Practice Policies

New Patient Examination

New Patient Examination or Initial Consultation to patients contemplating to join the practice is quite comprehensive and could last up to one hour. The dentist will do the following services at your initial visit:

  • Understand your concerns and requirements
  • Take x-rays and prepare dental records
  • Examine your oral condition and identify treatments, if needed
  • Recommend various options and suggest the best and the optimal
  • Recommend various options and suggest the best and the optimal treatment for you based on your situation
  • Suggest how treatment could be done in phases
  • Review your insurance coverage and provide an estimate of the cost
New Patient Examination

Scheduling Policies

  • At Bristol Dental Clinic, every patient appreciates and respects the zero waiting time policy. We request all of our patients to be punctual. This will ensure that all patients are seen immediately on arrival.
  • The dental office notifies the patients of their pending appointment two weeks prior to their scheduled appointment date. Patients who schedule their appointments early usually can pick a date and time of their choosing. The dental office re-confirms the appointment two days before their appointment date.
  • The dental office does not double book appointments, which means that the dental office reserves the appointment time slot for the patient. Patients should provide at least two business day notice to cancel a confirmed appointment to avoid a missed appointment fee.
  • Treating emergency patients is our responsibility towards our community. Our staff does everything possible to get the patient out of pain as soon as possible. Patients with an emergency can request an appointment at short notice by calling our office.
Scheduling Policies

Consent Policy

  • No treatment is ever provided to a patient without their consent. Patients have the option to decline the recommended treatment plan
  • Patients have the right to ask for an estimate of the treatment before they agree for the treatment
  • To view the consent form, please click here.
Consent Policy

Financial Policies

  • Bristol Dental Clinic is an assignment office, which means that the dental office files the primary and secondary insurance claims on behalf of their regular patients and requests their insurance company to pay the dental office directly.
  • Emergency patients and walk-in patients pay the dental office and claim the money from their insurance company. However, we will file the claim for you electronically.
  • Patients are required to pay the remaining balance if the insurance company does not pay in full. We cannot waive co-payments and deductibles.
  • If the insurance company refuses to pay the dental office directly, the patient is required to pay the dental office and collect the money from their insurance company.
  • Patients are always provided their bill and encouraged to review and understand what treatments were carried out.
  • The dental office may provide monthly payment plans to regular patients with good credit history.
Financial Policies

Know Your Dental Insurance Policy

  • We explain your insurance coverage at your initial visit or before we start any major treatments. However, it is not always possible for us to find all the information since insurance companies are not obligated to disclose any or all information to us citing privacy laws. We recommend that patients verify their coverage directly with their insurance company.
  • Insured patients are encouraged to provide us the following vital information about their insurance policy. If in doubt, always ask the insurance company. Vital Insurance Information are:
  • Name of insurance carrier and phone number
  • Policy number, Certificate (ID) number and Division number, if any
  • The anniversary date of the policy, for example is it January 1st, rolling calendar, from date of initial employment etc.
  • The annual maximum benefit per patient
  • The annual fee guide covered by their insurance policy, example 2011, 2012, 2013 etc.
  • Percentage of coverage allowed for diagnostic services, preventative services, restorative services, endodontic services, periodontal services and all other major treatments, such as crowns, bridges and dentures
  • The per person and family annual deductible amount
  • Number of scaling / cleaning units covered per year and the frequency etc.
Know Your Dental Insurance Policy