Your First Appointment – Patients can expect to have a comprehensive dental exam done at their first appointment that is used to assess all of their dental needs and concerns. X-rays are a crucial part of making a dental diagnosis and a panoramic x-ray and bite-wing x-rays will usually be taken at the first appointment to facilitate the assessment of the patients dental treatment needs. The patient and the dental treatment team will work together to develop a treatment plan that both parties can agree upon. Patients should alert the dental treatment team of any medical conditions, bring a list of any medications they currently take (both prescription and over the counter), insurance information and any relevant documents that might be necessary for their best treatment. Occasionally, the dental treatment team will have time to do a dental cleaning at the same initial appointment.
Scheduling Appointments – Tri-Town Dental Centre is usually open Monday through Thursday 7:30 am – 5:00 pm and Friday 7:30 am to 3:00 pm. We will try to schedule your appointment in a timely fashion that is convenient for you. If you have pain or an emergency we will attempt to see you as soon as possible. If an appointment is not available right away we will usually put you on a short-notice cancellation list; meaning that if anyone cancels a booked appointment on short-notice (the day of the appointment or 1 or 2 days before the appointment) then we will call you to see if you can come for treatment at that time. We try our best to stay on schedule however unexpected things sometimes happen and we ask for your patience and understanding if delays happen.
Please call 780-594-5056 with any questions or to schedule an appointment.
Proper Care and Maintenance of Your Teeth – Brushing twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste, flossing, eating a well-balanced diet and avoiding snacking on sugary foods are all the things that you should do at home to help keep your teeth free of decay and your gums healthy. As part of our education and prevention program, we can provide you with a tour of your mouth using our intra-oral camera to show the condition of your teeth and gums displayed on a chair-side monitor. On your next hygiene visit, we’ll be happy to give your smile ‘a screen test’. All of our patients receive instructions on cleaning and flossing for the care of teeth, gums and dental prostheses. Great home hygiene along with regular professional cleanings will help promote optimum dental health.
Tooth problems due to cavities, poor bite, loosening through gum disease or nerve exposure can cause pain. Through visual examination and x-rays we will be able to find the cause of the problem and take corrective action. If necessary we can extract teeth. Quality dental health is the first step to good physical health.
Financial Policy – We accept Master Card, Visa, American Express, cash, debit, personal cheques and assignment of benefits from a patient’s dental insurance plan. Payment for our services is due at the time of treatment unless a payment plan is discussed and agreed upon with our office. Any accounts unpaid for more than 1 month will be charged an overdue fee of $5.00 per month or 2% of the outstanding balance owing per month (whichever is more). Where the balance of your account is $30 dollars or less we will only mail you one statement and we may decide to wait for you to pay it at your next scheduled appointment.
We reserve the option of having services paid over time for patients who have a history of paying their accounts in a timely manner. We usually will only agree to accept payments from those credit-worthy patients over a 3 month period. Where a patient’s account is not paid in a timely manner we will send it to our collection agency so they can collect it and those patients will not be allowed to book any more appoints at our office.
Personal Dental Benefit Coverage Plans – A dental benefit plan is a contract between you and your insurance company. However, benefit plan coverage is not based on your individual dental health needs. With plans changing frequently and becoming more restrictive, we ask you to become familiar with your plan limitations. We have developed a patient brochure answering commonly asked dental coverage questions. We invite you to take one home, compare it to your dental plan and have a complete understanding of the benefits of your current dental plan coverage.
We try to provide you with the finest dental treatment and the most convenient financial options. Please bring your insurance information with you to your first visit. Please call if you have any questions or concerns regarding your initial dental visit at 780-594-5056.
