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New Patient Information

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To save time before you come into the office, please print and fill out these forms so we can easily process your information and get you started on the path to dental well-being.

• Patient Form
• Consent Form

Your First Dental Visit

Your first dental visit promises to be a pleasant experience. Making sound decisions about your dental care and oral health is an easy thing to do with the right preparation beforehand:

• According to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, an estimated 24 million adult Americans are totally without teeth. Almost half of the adult population is missing at least one tooth.

  Make a list of questions to ask our office so you don't forget anything on the day of your appointment. This includes any concerns you have or oral problems you've been experiencing.
  
• If you have dental insurance, remember to bring your insurance card with you.

Dental Emergencies
 
A knocked-out tooth or bitten tongue can cause panic in any parent, but quick thinking and staying calm are the best ways to approach such common dental emergencies and prevent additional unnecessary damage and costly dental restoration. This includes taking measures such as application of cold compresses to reduce swelling, and of course, contacting our office as soon as possible.

Your Rights as a Patient

• You have a right to see the dentist every time you receive dental treatment.
  
• You have a right to ask about treatment alternatives and be told, in language you can understand, the advantages and disadvantages of each.
  
• You have a right to know the education and training of your dentist and the dental team.
  
• You have a right to know in advance the type, and expected cost, of treatment.
  
• You have a right to expect dental team members to use appropriate infection and sterilization controls.
  
• You have a right to ask your dentist to explain all treatment options regardless of coverage or cost.
  
• You have a right to be treated in a professional and ethical manner by your dentist and dental team.
  
• You should have a right to schedule an appointment with the dentist of your choice.

(Adopted by the Pennsylvania Dental Association in 1998)

American Dental Association Leads Fight for Patient Rights

The American Dental Association has supported legislation that will set a few basic rules to promote high-quality care and protect patients in an increasingly bottom line-driven health care system.

ADA member dentists have been instrumental in moving the patients' rights issue into the national spotlight. The nation appears closer than ever to finally seeing a comprehensive patients' bill of rights passed into law.

While Congress debates various versions of patient rights legislation, the insurance and managed care industries have long supported legislation that would fail to protect all privately insured Americans against unfair delays and denials of coverage by their health plans, according to the ADA. Some ill-fated bills left out critical protections, such as guaranteeing people the option of choosing their own doctors or creating mechanisms to address patients' grievances against health plans. One proposal even omitted freestanding dental plans, which could have left more than 120 million dental patients without these vital protections.

The American Dental Association continues to lobby for the enactment of bipartisan legislation to help ensure that health plans treat patients fairly and do not discriminate against dentists. Here are some of the key issues identified by the ADA:

• Coverage for freestanding dental plans which account for the vast majority of Americans who have dental coverage.
  
• Patient choice, by guaranteeing access to at least one plan with a point-of-service option that allows patients the opportunity to choose their own doctors.
  
• Health plan accountability, through the availability of impartial, external review and by holding plans accountable when their decisions to delay or deny care harm patients.