Office Policies and Procedures
Our office prides itself on offering top notch care, but the best treatment can only be provided when our doctors and our patients and their families work as a team.
Please familiarize yourself with the following office policies to make your next visit with us the best it can be.
DESIGNATED ADULT POLICY
We expect that all patients come to their appointment with one parent/guardian. If a parent/guardian cannot attend the appointment, then a form should be completed that allows another adult over the age of 18 years old, who is not a patient, who fully understands the patient’s medical history, and who can make all treatment decisions for the patient without consulting with the parent/guardian to attend the appointment in lieu of the parent/guardian. If applicable, for every appointment that a parent/guardian cannot attend this form needs to be re-completed. Please inform one of our scheduling coordinators when they call to confirm your appointment(s) if a parent/guardian will not be coming with the patient and that you need this form.
CHILD SUPERVISION POLICY
Please be advised that it is against Pennsylvania state law for the adult that is accompanying the patient to the appointment to leave the office while the child is in the office. Children cannot be dropped off at the door to check in for appointments or fill out paperwork. We are not able to provide treatment for your child if the accompanying adult is not present in the office and while we don’t anticipate any medical emergencies to occur, it is critical that a parent/guardian is present if an emergency did occur.
COVID-19 APPOINTMENT CONFIRMATIONS
In order to keep any scheduled appointments with our office, you must confirm your appointment the business day prior to the appointment by 12pm. This is to ensure we have discussed the CDC recommended COVID-19 screening questions to ensure the safety of all our patients, their families and our team.
SCHEDULING ROUTINE DENTAL CLEANING VISITS
We work hard to try to offer appointments that are convenient for both our patients and their parents. For current patients, we try to schedule these 6 month dental cleaning appointments 6 months in advance in order to best accommodate your scheduling needs. For new patients, it is important that your next dental cleaning visit be at least 6 months from your last cleaning visit at another office. If you need to reschedule a dental cleaning visit, please be flexible as there will be less availability than usual due to these appointments being scheduled so far in advance.
SCHEDULING VISITS FOR DENTAL TREATMENT
We schedule patients for dental treatment, such as a dental filling appointment, as they best suit the patient’s needs based on our pediatric dental doctors recommendations. We work hard to try to offer appointments that are convenient for both our patients and their parents while also taking into account the type of dental treatment that is needed and the age, developmental stage, and anticipated behavior of the child.
SCHEDULING EMERGENCY DENTAL VISITS
We triage all our emergency calls over the phone, require a photo of the area of concern to be emailed to us, then schedule patients for virtual appointments. You will be sent an email with all the instructions for the virtual appointment and then you will meet with a doctor. Based on the virtual appointment findings an in-office appointment will be scheduled as needed. This new way of seeingpatients with dental emergencies is a great new tool to keep patients and their families safe at home and schedule for their emergency treatment needs more accurately. If your child has a dental emergency when the office is closed please leave us a voicemail and we will call you back the next business day. If your child has any facial swelling or has an adult tooth come out, then please go to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children or Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where there are pediatric dental residents on staff to see your child and treat them as they deem necessary. If you do go to the hospital, and need a follow-up appointment, please email us all the info from the hospital visit to frontdesk@pediatricdentalteam.com
CANCELLED APPOINTMENT POLICY
If you must cancel an appointment, we appreciate a call at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled visit, so that we can give another patient an opportunity to seek the dental care they need. If your child is sick the night before or wakes up sick the morning of the appointment, or if you have an emergency situation, please call our office immediately and leave a message.
MISSED APPOINTMENT POLICY
FIRST NO SHOW OR SAME DAY CANCELLATION
In the event that you miss an appointment without giving us 24 hour advanced notice, we ask that
you call us to reschedule the appointment. Depending on the appointment type and how many
children in your family need to reschedule, please be aware it could be weeks to months for the next
available appointment.
SECOND NO SHOW OR SAME DAY CANCELLATION
If there is a second missed appointment within a 12 month period, we will again review with you our missed appointment policies, and you will be offered one last opportunity to reschedule the appointment. The availability for the next appointment will only be a late morning appointment.
THIRD NO SHOW OR SAME DAY CANCELLATION
If there is a third missed appointment within this 12 month timeframe, one of our managers will reach out to you to discuss whether our office is the best fit for your family. If it is determined that our office cannot meet your needs, a termination letter will be sent via certified mail stating that our office is available for emergency care for a maximum of 30 days, but to avoid future issues, we can no longer attend to the routine dental care of your family. We will also include resources to help you find a new pediatric dentist.
FINANCING AND INSURANCE
The Pediatric Dental Team works with a number of insurance providers. Our financial coordinator and team will be happy to explain any questions you might have about your dental insurance. We will do our best to prepare you for any anticipated fees, and these fees will be due at the time of treatment. We accept cash, check, and major credit cards. There may be times when we recommend submitting for an insurance predetermination. Insurance predeterminations are only estimates. Your insurance company will not provide us a 100% accurate fee until the work is completed and they receive a claim from us. We try to gather as much information as we can, but please remember that insurance is a contract between you and your insurance company.
