Welcome to Smiles For Kids! We’re glad you are here!

New Patient Appointments usually involve filling out medical health and other forms, getting to know our office, tell-show-do approach for the kids to get familiar with our procedures, and an information session for the parent and the patient with the doctor and the staff members.

Younger children such as preschoolers should be seen in the morning because they are more refreshed and not tired from other activities during the day. This way we can make their appointments easier and more successful.

Treatment appointments with multiple fillings, or crowns, or appliances will also be encouraged to be scheduled in the morning for the same reason. We will provide you with a school note and dental appointments are an excused school absence. Older middle school and high school students can be seen in the afternoons if they do not have dental anxiety.

Oral or IV Sedation Appointments will be done in the mornings because children must be without food or drink before the appointment. We also want to give them the rest of the day to recover from the sedation medications that they will take in the morning.

Since appointed times are reserved exclusively for each patient we ask that you please notify our office 24 hours in advance of your scheduled appointment time if you are unable to keep your appointment. Another patient who needs our care could be scheduled if we have sufficient time to notify them. We realize that unexpected things can happen, but we ask for your assistance in this regard. Our fee for missing an appointment without a 24 hour notification is $50 per child per appointment. We regret having to make such rules, but we need to ensure that our patients are taken care of in a timely, caring and efficient manner.

At Smiles For Kids Pediatric Dentistry, we are committed to providing exceptional, individualized care for every child. As a privately owned, out-of-network pediatric dental practice, our financial policies allow us to focus on what matters most: your child's health, comfort, and experience.

Payment at Time of Service

• Payment in full is due at the time dental services are provided. Our fees reflect the professional care, time, expertise, materials, and individualized attention provided to each patient.

• We accept cash, debit cards, and most major credit cards. We do not accept personal checks.

• For treatment requiring multiple appointments or more extensive dental care, our team will review the anticipated fees and payment arrangements with you in advance.

Smiles For Kids Pediatric Dentistry is an independently owned, out-of-network dental practice. We are not contracted with or participating providers for any dental insurance plans. We do not accept HMO plans or Medicaid.

We understand that dental insurance is an important consideration for families, and we are happy to assist with submitting claims to eligible PPO dental plans as a courtesy.

Because we are out-of-network, our office does not determine or control your insurance company's reimbursement rates, allowable fees, deductibles, annual maximums, waiting periods, frequency limitations, exclusions, or coverage decisions.

What this means for your family:

• Payment for services is due to our office at the time of your child's appointment, regardless of insurance coverage.

• We are happy to submit eligible dental insurance claims as a courtesy when complete insurance information is provided.

• Insurance reimbursement is determined solely by your insurance company and is subject to the specific terms of your plan.

• Any reimbursement issued by your insurance company will be distributed according to your plan's provisions and payment arrangements.

• We cannot guarantee that your insurance company will reimburse you for any particular service or at any specific amount.

Understanding Your Insurance Benefits

• We encourage all families to contact their dental insurance company before their appointment to verify their individual benefits and ask about anticipated reimbursement for services at an out-of-network pediatric dental practice.

When contacting your insurance company, we recommend asking about:

• Out-of-network dental benefits and reimbursement rates.

• Whether benefits are based on the insurance company's allowable or usual and customary fee rather than the provider's actual fee.

• Remaining annual maximum and deductible.

• Coverage limitations, waiting periods, and frequency restrictions.

• Whether reimbursement is issued directly to the subscriber or provider.

Please remember that benefit information provided by an insurance representative is an estimate and does not guarantee payment. Final coverage and reimbursement are determined by your insurance company after the claim is processed.

Our team is happy to provide the necessary documentation and assist with claim submission; however, we cannot negotiate insurance benefits or guarantee reimbursement on behalf of our patients.

Financial Responsibility

• By scheduling and receiving treatment at Smiles For Kids Pediatric Dentistry, the parent or legal guardian acknowledges responsibility for all professional fees incurred, regardless of insurance coverage, claim processing, or reimbursement decisions.

• We value transparency and want every family to feel informed and comfortable with their financial responsibilities before treatment begins. If you have questions about our fees or financial policies, our team is always happy to assist.

Thank you for choosing Smiles For Kids Pediatric Dentistry. We appreciate the opportunity to care for your family!

For all new patient appointments, payment is collected in full at the time of service. Because we have not yet established your child's dental history or completed an initial examination, we cannot provide a sufficiently accurate estimate of all services that may be needed or the amount your insurance company may reimburse.

As an out-of-network practice, we also cannot accurately predict how an individual insurance plan will process or reimburse a claim. For this reason, we collect our full professional fees at the time of the initial visit rather than collecting an estimated patient portion based on anticipated insurance benefits.

If you have a PPO dental insurance plan, our team is happy to submit eligible claims as a courtesy. Any reimbursement is determined by your insurance company and distributed according to your plan's provisions. We encourage parents to contact their insurance company before the appointment to understand their out-of-network benefits and anticipated reimbursement.

Following your child's initial examination, our team can discuss any recommended treatment, review the associated fees, and explain payment expectations before proceeding with additional services.

We welcome parents to our initial exam appointment, to our consultation area following each appointment, and to visit our office for an office tour. We believe that parents are an integral part of children's dental experience and our goal is to make dental visits easy, pleasant and memorable. We are all highly experienced in helping children overcome anxiety. Studies and experience have shown that most children over the age of 3 react more positively when permitted to experience the dental visit on their own and in an environment designed for children. Therefore, we try different approaches that will make your child most comfortable in our office.

It is very important however, that you do not leave the office during your child’s dental treatment. Situations may arise where we must speak to the parents about changes in treatment or emergency situations.

Dental insurance is meant to be an aid in receiving dental care. We consider it a “coupon” or a “discount”. Many patients think that their insurance pays all dental fees, but most plans only pay between 50%-80% of the average total fee.

You may have noticed that sometimes your dental insurer reimburses you or the dentist at a lower rate than the dentist's actual fee. Frequently, insurance companies state that the reimbursement was reduced because your dentist's fee has exceeded the usual, customary, or reasonable fee ("UCR") used by the company.

A statement such as this gives the impression that any fee greater than the amount paid by the insurance company is unreasonable or well above what most dentists charge for a certain service. This is simply is not accurate.

Insurance companies set their own schedules and each company uses a different set of fees they consider allowable. These allowable fees may vary widely. The insurance company arbitrarily chooses a level they call the "allowable" UCR Fee. These "allowable" fees are set by the insurance company so they can make a net 20%-30% profit on their clients.

Unfortunately, insurance companies imply that your dentist is "overcharging" rather than say that they are "underpaying" or that their benefits are low. In general, the less expensive insurance policy will use a lower usual, customary, or reasonable (UCR) figure. Your insurance provider/company chooses a plan for all the participants and talking to the HR can sometimes help you attain a better plan.

When estimating dental benefits, deductibles and percentages must be considered. To illustrate, assume the fee for service is $150.00. Assuming that the insurance company allows $150.00 as its usual and customary (UCR) fee, we can figure out what benefits will be paid. First a deductible (paid by you), on average $50, is subtracted, leaving $100.00 for the insurance company to pay. The plan then pays 80% for this particular procedure. The insurance company will then pay 80% of $100.00, or $80.00. Out of a $150.00 fee they will pay an estimated $80.00 leaving a remaining portion of $70.00 to be paid by the patient. Of course, if the UCR is less than $150.00 or your plan pays only at 50% then the insurance benefits will also be significantly less.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, please keep us informed of any insurance changes such as policy name, insurance company address, or a change of employment.