For your convenience prior to visiting our office, please
Click here to print the New Patient Health History
Form, complete the information and
bring it with you to your first visit.

Office
Hours
Monday-Friday: 8am - 5pm
Saturday: 8am -
3pm
Children with
Special Needs
With hospital staff privileges at Lucille
Packard Children Hospital and EI Camino Hospital, Dr.
Maria performs dental treatment under general anesthesia
in the hospital for those children who are medically
compromised or fearful. Dr. Maria also offers in-office
intravenous sedation or general anesthesia for young,
healthy children who may have limited ability to
cooperate.
How are
Appointments Scheduled?
The office attempts to schedule appointments at your
convenience and when time is available. Preschool children should be seen in
the morning because they are fresher and we can work more slowly with the
child for their comfort. School children with a lot of work to be done
should be seen in the morning for the same reason. Dental appointments are
an excused absence. Missing school can be kept to a minimum when regular
dental care is continued.
Since
appointed times are reserved exclusively for each patient we ask that you
please notify our office 48 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.
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Do I Stay with My Child During the Visit?
We invite you to stay with your child during the initial examination. During future appointments, we suggest that you allow your child to accompany our staff through the dental experience. We can usually establish a closer rapport with your child when you are not present. Our purpose is to to gain your child's confidence and overcome apprehension. However, if you choose, you are more than welcome to accompany your child to the treatment room. For the safety and privacy of all patients, other children who are not being treated should remain in the reception room with a supervising adult.
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What About Finances?
Payment for professional services is due at the time
dental treatment is provided. Every effort will be made to provide a
treatment plan which fits your timetable and budget, and gives your child
the best possible care. We accept cash, personal checks, debit cards and
most major credit cards.
Since appointed times are reserved exclusively for each patient, we ask that you please notify our office at least 2 working days in advance of your scheduled appointment if you are unable to keep your appointment. No charge will be made for rescheduling your appointment provided 2 working days notice is given to us so that your child's time can be given to another patient who needs our care.
There is a $75.00 charge for each no show, missed appointment, same day cancellation, or less than 2 working days notice cancellation. Please help us avoid this for you. We realize that unexpected things can happen, but we ask for your assistance in this regard.
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Our Office Policy
Regarding Dental Insurance
If we have received all of your insurance information
on the day of the appointment, we will be happy to file your claim for you.
You must be familiar with your insurance benefits, as we will collect from
you the estimated amount insurance is not expected to pay. By law your
insurance company is required to pay each claim within 30 days of receipt.
We file all insurance electronically so your insurance company will receive
each claim within days of the treatment. You are responsible for any balance
on your account after 30 days, whether insurance has paid or not. If you
have not paid your balance within 60 days a finance charge of 1.5% will be
added to your account each month until paid. We will be glad to send a
refund to you once insurance has paid us.
FACTS ABOUT YOUR DENTAL INSURANCE
In an effort to help you understand your insurance policy and maximize your insurance benefits, we would to share some facts about dental insurance with you.
Fact 1 - Dental insurance is a contract between you, your employer and the insurance company. We are not a party to that contract. We will file your dental insurance claim as a courtesy to our patients. We are not responsible for how your insurance company handles its claims or for what benefits they pay on the claim. We can only assist you in estimating your portion of the cost of treatment, we at no time guarantee what your insurance will or will not do with each claim.
Fact 2 - NO INSURANCE PAYS 100% OF ALL PROCEDURES
Dental insurance is meant to be an aid in receiving dental care. Many
patients think that their insurance pays 90%-100% of all dental fees. This
is not true! Most plans only pay between 50%-80% of the average total fee.
Some pay more, some pay less. The percentage paid is usually determined by
how much you or your employer has paid for coverage or the type of contract
your employer has set up with the insurance company.
Fact 3 - BENEFITS ARE NOT DETERMINED BY OUR OFFICE
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 in the area charge for a certain service. This can be very
misleading and 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 because each company collects fee information from claims it
processes. The insurance company then takes this data and arbitrarily
chooses a level they call the "allowable" UCR Fee. Frequently this data can
be three to five years old and these "allowable" fees are set by the
insurance company so they can make a net 20%-30% profit.
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.
Fact 4 - DEDUCTIBLES & CO-PAYMENTS MUST BE CONSIDERED
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. 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.
Fact 5 - Insurance companies will not release the exact amount they will pay for a procedure until the treatment is completed and the claim is submitted. They will only state the percentage of their fee schedule that they will cover.
We will make every effort to assure you receive maximum benefits. We will file your insurance at no charge. In order to provide this service, we will need your updated insurance information before each appointment. We cannot be responsible for any errors in filing your insurance if you fail to give us your updated and correct information. Once again, we file claims as a courtesy to you.
Please do not hesitate to ask questions about our financial policy. We want you to be comfortable in dealing with these matters. If you have any questions regarding your insurance, we ask that you contact your insurance regarding the specifics and details of your plan.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, please keep us informed of any
insurance changes such as policy name, insurance company address, or a
change of employment.
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