on a weekend, or simply when it is harder to get you in to the schedule. You are more than welcome to a second opinion with another dentist in our office or any dentist you may choose.

A crown is a protective structure fabricated in a lab that has the same shape as a natural tooth. A crown is used at times where a tooth has broken, a filling would simply be too large to be practical, or many other reasons. The treatment for a crown is done in one visit done in our office. With proper care, a crown can last many years. See the Smiles page for an example of a crown.

A root canal is a procedure in which the nerve of the tooth is removed by the dentist using small files inside each canal of the tooth. The empty canals are then filled with a rubber material that takes the place of the nerve. This procedure is used to save a tooth rather than extract it. Despite the stories that may have been told by others, root canals are not painful, you will be numb through the entire procedure.

Gaps from missing teeth can cause many problems. Teeth will shift to try to fill the space that the missing tooth left. If a tooth has nothing opposing it, it will start to “super erupt”, or come down to try to find something to bite against. This can lead to bone loss, the necessity for extensive treatment, and even sometimes the loss of the tooth. It is very important to try to save teeth, but if that is not an option, it’s also very important to replace them.