Building stars one smile at a time
Our staff is friendly and always ready to help with scheduling, insurance or anything else you may need during your time with us. Our doctors will take extra care to listen to your concerns, answer all your questions and thoroughly explain your condition and treatment options.
Bay Area Smiles looks forward to you joining our host of satisfied patients. Each of our doctorshas a schedule tailored for your convenience. To schedule an appointment, please call our office nearest you: in Clearwater at 727-441-8963; and in Plant City at 813-752-3555. Or use our online Request an Appointment form.
The office attempts to schedule appointments at your convenience and when time is available. Preschool children should be seen in the morning because they are fresher and we can work more slowly with the child for their comfort. Schoolchildren with a lot of work to be done should be seen in the morning for the same reason. Dental appointments are an excused absence. We endeavor to schedule appointments to minimize the amount of time your child is missing school.
Since appointed times are reserved exclusively for each patient, we ask that you please notify our office 24 hours in advance of your scheduled appointment time if you are unable to keep your appointment. Another patient who needs our care could be scheduled if we have sufficient time to notify them. We realize that unexpected things can happen, but we ask for your assistance in this regard.
Do I stay with my child during the visit? We invite you to stay with your child during the initial and future examinations. For all Operative Dentistry appointments, we suggest you allow your child to accompany our staff through the dental experience. We can usually establish a closer rapport with your child when you are not present. Our purpose is to gain your child's confidence and overcome apprehension.
What happens at my first dental visit? This is a time for you and you child to see our office and meet our staff and doctor. At this appointment, your child’s teeth will be cleaned, he/she will have an oral examination and receive instructions on tooth brushing, good oral hygiene and diet. Radiographs of your child’s teeth may be needed to completed a thorough examination. The doctor will review his findings with you and make recommendations regarding your child’s oral health.
What happens at my first orthodontic visit? This is a time for the orthodontist to listen to patient concerns and to provide an orthodontic examination. The orthodontist will likely be able to indicate whether or not treatment is needed and if needed, when the best time to start treatment would be. Typical steps prior to beginning treatment include gathering orthodontic records to provide specific information to tailor a treatment plan for that patient.
If you have made your initial appointment, you can preregister by logging into our patient portal and completing our New Patient Forms. This will help to speed up the new patient registration process and get you in to see the doctor sooner!
Payment for professional services is due at the time dental treatment is provided. Every effort will be made to provide a treatment plan that fits your timetable and budget and gives your child the best possible care. We accept cash, personal checks, debit cards and most major credit cards.
If we have received all of your insurance information on the day of the appointment, we will be happy to file your claim for you. You must be familiar with your insurance benefits, as we will collect from you the estimated amount insurance is not expected to pay. By law, your insurance company is required to pay each claim within 30 days of receipt. We file all insurance electronically so your insurance company will receive each claim within days of the treatment. You are responsible for any balance on your account after 30 days, whether insurance has paid or not. If you have not paid your balance within 60 days a finance charge of 1.5% will be added to your account each month until paid. We will be glad to send a refund to you once insurance has paid us. To view a list of our in-network insurance providers click on the link below.
* We take most PPO plans.
