Your First Visit – ensuring your overall health and comfort
On your first visit, the team will take the relevant x-rays of your teeth, take photos of your mouth, and will go through your dental and medical history forms. Dr. Ansari will then discuss your x-rays and work with you in creating your treatment plan whilst answering any questions you may have.
At your next scheduled visit, one of our hygienists will meet with you to clean and polish your teeth. She will also do a check on your teeth and gums to detect any cavities and early signs of tooth decay or gingivitis.
Bring us your smile … and the below documents to your first appointment
- The patient information form duly completed
- Your insurance card
Regular checkups are an important part of maintaining a healthy smile!
As recommended by the American Dental Association, it is important to schedule a visit your dentist every six months for routine teeth cleanings and regular checkups, to keep your teeth and gums healthy
We do understand you may have a busy schedule, so do keep in mind when scheduling your visit to our office, that your appointments can last between 90 minutes and 2 hours.
The Nitty Gritties of Dental Insurance!
Toothflix2.0 – Patient Education DVD Series
ADA American Dental Association
Why doesn’t my insurance pay for this?
Dental insurance is an extremely helpful benefit when it comes to managing the costs of dental care. However there are times when it can also be extremely frustrating. That is because no dental benefit plan is set up to cover all of your expenses, so it is important for you to know what your insurance will cover and what your responsible for covering. Almost all dental plans result from a contract between your employer and an insurance company.
Dental Benefit Plans:
1. Pay for a portion of dental care
2. Do NOT pay all costs
3. Contract between employer/union and providing insurance company
Employers generally choose to cover some but not all of employee’s dental costs. So there maybe times where you need services that are not covered, although your dental benefits are decided by your employer the dental services you need, should be decided by you and your dentist. If you have questions, ask your provider for an EOB or explanation of benefits. This document will explain what is covered and what you must pay yourself. The EOB may also include some terms that are common in the insurance industry but maybe slightly confusing to anyone else. So let’s walk through a few:
Dental Insurance Key Terms
UCR – stands for Usual, Customary and Reasonable charges. These are the maximum amounts per treatment that will be covered by the plan. However the terms usual, customary and reasonable are misleading for several reasons. Insurance companies choose the rates that they want for UCR charges. They are not required to match the actual fees charged by dentist in your area or change the rates to keep up with inflation. Also insurers are not required to reveal how they determine UCR rates, meaning there is no consistency across the industry. So while your dental treatment may exceed your plan’s UCR fee. It does not mean that your dontist has overcharged for a procedure. Many policies have planned limits that cap the number of times it will pay for a certain treatment and an annual maximum for the largest dollar amount it will pay for a year.
Also certain pre-existing conditions that you had before you enrolled in the plan may not be covered. Or if there is more than one way to treat a condition a least expensive alternative treatment clause means that the plan will only pay for the one that costs less.
Your preferred providers have actually nothing to do with your person choice of a dentist. It is a list of dentists who have a contract with your insurer, and finally-
Not Dentally Necessary are guide lines for the treatments that your plan considers to be necessary. However what you need to remember is that your dentist’s advice is based on his or her professional opinion of your specific case. What will benefit you may not be what is covered by your plan. Always remember that your health is the most implant thing! While it can be frustrating if you expect insurance to cover your whole dental bill, the cost of care can be managed. Get familiar with your dental coverage and get some advanced planning. That way you and your dentist can take the best possible care of your teeth to make them last a lifetime!
For more details, visit mouthhealthy.org
