(208) 529-2199
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office visits

Office Visits

Appointments

Our office attempts to schedule appointments at your convenience and when time is available. Our treatment visits are most often scheduled in the morning hours because children tend to be more cooperative and attentive for treatment.  Usually, children are tired and not ready for restorative work during afternoon hours.

We strive to see all patients on time for their scheduled appointment. There are times when our schedule is delayed in order to accommodate an injured child or an emergency. Please accept our apology in advance should this occur. We will extend the same courtesy to your child if in need of emergency treatment.

Please plan to arrive 10-15 minutes or more before your scheduled appointment. This will allow time for parking and to complete any additional paperwork required.

Broken or missed appointments affect many people. If two broken/missed appointments occur or two cancellations without 24-hour notice, our office reserves the right to NOT schedule any subsequent appointments and/or charge a $25.00 broken appointment fee.

If you arrive 10-15 minutes late for your appointment, you may be asked to reschedule for the next available appointment time.

Parent Guidelines

You may choose whether or not you accompany your child back to the treatment area for his/her dental visit. Although we feel that some children do better without parents present, we welcome you to come back with your child. If you choose to be present, we suggest the following guidelines to improve chances of a positive outcome:

  • Present the visit as a fun and exciting experience.
  • Be supportive of the office’s terminology. It is best if you refrain from using words around your child that might cause unnecessary fear, such as "needle", "shot", "pull", "drill" or "hurt". The office makes a practice of using words that convey the same message, but are pleasant and non-frightening to the child.
  • Please be a silent observer and support your child with touches. This allows us to maintain communication with your child. Children will normally listen to their parents instead of us and may not hear our guidance.
These are very important ways that you can actively help in the success of your child’s visit. We are confident that all will go well and hope these guidelines will help prepare you for your child’s appointment.

Payment Policies and Insurance

For patients without insurance, payment in full is expected on the day service is rendered. Major credit cards, debit cards, and cash are accepted.

For those patients with dental insurance, if we have received all of your insurance information on the day of the appointment, we will be happy to file your claim for you. You must be familiar with your insurance benefits, as we will collect from you the estimated amount insurance is not expected to pay.

Please understand that we file dental insurance as a courtesy to our patients. We do not have a contract with your insurance company, only you do. We are not responsible for how your insurance company handles its claims or for what benefits they pay on a claim. We can only assist you in estimating your portion of the cost of treatment; we at no time guarantee what your insurance will or will not do with each claim. We also cannot be responsible for any errors in filing your insurance, once again we file claims as a courtesy to you.

Common Misconceptions About Dental Insurance

Dental insurance can be confusing for those not familiar with the terminology used by the insurance companies. Dental insurance is meant to be an aid in receiving dental care. While good insurance plans which incorporate dental care do exist, there are also some plans that do not adequately assist the patient in obtaining quality preventive dental care. Please do not hesitate to contact our office so we can answer any questions you may have regarding your current or prospective dental insurance coverage.

Below are some frequently misunderstood facts regarding dental insurance coverage:

Many patients think that their insurance pays 90%-100% of all dental fees. This is not true! Most plans only pay between 50%-80% of the average total fee. Some pay more, some pay less. The percentage paid is usually determined by how much you or your employer has paid for coverage or the type of contract your employer has set up with the insurance company.

You may have noticed that sometimes your dental insurer reimburses you or the dentist at a lower rate than the dentist's actual fee. 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 is simply not accurate. Insurance companies set their own schedules and each company uses a different set of fees they consider allowable. Unfortunately, insurance companies imply that your dentist is "overcharging" rather than saying 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.

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929 South Utah Ave
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
(208) 529-2199