We understand that patients often have questions about their dental care, treatments, and what to expect during visits. This page provides answers to frequently asked questions, helping you feel informed and confident in your oral health journey. Whether you’re curious about becoming a new patient, a broken tooth, or insurance, we’re here to help!
For any questions you don’t see here, feel free to contact us today!
Frequent Questions:
How do I become a new patient?
You may request an appointment by clicking on the “make an appointment” tab on this page. We would also be happy to assist you with scheduling your first appointment over the phone. Reach out to 515-989-3180 and schedule today!
We ask that you contact your previous dentist to request x-rays that may have been taken within one year, to make the first appointment go as smoothly as possible. You can forward them to us directly via email at info@dmrdentalcare.com.
Please also bring a list of all medications that you may be taking along with the exact dosages.
What happens to my records if I move away?
We are required by law to maintain all patient records for a specific number of years after your last visit to our clinic. You are also entitled to copies of, or access to your own personal records at any time.
We would be happy to print copies of any information related to your treatment, including x rays, photos, or treatment notes for you. We can also forward most of these items via email.
I have a broken tooth, what do I do?
If you have broken a tooth and it is causing pain, you should call us so that we can see you as soon as possible to relieve your symptoms. The goal is always to relieve pain first.
If the broken tooth is in an area that causes immediate cosmetic concerns, you should also call and schedule an appointment so that we can get it looking back to normal.
Either of these situations constitute an emergency or urgent if the pain is unbearable or the cosmetic concern occurred before a crucial public event (i.e., wedding, job interview, etc.) In either of these cases, we would want to manage the situation immediately, even if it is outside regular business hours.
For all other chipped or broken teeth, we still want to see you to assess the severity and develop a proper treatment plan. If you do not have a routine checkup scheduled in the near future, we would be happy to see you for a Limited Exam and evaluate the tooth.
A tooth completely fell out, what do I do?
This typically happens due to trauma, most commonly in young children. In this case, it is called an avulsion. Most first aid kits at schools or athletic events should provide the proper solution to store the tooth in. You should place the tooth in that solution and call our clinic immediately.
If you are not at a location that has a special solution, you should put the tooth in milk. Do NOT place the tooth in water. If there is someone that feels comfortable placing the tooth back in place, that is also a good option. The best outcome for the tooth would be getting it back in place as soon as possible.
Tooth loss also occurs when permanent teeth are ready to replace primary (baby) teeth. This is natural, and you do not have to see the dentist in this situation.
Lastly, teeth occasionally can entirely fall out in cases of severe gum disease. These teeth would likely have been loose already. If you have been made aware of your gum disease, then a plan should be in place for managing this condition.
What do I do if a filling falls out?
Use the same reasoning for a broken tooth above to decide if it is an emergency/urgent concern. If not, give us a call to schedule an appointment to examine and develop a proper treatment plan for the lost filling.
Do you accept my insurance?
We will submit an insurance claim on your behalf, as a courtesy, for most dental insurance companies. The main exception is for government-funded plans, i.e., Medicare, Medicaid, Hawk-I, etc. We are not credentialed with any of these plans, so they will not provide any benefit for the services that we offer.
We are in-network with several insurance companies, and will gladly answer any questions about our network participation if you are unsure if we are in-network with your plan.
What will my insurance cover?
We do our very best to submit all planned treatment to your dental benefit company for a pre-authorization. This does take time to receive a response, however.
We can not guarantee that your insurance will cover any services that we provide. It is YOUR sole responsibility to know your specific plan and the benefits that you have available. We will gladly try to help you figure this out as a courtesy to you, whenever possible.
If we provide treatment without waiting for a pre-authorization from the insurance company, we will discuss the cost of treatment with you so that you know what the price will be if no benefit is provided for that service.