First Visit

The Child's First Visit | The Adult's First Visit

Dr. Hill, Dr. Brodersen, Dr. Albert and Dr. Punwani specialize in pediatric dentistry. We strive to provide a positive dental experience for you and your child. As a pediatric dental office, we are committed to meet the needs of every child to the best of our ability and do our best to exceed the expectations of every parent and care giver.

Our office , as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Dental Association (ADA), and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) all recommend establishing a “Dental Home”  for your child by one year of age.  Children who have a dental home are more likely to receive appropriate preventive and routine oral health care.

The Dental Home is intended to provide a place other than the Emergency Room for parents.

The office attempts to schedule appointments at your convenience and when time is available. Preschool children should be seen in the morning because they are fresher and we can work more slowly with them for their comfort. School children with a lot 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.

 Do I Stay with My Child During the Visit?

We invite you to stay with your child during the initial examination.  During future appointments, we suggest you allow your child to accompany our staff through the dental experience.  We can usually establish a closer rapport with your child when you are not present.  Our purpose is to gain your child’s confidence and overcome apprehension.  However, if you choose, you may come with your child to the treatment room.   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.   

What to Expect

We are elated that you are choosing ABC Dentistry as your dental home.  Our general dentists possess over twenty years of experience solely treating the needs and concerns of our adult patients.

On your first visit, our mission is to welcome you into our office so you’ll be comfortable and relaxed.  Our team will review your medical and past dental history, and take any necessary radiographs (x-rays).  Our general dentists will do a comprehensive oral examination and discuss all findings.  It is important to establish excellent 2-way communication from the outset.  You should leave with a clear understanding of our findings and the treatment plan necessary to restore you to optimal health. 

Thank you for your interest in ABC Dentistry.  We look forward to your visit in the near future.

How are Appointments Scheduled?

The office attempts to schedule appointments at your convenience and when time is available. 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. Another patient, who needs 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.

Our practice philosophy is to provide the highest quality care at a reasonable cost.  Every effort will be made to provide a treatment plan which fits your timetable and budget, and gives you or your child the best possible care. We accept cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. Qualified individuals are entitled to interest-free financing.
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Our Office Policy Regarding Dental Insurance

We accept all PPO insurance plans.  Please understand that we file dental insurance claims as a courtesy to our patients.  We are not responsible for how your insurance company handles its claims or for what benefits they pay on a claim. We at no time guarantee what your insurance will or will not do with each claim.  We can only assist you in estimating your portion of the cost of treatment. .

USUAL AND CUSTOMARY (UCR)
You may have noticed that sometimes your dental insurer reimburses you or the dentist at a lower rate than the dentist's actual fee. Frequently, insurance companies state that the reimbursement was reduced because your dentist's fee has exceeded the usual, customary, or reasonable fee ("UCR") used by the company.

A statement such as this gives the impression that any fee greater than the amount paid by the insurance company is unreasonable, or well above what most dentists in the area charge for a certain service. This can be very misleading and simply is not accurate.

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" UCR Fee. Frequently, this data can be three to five years old and these "allowable" fees are set by the insurance company so they can make a net 20%-30% profit.

Unfortunately, insurance companies imply that your dentist is "overcharging", rather than say that they are "underpaying", or that their benefits are low. In general, the less expensive insurance policy will use a lower usual, customary, or reasonable (UCR) figure.

DEDUCTIBLES & CO-PAYMENTS

When estimating dental benefits, deductibles and percentages must be considered. To illustrate, assume the fee for service is $150.00. Assuming that the insurance company allows $150.00 as its usual and customary (UCR) fee, we can figure out what benefits will be paid. First a deductible (paid by you), on average $50, is subtracted, leaving $100.00. The plan then pays 80% for this particular procedure. The insurance company will then pay 80% of $100.00, or $80.00. Out of a $150.00 fee they will pay an estimated $80.00 leaving a remaining portion of $70.00 (to be paid by the patient). Of course, if the UCR is less than $150.00 or your plan pays only at 50% then the insurance benefits will also be significantly less.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, please keep us informed of any insurance changes such as policy name, insurance company address, or a change of employment.