Appointments   |   First Visit   |   Are Parents Allowed in the Room with Their Children?
Our Office Financial Policy 

Appointments

We know parents don’t want school attendance to be affected by dental appointments. For this reason many parents specifically ask for late afternoon appointments only. However our office schedules elementary school children requiring treatment in the morning only. We find that children are least stressed and most alert in the morning after a good night’s rest. We want to make dental treatment as comfortable and easy as possible for all our children. All new patient exams are scheduled between 10:00 – 1:00 pm so that we may reserve the earlier times for younger children requiring treatment.

We strive to provide timely service for our patients. We ask for a reprieve the first time your child must wait more than 15 minutes for his or her regularly scheduled appointment. We know your schedule is busy and we are well-aware of how difficult it is for children to have to wait. If we are more than 15 minutes late a second time during the same calendar year a toy store gift certificate will be offered to your child. The only exception to this is with sedation or general anesthesia cases since the length of previous appointments in the day may be difficult to predict.

Our office is dedicated to providing a high level of care for our parents. Since appointment times are reserved exclusively for each patient we ask that you notify our office 48 hours in advance of your scheduled appointment time if you are unable to keep your appointment. We also require notification if you are going to be 15+ minutes late so that we can determine if the appointment needs to be rescheduled. A broken appointment charge of $35 will be assessed against the account for insufficient notice.  We realize that unexpected things can happen, but we ask for your assistance in this regard.

A parent or guardian must accompany and stay with any child less than 18 years old.
No cell phones, strollers, or food and drink are allowed in the treatment areas.
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The First Visit

Little Pearls Dentistry believes your child’s first visit should be enjoyable! Depending on the child’s comfort level, the first visit may not be a full “checkup”. It may just be playing, taking a ride in the chair, selecting a prize, or reviewing oral hygiene and diet with parents.

Parents can have great influence on how their child handles a dental visit. Try to make your explanations positive. Avoid words such as “hurt”, “pain”, “shot”, or “needle.” This will help to reduce anxiety before and during treatment. Explain to your child that Dr. Mike will count his or her teeth and help Mommy and Daddy learn how to brush his or her teeth at home. Remember that dental care for children today has a much broader focus on ensuring comfort than in the past. So you can explain to your child that his or her dental appointment will be comfortable and even fun!

Are Parents Allowed in the Room With Their Child?

YES! At Little Pearls Dentistry we always encourage parents to accompany their children in the treatment areas. The only exception to this is with treatment under general anesthesia, and even with general anesthesia you will be welcome to periodically check in on your child. We believe that inherent in the treatment and care of children should be an attitude that welcomes, if not encourages, any means to help a child feel comfortable and safe. We know that a parent’s gentle touch or comforting words may help your child during treatment. But we ask parents to limit their verbal communication during treatment as children may not be able to hear our directions. In rare circumstances we may ask a parent to move beyond their child’s direct vision – but the parent will always be encouraged to remain in the room.

One parent at a time may be in the treatment area. For the safety and privacy of all patients, other children who are not being treated should remain in the reception room with a supervising adult. Cell phones should be turned off and no food or drink may be brought back into the treatment areas.
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Our Office Financial Policy

Insurance

A common question at any healthcare office is, “Do you accept my insurance?” We accept all insurance and are happy to submit claims on behalf of our patients, but we are only "in-newtork" with Delta Premier. This means that we are considered “out of network” for all other insurance companies. There are a number of reasons we chose not to enter into these relationships with other insurance companies.

We know that different insurance companies cover services at different levels. Sometimes an office will charge patients different amounts for the same services based on how much their insurance covers. Insurance companies with inferior coverage sometimes do not provide these offices with fair compensation, forcing these offices to charge patients with better insurance and patients with no insurance higher fees. These patients, in essence, subsidize patients with inferior coverage. We think it is inherently unfair to charge patients different amounts for the exact same service based simply on the insurance plan an employer chose. Our office feels that all patients should pay the same amount and a fair amount for identical services.

Additionally, you can be assured that our recommendation and treatment of your child will never be influenced by insurance benefits or limitations. You may find that we withhold performing certain procedures that may not be necessary or indicated even though they may be covered by insurance. For example, not every child needs x-rays every six months or even every twelve months. A one or two year old child may not get a therapeutic benefit from having a cleaning done. Not every child may need sealants. Although all these procedures may be covered 100% by insurance our office will not perform them if they are not necessary or beneficial to your child. Our office will also take the time to care for your child and answer your questions so you never feel rushed or unimportant.

If you would like to bill your insurance, a claim form can be printed on the day of your child’s visit. In such cases we will require payment in full on the day of service. As a courtesy, our office can also bill your insurance but we are not responsible for any errors or omissions made in the claim process. You will be responsible for the estimated co-pay on the day of service. Our estimation of your insurance coverage is not a guarantee, but merely an estimate based on the best information we have. There may be a deductible, a yearly maximum, fee schedules, benefits paid to other offices, or other factors to be considered. You should refer any questions or verification of precise benefits to your insurance company or employer.

Your insurance plan is a contract between your employer and the insurance company and we are not a party to that contract. Balances that remain on the account after 45 days will be charged to your credit card on file and you will be responsible for pursuing any outstanding insurance claims directly with the insurance company. We will provide you any necessary claim forms and/or documentation required. We urge you to contact your insurance company to ensure prompt processing of claims.
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