Patient Information
For more than 40 years, Shelton Family Dental has offered professional, modern, and family-friendly dental care in Baltimore, MD. We offer a broad range of dental services that our doctors can build into a custom package depending on you or your families needs. We want to help you achieve the healthy smile you deserve.
New Patients
Our dental staff is committed to providing each patient with positive, effective dental treatment. To help your visit go smoothly, we have compiled a list of important items and information to bring with you for your first appointment, as well as a description of what to expect during your visit.
If you have any questions regarding your first dental visit or treatment options, don’t hesitate to contact us today by calling our office.
What to Expect
Your first visit will include a full dental examination, during which we will evaluate your oral health. If you do not have x-rays that are up to date, we will also take a set of x-rays so that we can properly diagnose any issues that cannot be seen by the naked eye. X-rays are useful for noting the condition of the jaw, sinuses, and teeth and tissue below the gum line. These images are crucial for providing comprehensive dental care that effectively addresses your unique needs.
Once your exam is complete, Dr. Benjamin Shelton or Dr. Cohloe-Shai Shelton can prescribe treatment and schedule you for your first cleaning. Some patients receive a standard cleaning to thoroughly cleanse all surfaces of the teeth of plaque and other buildup. Other patients may require a more intensive treatment to address cavities, tooth pain, diseased gums, or other dental problems. With your x-rays and complete evaluation, Dr. Shelton can prescribe the treatment necessary to optimize your dental health.
What to Bring
We will gather important information from you during your first visit that will help us to best serve your needs. To ensure that we are able to provide the best care possible, please bring the following items with you to your appointment:
Valid form of identification.
Method of payment for your visit.
Records from your previous dentist.
Dental insurance information including your insurance card or forms.
Medical history forms or information if not filled out online in advance.
A list of questions or concerns that you may have regarding your treatment.
Insurance
Whether you’re new to our practice or have been a valued patient for years, it’s important to be reminded how most dental insurance plans work. Sometimes you may wonder why your insurance doesn’t cover the entire cost of your dental procedure or why it covers some dental procedures and not others. Indemnity plans that have usual, customary and reasonable (UCR) plans built into them allow patients to see the dentist of their choice. These plans pay an established percentage of the dentist’s fee or pay either the plan sponsor’s “customary” fee limit or “reasonable” fee limit, whichever is less. Although these limits are called “customary,” they may or may not reflect the fees that I or other area dentists charge.
Financial
We accept Cash, Check, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, CareCredit, and Sunbit as payment for your dental treatment.
Bank Fees
Non-Sufficient Fund Returned Check Fee is $50.00.
Collection Costs
In the unfortunate event that your account is subject to collection activity, you will be responsible for any and all costs associated with collecting any outstanding balance on your account. Any account that has not received payment in 60 days may be subject to collection actions. This may negatively impact your credit history and limit the treatment you can receive at our office.
Records
If in the future you should need copies of your records and/or x-rays, we do charge a $26.00 fee for these services. It takes our office five business days in order to process a request, so please plan ahead.
Appointment Policy
We here at Shelton Family Dental are truly blessed with wonderful patients. We fully understand that life can be unpredictable and many times things come up unexpectedly. However, please understand that your appointment time is reserved especially just for you, and we truly do look forward to helping you with your dental needs. When life does take an unexpected turn and you cannot make it to your dental appointment, we respectfully request that you notify us at least 48 hours ahead. If you missed your appointment without notifying us with advance notice, we reserve the right to charge to your account a missed appointment fee of at least $65.00.
For more information about the services we provide, please contact us at 410-243-3714.
We look forward to becoming your family dentist for years to come!