Dental Emergency?

Very important! Please read what you can expect during this visit
 
“we are not an emergency room or urgent care center. We are a single dentist office that provides you the opportunity to be seen on a short notice”

 
SEVERE PAIN
  • We are an outpatient clinic and we are sorry we cannot admit you for severe pain. All we can do is prescribe medications that may help to reduce pain. The medications may or may not give your relief. If you want immediate relief--you will have to see an oral surgeon or a hospital emergency room.
WAIT TIME
  • There may be a wait time especially if you are a walk in. We will do our best to see you at the earliest as this is a single dentist office and the dentist may be with other patients and in middle of a long procedure.
COST & PAYMENT FOR SERVICES:
  • Your estimated cost for emergency exam will be provided by the staff. if you have insurance-it may cover the visit. This above cost is only for the exam (and Xray if needed). There will be additional cost for any treatment procedures you may need. Treatment cost can only be provided after the dentist sees you.
  • You are expected to pay upfront for this exam after you fill out the paperwork, before you are taken to the back to be seen by the dentist. This is our office policy and we collect all payments upfront before the procedure. No refund will be processed once you are seen. No refund will be given if we cannot perform the procedure or we refer you to see a specialist.
  • You are here for an emergency visit and we do not know what your problem is hence cannot determine the cost of procedure or guarantee any treatment till the dentist sees you.
XRAYS:
  • We may need to take x-rays for proper diagnosis. An Xray/multiple x-rays may or may not be taken depending on your situation. Please inform us if you choose to decline the Xray-so we can discuss the best way to proceed.
SAME DAY TREATMENT:
  • We offer same day treatment- but cannot be guaranteed till the dentist determines your problem. If procedure can be done the same day, the cost for the procedure will be provided and you are expected to pay upfront before we setup for the procedure. There may be a wait time, till we can get to you for the procedure.
APPOINTMENT FOR ANOTHER DAY
  • If the dentist determines you have infection, or if you needed to be scheduled for another day due to time constraints, medication will be prescribed and you will be asked to return within 4-10 days for the treatment. If you do not return while you are on medication, there is possibility that we may have to give you medications a second time and bring you back in. If you do not return in time, we may have to schedule for another emergency evaluation visit with additional charge or refer you to a specialist. We do not process refills on medications.
SPECIALIST REFERAL
  • This is a general dentist office. We do not offer sedation. If the situation is complicated, we will have to refer you to see a specialist.  One or multiple referrals may be provided. We have no control on what a specialist can/cannot do. It’s your responsibility to contact them and get your problem checked. The specialist office is not affiliated to us-so there me additional charge for it and we are not responsible for the charges. Since we are in a smaller town, you may have to find a specialist in bigger cities for certain procedures.
MEDICAL HISTORY & MEDICATIONS YOU ARE TAKING
  • We are seeing you as an emergency and we cannot do a complete medical workup as part of this emergency visit. We will rely on the information you provide. All procedures in this office are done under Local anesthetic and we do not have emergency response personal on staff.  Please discuss with the dentist if you have serious medical conditions/ mental health problems/ Anxiety and associated disorders so we can refer you to see a specialist who can offer you the option of treatment under sedation.
  • If you are on blood thinners—please inform the dentist on your medical condition. We will need a medical clearance from your physician or we may have to referral to a specialist. Please alert us if you are on oral bisphosphonates -Alendronate (Fosamax®) Risedronate (Actonel®). Please alert us if you are undergoing any treatment for cancer.
MEDICATIONS & ALLERGY
  • Prescriptions by our dentist--It will be the Dentist decision to prescribe the necessary antibiotics and pain medications that may work on your dental problem. Other Dentists and doctors (or other medical providers) may or may not agree with our dentist decision. Medical providers do not know the condition of the tooth and cannot adequately determine if the prescriptions we provide are necessary. Once we prescribe you medications—its going to be your decision to trust our dentist’s decision and take the medications or consult with your physician or get a second opinion from another dentist. Please do not blame our dentist and office for giving you more medications or in some instances not giving you enough medications.
  • Medications not helping with pain---If you believe the medications we prescribe or not helping your relief from pain, you have 3 options--
  1. we can refer you to see a specialist that can offer you sedation and provide immediate treatment
  2. we advise you see an emergency medical room in the hospital
  3. we can change the medication. please note--multiple prescriptions may be considered over prescription by other dentists or medical professionals
  • Allergy and side effects of medications may arise---it is not the dentist’s problem if you have allergy/ side effects to the medications we prescribe. If you call our office and report an allergy. You will be provided 2 options to choose
  1. We will advise you to stop the medication, no other medication will be provided and a referral to a specialist or advise to see an emergency room
  2. We can change the medication - please note--multiple prescriptions may be considered over prescription by other dentists or medical professionals
Only the patient is allowed in treatment room:
  • We can allow only the adult patient in the treatment room. A child under 17 years may be accompanied by a parent or a guardian if they choose to. if you cannot handle the treatment procedure in the treatment room by yourself—we highly recommend to see a provider that can offer you sedation.
NO SHOW OR NOT SCHEDULING TREATMENT
  • Treatment of your condition will solve your existing problem. We expect you to get the recommended treatment done. If you do not schedule for treatment or do not show up to your scheduled visit, you will have a recurrence of your emergency and some cases this may be severe. You may have to start the whole process of medications and scheduling treatment again at your own costs
You will be asked to sign a consent that you agree to all the policies and procedures as above