- How do I make an appointment ?
- Why can I not get my
procedure done the same day as my exam?
- Will I be able to find out how much a procedure
costs?
- Who is in charge of billing?
- Do you have a payment plan or in-office financing?
- What happens if my insurance doesn't pay enough or
if they paid more than expected?
- Do
I need a referral to your office?
- Will
Medical Insurance cover my care?
- Do you take TennCare?
- Do you take Kentucky
Medical Card?
- Do you take Tricare?
- Will Medicare cover my
procedure?
- How will I know
if you are in my insurance network?
- What do I need to bring
with me for my consultation?
- Can my minor child come
by themselves?
- How old can my X-Ray be?
- Do you make dentures, do
fillings or clean teeth?
- Do you do implants?
- Do you put people to sleep
for procedures?
- Why do I have to have an
initial consult (exam)?
You may call either of our offices and they will help you set up a convenient
time to be seen. The Hilldale Office number is 931-552-4935 or
800-935-3999. The Parkway Place Office number is 931-552-7575 or
866-552-7575.
We try to schedule patient procedures to allow us to deliver the best care
possible. Some patients have conditions that prevent us from being able to
perform the procedure on the exam date. Many times we either need to
order lab tests, get a consult from your physician or the patient may have had a
recent illness that prevents doing the procedure safely. We also pride
ourselves in running very close to "on-time". Many procedures
require as much as an hour or more appointment time, but some times they run
longer than expected. An exam appointment allows us to evaluate you in a
thoughtful manner and schedule your procedure allowing appropriate time to do
things right.
We will make an attempt to create an estimate that will be very close to your
final fee. We have a database of most local insurance carries and contact
them to verify your benefits. Sometimes a procedure is more involved
than we expect so added charges may be applied. Usually our estimate comes
very close to the final statement that you receive.
We have 3 office staff dedicated to this process. Our Practice Manager
oversees the operations at both offices. Most of the time you only need to
speak to the office where your treatment was performed and you will be taken
care of as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately we cannot offer a payment plan or
financing through our office. We can make a recommendation to a finance
company that will finance any uncovered portion of your treatment if you are
approved by them. We keep applications for this process in our
office and usually know within 24 hours if you qualify.
In the event that your insurance carrier does not pay
the amount expected, you will be billed for the amount due. This will be
your responsibility to close out within 30 days after you receive your
bill. If your insurance carrier pays more than we estimated, you
will receive a refund for the portion due you within 30 days as well.
No, many of our patients are self-referred, but it is
very helpful if you have seen a
dentist or primary care physician before we see you because we will know that
you are receiving well coordinated care. We like to know that there is a
plan that you are being treated to so that you don't have unnecessary
procedures.
This depends on your particular insurance plan.
Some plans cover impacted wisdom teeth and anesthesia as well as other
procedures that we perform. We usually do not know until after your
consultation when the doctor makes his treatment plan. We will try to make
sure that you receive the appropriate benefit from you plan. We also want
to avoid exhausting your dental coverage unnecessarily.
We are contracted for Doral Dental, the dental portion
of TennCare for patients between the ages of 14 and 21. If you are older
than 21, you will be responsible for all charges if you are on TennCare.
No. We cannot see these patients.
We do not take Tricare Medical, but we do participate
in the United Concordia Dental or Delta Dental Plans. Tricare does not
cover impacted wisdom tooth removal.
Yes, for medical procedures that we provide such as
biopsies or tumor removal. Medicare does not cover any dental procedure
such as extraction of teeth or implant placement.
We participate in the following plans:
- MetLife
- Delta Dental
- Guardian
- United Concordia
- Doral Dental (TennCare)
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
We can file other traditional insurances but not discount plans. When
we file them we expect to be paid as out of your network, so you may not see the
same coverage benefit from them that you see from a network provider.
A current insurance card, a referral form (if you have
one), current x-rays (less than 12 months old), a list of medications and good
knowledge of you medical history. You may download the forms and fill them
out before you come.
A parent or legal guardian must come with patients less than 18 years old.
Usually the answer is No. We will see minors for suture
removal or uncomplicated post-op checks after having a permission form signed
for the procedure.
The standard of care amongst our peers is to have a
current x-ray before performing a procedure. Many insurance companies will
only pay for one Panoramic X-Ray in a three year period. This does not
mean that the X-Ray is current enough for us to use to treat you. Many
conditions such as tumors, cysts, aneurysms and other pathologies can occur in
just a few months time. It is too dangerous to enter into surgery without
adequate diagnostic images, so we require a routine panoramic x-ray within 12
months. If you have a new condition, we may require a new x-ray sooner
than 12 months. Unfortunately these become your responsibility if charges
apply.
No, but we will insert dentures after your
procedure. You should see a dentist to have dentures made before we treat
you.
We do not perform fillings, root canals, crowns or
cleanings. These procedures are provided by your general dentist.
Yes! Talk with your dentist about your implant desires
and have them send you to our office with a restorative treatment plan. We
will place the implant in the bone where your dentist desires, then your dentist
will place the crown, bridge or dentures.
Yes! If there are no medical reasons not to do
so. We enjoy being able to offer you this type of care. Our doctors
hold a General Anesthesia license and are very experienced in this realm.
We try to schedule patient procedures to allow us to deliver the best care
possible. Some patients have conditions that prevent us from being able to
perform the procedure on the exam date. Many times we either need to
order lab tests, get a consult from your physician or the patient may have had a
recent illness that prevents doing the procedure safely. We also pride
ourselves in running very close to "on-time". Many procedures
require as much as an hour or more appointment time, but some times they run
longer than expected. An exam appointment allows us to evaluate you in a
thoughtful manner and schedule your procedure allowing appropriate time to do
things right.
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