Frequently Asked Questions
- Are you accepting new patients?
- Do you accept my dental insurance?
- What if I don't have dental insurance?
- Do you offer a Senior Citizen discount?
- How should I best prepare my child for his/her first dental visit?
- What will my child's first visit be like?
- What can you do to ease my anxiety?
- Can you put me to sleep while you perform my dental work?
- Do you perform cosmetic dentistry?
- What bleaching techniques do you use, and what are the fees?
- What if a patient has special needs?
- What is your cancellation policy?
- Are you hiring now?
Q: Are you accepting new patients?
A: We never say "no" to nice people. We try to see patients within a
week of their contacting us. If you tell us that the problem is
urgent, we will make every effort to see you that same day. Our office
is open to patients Monday through Saturday, 56 hours each week (office
hours).
Q: Do you accept my
dental insurance?
A: We participate in many dental insurance plans, but not all of them.
If our name is not on your plan's list of providers, contact your
insurance carrier to determine their specific rules about your seeing a
dentist outside your plan. Though you are ultimately responsible for
payment of services rendered, we will assist you in filling out
insurance forms for reimbursement.
Q: What if I don't have dental insurance?
Your financial situation -- rich or poor, with insurance or not
-- does not determine your clinical diagnosis. Nor your treatment plan.
Your finances and insurance plan may affect what treatment option you
select, and how it is paid for. Money issues will never affect the
quality or comprehensiveness of the care we offer you.
Q: Do you offer a Senior
Citizen discount?
Seniors over 65 receive a 5% courtesy discount. Just ask for it when you
check out.
Q: How should I best
prepare my child for his/her first dental visit?
A: A child's first experience at the dental office should be fun and
pleasurable. We urge the family NOT to frighten the child with trigger
words such as needle, hurt, pain, or drill.
Q: What will my
child's first visit be like?
A: Your child may sit either on your lap, or on the chair. You are
welcome to remain in the treatment room if you wish.
We generally show the child everything we do, before we do it. That reduces the fear of the unknown that many children have. We will count their teeth, play with their teeth, perhaps take some photographs or radiographs, and (depending on need) may clean their teeth. At the end of the first visit the child leaves the office with some toy prizes, and a positive experience.
If we find that more treatment is necessary, we prefer to schedule it for a second visit, at the office or the hospital operating room. At the office your child can be relaxed with special sedation medicine and laughing gas. At the hospital, your child can have work done while he or she sleeps. (This preference is not written in stone; we will always discuss the options with the parent or guardian.)
Q: What can you do to ease
my anxiety?
You can watch cable TV, videos or listen to music during treatment. If
you are very apprehensive, we can prescribe sedation medicine prior to
treatment, and use nitrous oxide (laughing gas) during treatment.
Q: Can you put me to sleep
while you perform my dental work?
If you prefer to be completely asleep, both Dr. Levy and Dr. Somerville can treat you at
Frederick Memorial Hospital
on a same-day-in-and-out basis. When you wake up the dental work is
done, and you have absolutely no recollection of the procedures.
Anesthesia is performed by a physician anesthesiologist using
intravenous (IV) sedation or general anesthesia.
Q: Do you perform
cosmetic dentistry?
Yes. We make white plastic or porcelain fillings, porcelain crowns, and
tooth- colored veneers. We also bleach teeth.
Q: What bleaching
techniques do you use, and what are the fees?
We offer several bleaching methods. We offer "white strips" that you
place onto your teeth, and peel off a few hours later. The strips are
currently $62 per full mouth set. We also offer custom bleach trays with
a special home-bleaching gel that you wear while either asleep or awake.
The take-home customized trays and gel are currently $220/arch or
$400/full mouth. Laser bleaching will be offered in the future when the
technology's safety and efficacy improve to our satisfaction.
Q: What if a patient has
special needs?
We designate Tuesdays from 8 AM to 1 PM exclusively for special-needs
patients. Patients can sit in one of our nine comfortable treatment room
chairs, in their own wheelchair, or recline on their gurney. All
patients -- suffering from mental retardation, autism, Alzheimer's, or
just very young and fearful -- are treated respectfully and thoroughly
by a highly trained and experienced staff. If need be, work can be
performed via office sedation or under hospital general anesthesia.
Q: What is your
cancellation policy?
A: Please call and let us know 24
hours in advance, to allow another patient to occupy the treatment room
reserved for you. In the event of an emergency, please
call us as soon as you realize that
you cannot keep the appointment. If you're calling after business hours, leave a
message clearly stating your name and your appointment date and time.
If you fail to show up without notifying us, an overhead fee of $1/minute of your reserved time will be assessed to your account. This is to help defray the cost of the staff and overhead reserved for you. If you repeatedly do not show, we will request that your records be transferred to another practice.
Q: Are you hiring now?
We are currently fully staffed, but we'll be glad to keep your résumé on
file for review when openings arise. You may
fax or mail it to the office, Attn.
Office Manager, or
e-mail it to our webmaster.
(301) 663-8300 and we'll be happy to answer it.