Your Scheduled Appointments

Mutual Commitment

When you choose Tiny Tooth Dental to maintain your child's dental health, we promise to address your family's specific dental needs by setting aside time in our appointment calendar just for you. Because we are committed to promptly bringing our patients into the treatment room at the scheduled time, our expectation is that you will provide us the same courtesy. Dr. Joe often runs ahead of schedule, so keep in mind that if you are early, he can complete treatment sooner and your child will be finished more quickly. If you are late for an appointment, every effort will be made to provide possible treatment in the time remaining. If a patient arrives too late and completing treatment will interfere with the next patient, the appointment will be rescheduled.

Occasionally situations arise that will require us to reschedule your appointment. We promise to call in advance and make every attempt to reappoint in a timely manner; we simply ask that should you need to cancel or reappoint, you provide the same courtesy. When a patient does not show for an appointment or calls to cancel the same day, the time that Dr. Joe or our hygiene department has set aside for treatment cannot be recovered and provided to another patient in need.

Missed and Broken Appointments

If you do not permit us the courtesy of a cancellation notice at least 24 hours in advance, your appointment is considered a broken appointment. All broken appointments generate a charge per patient. If you would like to reschedule a broken appointment, we require payment of the fee prior to being rescheduled. When an appointment is broken, all future scheduled appointments are also cancelled until the fee is paid. We understand that some situations are beyond your control, and upon such an occasion, we will work with you to resolve any issues. Should you miss too many appointments, you will be dismissed from the practice.

Canceling Appointments

We know you will do everything within your power to keep your scheduled appointments, but should you need to cancel or reschedule, please call us 24 hours in advance and 48 hours prior if your appointment is on Monday. Our front office team will be happy to assist in rescheduling for you. If you cancel an appointment without notice, you will be charged the broken appointment fee if we are unable to schedule another patient.

Courtesy Calls

We understand that our families lead busy lives and have partnered with Lighthouse 360 to provide courtesy texts/calls regarding your check-ups, treatment and scheduled appointments; however, keep in mind it is ultimately your responsibility to arrive for your dental visits. If you have a change of phone number, it is extremely important to call us to update your contact numbers. Because our office is often scheduling three to four months in the future, you will also receive a text/email two weeks in advance as a reminder of upcoming check-ups and operative treatment as well as the week your appointment is scheduled. If you miss your appointment and forget to contact us, please keep in mind that the broken appointment policy will apply. Please contact our office if you wish to adjust the types of courtesy reminders you receive. We can tailor them to your preferences.

Operative Appointments with Dr. Joe

Occasionally your child may need to see Dr. Joe for an extraction, simple filling or extensive treatment. If you are scheduled for an operative appointment, please bring only the child being treated. We allow a parent or guardian in the treatment room with their child if they are not being sedated; however, the operatories are not able to accommodate additional siblings or family members. Please plan accordingly to ensure the doctor and assistant are not unduly distracted by extra attendees. If you are unable to make arrangements for additional family members and your children cannot remain in reception unsupervised, you will be required to stay in reception with them.

Prime-time Appointments and Special Accommodations

We have several blocks of appointment times that are considered most desirable for parents and guardians during the school year: mornings from 9 am to 11 am, and afternoons from 3 pm to 5 pm. If you miss one of these very valuable appointment times or cancel one without notice, you will be unable to schedule a future appointment during these hours and are charged a broken appointment fee. Every parent or guardian with a child in school desires these appointment times, and we do our best to ensure those who are considerate and responsible are rewarded for their efforts.

On occasion the doctor will accommodate a patient after hours or at the end of the day. If you miss your appointment for any reason, the doctor will no longer allow special consideration unless it is an emergency. Dr. Joe is very compassionate and will go out of his way to accommodate patients; please be considerate of his time and ensure you are able to make the appointment.

Remember, we are all in this together and in order to successfully monitor your child's dental health, we need your commitment to all scheduled appointments.