Practice Philosophies
White Oak Pediatric Dentistry's goal is to provide common sense dental care for your child in a judgement free, transparent, and pressure free way.
Patient Care Overview
Parents are allowed and encouraged to be present in the room with their child for all treatment. Parents are encouraged to be present for treatment so they can witness what happens during treatment first hand. This also gives our providers the opportunity to showcase the high level of care we provide.
If we feel like the child is experiencing any level of anxiety related to their dental visit at all we will require parents to be in the treatment room.
Mandated Reporter Overview
A mandated reporter is a person who, because of his or her profession, is legally required to report any suspicion of child abuse or neglect to the relevant authorities. These laws are in place to prevent children from being abused and to end any possible abuse or neglect at the earliest possible stage.
White Oak Pediatric Dentistry's first priority is the safety of the patient. When serious dental conditions are identified that puts a child in immediate or imminent danger we are required by law as mandated reporters to make sure this condition is addressed in a timely manner.
If there are barriers preventing the child from completing treatment we are happy to work with parents to overcome those barriers so treatment can be completed at our office. If serious condition are identified and parents would like to complete treatment elsewhere we are happy to help with that transition in any way possible. Our office will require confirmation from the new office that they have seen the patient and are taking over care.
In situations where serious dental conditions are identified and are not being addressed in a timely manner by our office or another office our office may be forced to contact the Department of Child and Family Services (DCF) for assistance in getting the child the care they need. This call is not intended to punish parents and/or to try to have a child removed from their home. The sole purpose of this call is to help the child receive the care they need.
Before calling DCF, our office will attempt to make contact with the parent to discuss plans to address the child's needs via phone and email for a minimum of 6 weeks. As long as parents are communicating and working towards completing treatment no DCF calls will be made. Our office will only make a DCF report if parents stop communicating or make it clear that they do not intend to address the child's needs.
Serious dental conditions that require immediate treatment include:
- Dental abscess
- Severe pain
- Many very large areas of decay that will result in severe pain or abscess in the near future
Treatment Planning Overview
If we see a cavity or other condition needing treatment, the area of concern will be shown to the parent in the child's mouth and/or on x-ray. Our office displays x-rays on 32-inch monitors allowing you to see what we see.
All treatment recommendations will be discussed at length. We strongly encourage you to ask questions about our treatment recommendations. We are happy to answer them.
If you would like more time to discuss treatment options than the appointment allows we are happy to call or schedule another visit to discuss.
Financial Overview
If you would like, White Oak Pediatric Dentistry will gather all of your insurance information over the phone before your first visit. That information will be entered into our dental software to help us estimate your portion and the insurance company's portion of the cost of services.
After identifying your child's needs you will be given a Treatment Plan that outlines each recommended treatment, overall cost for that treatment, and the estimated payment expected from the parent and from the insurance company. You will be asked to sign this document. Signing this document ONLY acknowledges you received it. This is NOT a commitment to treat.
We encourage all parents to call their insurance company to find out more information about coverage as it relates to their specific treatment plan. We are happy to instruct you how to do this at your visit.
In the event that our treatment plan estimates differs from what the insurance company tells you we will proceed with our treatment plan estimates. Once payment is received from insurance company you will be refunded any over-payment.
You are always welcome to see any paperwork we received from the insurance company related to your account. You can also obtain any paperwork by contacting your insurance company directly.
Radiography (X-ray) Overview
White Oak Pediatric Dentistry follows the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's (AAPD) radiographic examination guidelines. We require all patients to take x-rays at designated intervals determined by the child's individual risk of decay and the AAPD guidelines. To ensure your child is exposed to as little radiation as possible, our office uses Nomad x-ray units, digital radiography, and protective aprons. We will never take an x-ray unless it is absolutely necessary.
If you are not comfortable with your child taking dental x-rays under any circumstance, White Oak Pediatric Dentistry is not a good choice for your child's dental home.
Alternative Medicine Overview
We understand that some parents may be more comfortable with alternative treatment options and we respect those beliefs. White Oak Pediatric Dentistry practices evidence based dentistry supported by the AAPD.
If you are not comfortable with your child being treated using traditional methods, White Oak Pediatric Dentistry is not a good choice for your child's dental home.
Scheduling Overview
White Oak Pediatric Dentistry will provide you with an appointment card while you are in the office, email reminders, text reminders, and phone call reminders as a courtesy to help you remember when your appointment is scheduled. You can opt out of any of these appointment reminder methods at any time.
Although we are happy to send reminders, we feel keeping the child's appointment is ultimately the parent's responsibility.
Out of respect for other parents trying to make appointments and our provider's time we require 48 hour notice for cancellations. Cancellations within 48 hours may be charged a $50 cancellation fee. We understand that some things happen that are outside of parent's control. Each situation will be evaluated individually to determine if a fee will be charged.
Second Opinion Overview
White Oak Pediatric Dentistry loves second opinions.
If parents would like our office to give a second opinion, we are happy to do so. Please schedule an appointment with the front explaining that a second opinion is needed. We ask that you do not give us the other office's treatment plan so that you can be assured our recommendations have no outside influence.
If you would like to get a second opinion after visiting our office we are happy to help make that happen. We will send your records to you or any dental office you request at no charge.
Life is too Short/Best Fit Overview
We believe life is too short to involve yourself with people that make you unhappy. White Oak Pediatric Dentistry is a great fit for most families, but our office is not for everyone. There are many dental care providers in Coweta and Carroll County. We all do things a little bit differently. White Oak Pediatric Dentistry, parents, and patients all benefit when families choose the clinic that is the best fit form them, even if that clinic is not this clinic.
If you are unhappy with the quality of care, our policies, or anything else related your experience at our office please let us know. We will be happy to resolve the issue and/or help you find a clinic that better suits your needs and expectations.
If we feel we are not a good fit for your family we reserve the right to end our patient-healthcare provider relationship as well.
Ally vs Enemy Overview
We are your ally in overcoming problems related to dental treatment. When problems arise we expect to be treated like your ally in solving problems and not your enemy. We can not help solve problems when we are being attacked.
We have never and will never dismiss a child from the practice for behavior related reasons. However, we have dismissed and will dismiss parents from the practice for behavior related reasons. Treating us like the enemy by being verbally abusive, displaying aggressive behavior, threatening bad reviews, hanging up the phone on us in a fit of rage, and/or just being plain mean will result in dismissal from the practice.
