Welcome to New Orleans Children’s Dental! Here you’ll find all of the necessary information for your little one’s visit.
Now you can receive text messages for your new patient forms, and fill these out directly from your cell phone. Please contact our office for more information.
Our office is considered an out of network provider with all dental insurances. This means that we MAY charge a different fee for our services than the amount the insurance plan will allow. Keep in mind that your insurance company controls the reimbursement rate, not our office. This rate varies from plan to plan. Also note that your employer may choose to change your plan at any time, which may result in a different balance at future visits.
We are committed to helping you maximize your insurance benefits. Because insurance policies vary greatly, we can only estimate your coverage in good faith but cannot guarantee coverage due to the complexities of insurance contracts. Your estimated patient portion must be paid at the time of service. As a courtesy to our patients, we will bill insurance companies for services and allow them 45 days to render payment. After 60 days, you are responsible for the entire balance, paid-in-full. If you have any questions, our courteous staff is always available to answer them.
Your treatment plan will include a breakdown of all applicable fees, and we will inform you of all estimated costs before treatment is administered. Payment is expected at the time treatment is rendered, unless special arrangements have been made prior to your appointment.
Scheduling
We try our best to accommodate our patients as much as possible when scheduling appointments. We have found that younger children do better when seen early in the morning when they are fresher, able to follow directions better, and can have a more positive experience. Some appointments may require the child to miss a portion of the school day; however, these are considered excused absences. We are happy to provide a school excuse for your child. With continued care, appointments during school can be kept to a minimum.
Cancellations
Our doctors allocate time needed for your child on an individual basis, and this time is valuable. We request 24-hours’ notice if you need to cancel your appointment per child. If you have two children scheduled, then 48 hours’ notice is requested. We are aware that unforeseen events sometimes require missing an appointment, but we ask for your help as a courtesy to all of our patients. Continued broken confirmed appointments may result in an additional charge, or in some cases even dismissal from the practice. Cancellations may be made via phone, text, email, or voicemail if after hours.
Tardiness
Please make every effort to be on time, if not a few minutes early for your appointment time. If you are more than 15 minutes late, that is considered a broken appointment. Every minute into your child’s appointment time gives our staff less time to work with your child and make the appointment a great experience. We also must consider that tardiness, especially early in the day, can make all the subsequent appointments run behind as well. We understand that our parents are very busy, and their time is just as valuable as our time. Please make every effort to help us run on time.
Appointment Length
Some children require longer appointment times for their checkups or dental treatment for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to complex medical history, special needs, behavioral issues, anxieties, etc. Please note that our goal is to provide each child with the time and supportive staff they need.
Our doctors prescribe dental radiographs on an individual basis in accordance with the national guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. We will not establish or continue to see a patient in our practice if a parent refuses x-rays completely. If you have questions about the national guidelines, please call our office.
Our doctors recommend fluoride applications in conjunction with dental prophylaxis and sometimes more frequently due to increased risk for cavities, in accordance with the national guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. If a parent refuses fluoride, we will honor this request. However, please note that it is NOT our recommendation to refuse professional fluoride applications after a dental cleaning, as it increases your child’s risk for future decay.
Treatment Planning
Our doctors formulate each child’s individual treatment plan based on several factors, such as caries risk, behavioral assessment, size and location of decay, age, growth and development of the child. It is important to us that we recommend treatment that will have longevity and success for our patients.