Pediatric Dentist - Gaithersburg, Clarksburg, Rockville & Germantown, MD - Children's Dental Care, LLC- Dr. James Tong

Patient Forms | Financial Information | Dental Insurance | Special Offers

Dr. Tong and his staff will spend personal time with you and your child during your first visit to ensure that they will understand you and your dental health needs. Your complete dental health evaluation will help detect any problems you might have that could affect your smile.

Our office, as well as the The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Dental Association (ADA), and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) all recommend establishing a "Dental Home" for your child by one year of age. Children who have a dental home are more likely to receive appropriate preventive and routine oral health care.

The Dental Home is intended to provide a place other than the Emergency Room for parents.

You can make the first visit to the dentist enjoyable and positive. If old enough, your child should be informed of the visit and told that the dentist and their staff will explain all procedures and answer any questions. The less to-do concerning the visit, the better.

It is best if you refrain from using words around your child that might cause unnecessary fear, such as "needle", "shot", "pull", "drill" or "hurt". The office makes a practice of using words that convey the same message, but are pleasant and non-frightening to the child.

At our office, parents are invited back to the treatment room during all examinations.

Save time in the office!
Complete the new patient forms before you arrive! Simply download, print and bring the completed forms with you on your first visit. If you ever have any questions we are only a call away.

Financial Information
At our office we make dentistry more comfortable for you and your pocketbook! We have a number of convenient, low monthly payment options available.

Fees-We take cash, check, money order, Care Credit and all major debit/credit cards.
Insurance-We will file your claim and maximize your insurance coverage.

Your investment needed to complete your child's necessary dental treatment is based upon an estimate derived from a complete and thorough examination. It is our policy to discuss our fees in advance of performing any treatment in this office. If additional problems arise as your child's treatment progresses, this estimate may need to be changed. You will be consulted before any unexpected treatment is initiated. All estimates will be honored, provided treatment is completed within six months for the date of the examination.

Dental Insurance
If we have received all of your insurance information on the day of the appointment and we are able to confirm eligibility, we will be happy to file claims on your behalf. The accuracy of all the information we receive is essential for proper claim filing.

Please understand that your dental insurance is a contract between the insurance carrier and you, not between Dr. Tong and the insurance carrier. We will assist you in estimating your portion of the fee for dental services because even with insurance, there will be estimated deductible and co-pays that will be due at the time of the visit. However, we can not guarantee what your insurance company will pay on a claim. Therefore, you are responsible for all dental fees. For your convenience, we will submit the dental claims to your insurance for you. Please understand that filing your claims is a courtesy our office provides to our patients, it does not guarantee payment to us. Any estimates provided by this office are considered guidelines until the final insurance payment is received. Any fees not paid by your insurance 60 days after treatment are your responsibility. We are providing our professional services to your children - not the insurance company! Consequently, you are ultimately responsible for payment of our fees.

If your have no insurance, you must pay in full at the time of the visit.

Fact 1- 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 2 - 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" VCR

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 3 - 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 (VCR) 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 $1 00.00, 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 VCR is less than $150.00 or your plan pays only at 50% then the insurance benefits will also be significantly less.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, please keep us informed of any insurance changes such as policy name, insurance company address, or a change of employment.

Special Offers

FREE Dental Exam for New Patients
Children's Exam & Cleaning ~ $89
Regular value of $189 Offer includes a cleaning, fluoride treatment and necessary x-rays.
Teeth Whitening ~ $199
Regular value of $400.

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“Dr. Tong and his staff are the greatest! They are professional and patient. They greet you with open arms. My kids love watching TV while they are having treatment. And they especially enjoy the games, stickers, and balloons. For sure they are having too much fun there!” -Kevin & Sabrina's Mom (Boyds, MD)	Patient Forms \| Financial Information \| Dental Insurance \| Special Offers Dr. Tong and his staff will spend personal time with you and your child during your first visit to ensure that they will understand you and your dental health needs. Your complete dental health evaluation will help detect any problems you might have that could affect your smile. Our office, as well as the The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Dental Association (ADA), and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) all recommend establishing a "Dental Home" for your child by one year of age. Children who have a dental home are more likely to receive appropriate preventive and routine oral health care. The Dental Home is intended to provide a place other than the Emergency Room for parents. You can make the first visit to the dentist enjoyable and positive. If old enough, your child should be informed of the visit and told that the dentist and their staff will explain all procedures and answer any questions. The less to-do concerning the visit, the better. It is best if you refrain from using words around your child that might cause unnecessary fear, such as "needle", "shot", "pull", "drill" or "hurt". The office makes a practice of using words that convey the same message, but are pleasant and non-frightening to the child. At our office, parents are invited back to the treatment room during all examinations. Save time in the office! Complete the new patient forms before you arrive! Simply download, print and bring the completed forms with you on your first visit. If you ever have any questions we are only a call away. Financial Information At our office we make dentistry more comfortable for you and your pocketbook! We have a number of convenient, low monthly payment options available. Fees-We take cash, check, money order, Care Credit and all major debit/credit cards. Insurance-We will file your claim and maximize your insurance coverage. Your investment needed to complete your child's necessary dental treatment is based upon an estimate derived from a complete and thorough examination. It is our policy to discuss our fees in advance of performing any treatment in this office. If additional problems arise as your child's treatment progresses, this estimate may need to be changed. You will be consulted before any unexpected treatment is initiated. All estimates will be honored, provided treatment is completed within six months for the date of the examination. Dental Insurance If we have received all of your insurance information on the day of the appointment and we are able to confirm eligibility, we will be happy to file claims on your behalf. The accuracy of all the information we receive is essential for proper claim filing. Please understand that your dental insurance is a contract between the insurance carrier and you, not between Dr. Tong and the insurance carrier. We will assist you in estimating your portion of the fee for dental services because even with insurance, there will be estimated deductible and co-pays that will be due at the time of the visit. However, we can not guarantee what your insurance company will pay on a claim. Therefore, you are responsible for all dental fees. For your convenience, we will submit the dental claims to your insurance for you. Please understand that filing your claims is a courtesy our office provides to our patients, it does not guarantee payment to us. Any estimates provided by this office are considered guidelines until the final insurance payment is received. Any fees not paid by your insurance 60 days after treatment are your responsibility. We are providing our professional services to your children - not the insurance company! Consequently, you are ultimately responsible for payment of our fees. If your have no insurance, you must pay in full at the time of the visit. Fact 1- 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 2 - 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" VCR 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 3 - 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 (VCR) 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 $1 00.00, 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 VCR is less than $150.00 or your plan pays only at 50% then the insurance benefits will also be significantly less. MOST IMPORTANTLY, please keep us informed of any insurance changes such as policy name, insurance company address, or a change of employment. Special Offers FREE Dental Exam for New Patients Children's Exam & Cleaning ~ $89 Regular value of $189 Offer includes a cleaning, fluoride treatment and necessary x-rays. Teeth Whitening ~ $199 Regular value of $400.