Questions patients actually ask.

Call (559) 683-4694 during business hours, or send an appointment request through this website. A request is not a confirmed appointment. Our scheduling coordinator will call you back to agree a time that works.

Routine hygiene appointments book out further than emergency time does, so a few weeks ahead is sensible. If you are due, call and get on the schedule rather than waiting for a reminder.

Call the office. Please do not use the online form to cancel or change an appointment, because it is not monitored in real time and your message may not be seen before your appointment time.

Plan for a longer appointment than a routine recall. A new patient exam includes a full examination of the teeth, gums, bite and soft tissue, an oral cancer screening, any images that are needed, and a conversation about what we found.

Yes. The practice is a general dental office and treats families. If a child needs care that is better delivered by a pediatric dentist or requires sedation beyond what we provide, we will say so and help you find the right place.

Yes. Many patients bring a spouse, an adult child or a caregiver, particularly for a treatment discussion. If a patient is a minor, a parent or legal guardian needs to be present to give consent.

Your completed new patient forms, a photo ID, your dental insurance card if you have one, and a current list of medications including doses. If you have had recent x-rays elsewhere, ask that office to send them.

Because the mouth is attached to the rest of you. Blood pressure, diabetes, blood thinners, bisphosphonates, joint replacements, heart valve history and pregnancy all change what is safe to do and how we do it. Tell us about every medication, including supplements.

Yes. You have a right to your dental records under both federal and California law. Ask the office and we will explain how to request them in writing and what the process involves.

Please do not. Ordinary email is not encrypted and is not a safe way to send health information. Bring the forms with you, or call the office and we will find another way.

Yes. You get the fee before treatment starts, and for anything substantial you get a written treatment plan. If a plan changes once we are underway, which happens when decay turns out to be deeper than the image showed, we stop and talk to you first.

Call the office with your plan name, group number and subscriber details. Every plan is written differently, and the honest answer depends on your specific policy rather than on the insurer's name.

Dental plans are benefit contracts, not health coverage. Most have an annual maximum that has not risen much in decades, waiting periods on major work, frequency limits on cleanings and images, missing tooth clauses, and downgrade provisions that pay for the cheapest material rather than the one used. A pre-treatment estimate is the only way to know in advance.

Cash, personal checks, money orders and most major credit cards. Payment is due at the time services are performed.

CareCredit is accepted, which lets approved applicants spread payment over time. For a larger treatment plan we can also sequence the work so the urgent problems are handled first and the rest follows when you are ready.

Tell us before we start rather than during. Knowing that you are nervous changes how we pace the appointment, how we explain each step, and what we agree as a signal to stop. Many people who describe themselves as dental phobic had a bad experience decades ago, and modern anesthesia and technique are not what they remember.

It depends on your decay risk, your gum health and your history, not on a fixed calendar. Someone with a mouth full of restorations and a history of decay needs images more often than someone with an intact mouth and no new cavities in a decade. We take the fewest images that let us see what we need to see.

Call and ask. We will tell you honestly whether we can fit you in and what to do in the meantime. If your problem needs an oral surgeon or a hospital, we will tell you that too rather than have you wait.

You are not unusual and you will not be lectured. The first visit is about finding out where things actually stand, sorting what is urgent from what can wait, and giving you a plan you can work through at a pace you can manage.

Call the office to discuss what is appropriate for you. What is suitable depends on your medical history, the treatment planned, and your own preference, so it is a conversation rather than a menu item.