For over 50 years we have provided quality, affordable dental care to the Southern Tier of New York State. We pride ourselves in being proficient in all phases of general and cosmetic dentistry for adults and children. Check below for answers to frequently asked questions from our patients and information on the services we provide.
Many of our patients and their families are covered by a dental insurance plan. This is a valuable way to help pay for your dental care. We feel it is important for all of us, however, to understand that professional services are rendered to a person and not to an insurance company. Thus the insurance company is responsible to the patient who is ultimately responsible to the office for payment.
Some services that you may want or need may not be covered by your dental insurance policy. Our goal is to help you achieve and maintain optimal dental care. The insurance company's goal is to provide only the negotiated benefit for the selected service. The reimbursement is merely based on mathematical formulas. We, as health care providers, do not want to compromise your care based on restraints put in place by the insurance company. Please be aware that you may have an annual benefit limit. Once that limit is reached, no further benefits can be received, regardless how essential the treatment may be.
Many insurance companies require or suggest a pre-determination of benefits be submitted in advance of treatment. We can help with that aspect. We want you to know your out-of-pocket expense so that we can make comfortable financial arrangements with you.
Elective treatment (such as cosmetic dentistry, bleaching and some TMJ services) generally is not covered under dental insurance policies. These are important treatments that can enhance the quality of life for our patients, but insurance usually will not cover them.
It is our custom to render treatment on a fee for service basis only. All patients are asked to pay for their services at the time they are performed. Claims are submitted promptly after treatment is rendered to expedite your reimbursement. We will be available to assist you so that claims are processed smoothly and efficiently. - Back to Top
Infection Control
Since infection control and sterilization in the dental office is of great concern to all of us, we want you to know we are committed to your safety, health and protection.
Our staff participates in continuing education courses in infection control on an ongoing basis. All personnel with any patient contact have been appropriately vaccinated.
In the treatment areas we routinely wear gloves, masks and glasses. Gloves are changed not only when a patient is contacted, but also frequently during a lengthy procedure on the same patient. In addition, the numerous disposable items used are discarded after each patient and the treatment chairs and other furnishings are sprayed with bacterium-killing solutions. All of the burs (cutting instruments), hand pieces and other instruments are either disposed of or sterilized after each procedure.
Many safeguards also go on behind the scenes. All instruments are placed into an ultrasonic cleaner containing a bacterium-killing solution. The instruments are then sterilized at high heat, in an autoclave that is routinely tested by an outside, licensed testing facility to be sure that all bacteria are killed. The few instruments that cannot be safely autoclaved are placed in a bacterium-killing solution for a minimum of 10 hours. Trash that is in any way considered contaminated is disposed of seperately and picked up by a licensed medical waste trash vendor.
We want to assure everyone that we are committed to providing the best quality dentistry for a reasonable fee while providing the best possible protection for patients and staff against disease and illness. We will continue to be on the cutting edge in all available dental procedures, dental materials and patient protection. - Back to Top
Our Hygiene Program
In our office, your periodontal health is of utmost importance. The success of any restorative treatment depends on stable, healthy gums and supporting bone. Each patient's periodontal diagnosis is unique; we believe strongly in the design and implementation of a program that will most effectively adress those individual needs.
Your first hygiene visit will usually consist of a periodontal history and evaluation in which the health and positioning of your gums are determined and recorded. The evaluation, combined with your complete series of x-rays and other specidic tests, provides us with the information necessary to make an accurate diagnosis. At this visit, your home care habits will be assessed and discussed and modifications suggested. Finally, an initial cleaning may be completed. Depending on the results of your periodontal evaluation and the amount of tartar and stain accumulated, this may be the only hygiene appointment necessary. However, additional hygiene treatments or even referral to a Periodontist (gum specialist) may be required to improve your oral health. An estimate will be given for any extended treatment.
Your doctor and hygienist will discuss your diagnosis, prognosis and periodontal treatment plan with you. They will make a recommendation regarding the frequency of your subsequent hygiene maintenance visits. This may range from a three month to one year interval. Again, this is tailored to your individual need and may be altered at future visits depending on your progress or then current condition. It is important to make this appointment before you leave in order to insure continuity of care.
All these recommendations are made in order to help achieve your optimum periodontal health, so that you may enjoy your teeth for a lifetime. We realize that many of our patients are covered by insurance plans that place limitations on the amount and frequency of dental care. We, however, care most about you and our first consideration has to be what is best for you. We do, therefore recommend treatment without regard to insurance coverage but this, of course, is a decision that the patient must make. If this raises a financial concern for you, please advise us to that financial arrangements may be discussed before treatment is rendered. - Back to Top
Financial Matters
It is most important to us that every patient be completely informed, not only of the treatment to be rendered in our office, but, also of the financial investment required. The fee necessary to complete a particular treatment plan is based on an estimate derived from your examination. Should additional unforeseen problems arise as treatment progresses, this estimate may have to be revised. You will be consulted and informed before any unexpected treatment is undergone.
For our new patient, and those involved in extensive treatment, specific financial arrangements will be discussed at our initial consultation or as part of a seperate consultation visit. For those patients with limited (1-2 visits) treatment, it will be appreciated that payment be made in full on the day of service. We will do our best to let you know what your insurance benefirs will be. We offer a 5% pre-payment incentive when the entire balance of an accepted treatment plan (individual items over $350) is paid by cash or check on the day of the treatment. If payment is made with a credit card, the courtesy is 3%. Long term financing is available to our patients through third-party lenders.
For your convenience, the following methods of payment are available :
- Cash
- Personal Checks
- Visa, Mastercard and Discover
- Extended payment plans through American General Finance provide 6 month interest free financing with completion of a credit application. Twelve month financing is abailable for amounts over $2000.
Please note that an interest charge of 1.5% per month (18% annual) will be applied to all delinquent accounts over 60 days. Due to the cost of billing, accounts require full payment within 90 days of treatment unless other arrangements are written.
Checks returned will be assessed a $25.00 handling fee. - Back to Top
Appointments and Scheduling
Please remember - once your make an appointment, the doctor's time, the treatment room and the support personnel have been reserved specifically for you. When we set aside this reserved appointment for you, we consider it as a commitment.
Your time is valuable to us. We try to stay on schedule and most of the time we do. We ask that you help us do this by arriving at least 5 minutes before your appointment. Despite our best intent, treatment emergencies do, on occasion, arise in our schedule and cause unavoidable delays. We will apprise you of any such circumstances at the earliest possible opportunity to avoid any inconvienence for you.
We request a 48 hour notice for appointment change. Hygiene appointment reminder cards are sent approximately two weeks prior to your appointment, allowing you to check your schedule and place priority for your dental health appointment. If that is not possible, please call us immediately to reschedule. Appointments scheduled with the doctor are confirmed by telephone, 48 hours prior to the appointment. However if a scheduling change becomes evident prior to that, please call us at the earliest possible time to reschedule.
Because we scheduled your appointment time exclusively for you, we reserve the right to charge a fee for a "no show" broken appointment. Many patients are on a waiting list for an opening on the schedule and late notice or just not showing for an appointment makes it impossible for us to let them know in advance. - Back to Top
