One of the nice things about having dental insurance, that not many people realize, is that dental insurance companies require that the dental office submit X-rays and a pre-existing symptom narrative with each claim that proves the dental necessity of recommended procedures. What this means that we cannot diagnose something that does not exist. Please note, as each patient will tell you, our office even goes beyond this and also takes intra-oral camera pictures that show the visible observations of the Dr. Furthermore, dental insurance companies also conduct random audits to ensure that their patients are receiving quality care, so even if procedures are being completed and claims are not submitted patients are still protected. Keep in mind, in reverse, if preexisting conditions ARE present but the Dr. does tell the patient and of course a claim is not submitted, dental insurance companies have no way of knowing that you are not receiving the care you need and your conditions will worsen. This may be a tactic by your new dental office to retain you!
Our dental office schedules appointments according to what is requested. If a patient requests a basic cleaning, for example, and in order to establish what type they need, X-rays and an exam is required, our office would schedule that patient for enough time to fill out the paper work, for the staff to take X-rays, for an exam to be completed, and for a basic cleaning (approximately 60 minutes). However, if the patient takes an unexpected amount of time filling out paperwork, has a gag reflex that causes staff to spend more time with the patient, if the patient an abundance of questions or issues in their mouth that for ethical reasons the Dr. needs to explain, and/or if the patient requires a deep cleaning due to extreme symptoms, then yes, we may have to reschedule the patient. We cannot plan ahead of time for ALL of the 'what if's' and as we value your time, we have to value the time of the patient scheduled right after you. We are just as surprised as every patient whose mouth requires a deep cleaning because remember, they may have told us they just needed a basic because they 'have never been told they needed a deep cleaning in the past'. Some patients, with no signs of periodontal disease, may be in and out in less than 40 minutes on their first visit (paper work filled out ahead of time, exam, X-rays, and basic cleaning).
Lastly, we want you to know, we understand your concerns. We try very hard, every day, to make each patients visit as pleasant as possible. But remember, we can only control so much and we will definitely not start today to do things unethically. We have 3000 + patients, accept 1000 + different types of dental plans, and have been in practice for 15 + years. Our staff is highly educated and we think in terms of prevention based on years of experience. We nicely and respectfully explain to you what is in your best interest and we apologize if it is not what you expected to hear or wanted to hear. We try and educate you in order to prevent other things from happening that will only cost you more time, money and discomfort. It has never been about 'selling' in our office, it is only about giving recommendations and options. As we tell each patient, it is your body we simply try and educate, and provide the service you request. We do not make our diagnosis 'based' on the limitations of your insurance (although we do try and maximize it for you where we can); we make it based on your pre-existing conditions and what you are telling us. During each visit, after each visit, and on each follow up phone call we ask each patient if they have any questions or concerns that we can help address. We always strive to exceed our patient's expectations but as mentioned, we can only be held responsible for so much. We would also like to thank all of our existing patients, many of you kind enough to write your opinions on our office on our website www.robertmondavidds.com, we appreciate your trust and loyalty. read more