COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1) What do I do if I have a dental emergency?
If you and/or your immediate family member have previously presented to our Office for
examination and dental cleaning or dental treatment within the last 2 years, and have
maintained an acceptable doctor/patient relationship, you and/or your immediate family
member have become an Established Patient of this Office and your emergency will be attended
to as soon as possible.

If you or an immediate family member are established Patients of Another Area Dentist
who can not be reached, and has made previous arrangements with Dr. Mullens to
cover his/her emergencies, your emergency will be attended to as soon as possible.

Established Patients of this Office or those Established Patients of Another Dental Office for whom Dr. Mullens is providing emergency coverage..desiring urgent (emergency) care should call our Dental Office at 413-773-7766 to alert us to your problem:

a) The Office is normally open at 8 am to 5 pm Mondays through Thursdays and closed Fridays.

Your information will be conveyed to Dr. Mullens and you will be given an appointment
and/or medications phoned into your pharmacy as deemed appropriate by Dr. Mullens

b) If your emergency occurs after 5:00 pm and your care is needed before 8:00 am the next day, the answering machine will direct you to eiteher:
a) contact the nearest hospital emergency room or your physician
b) contact the dental office providing emergency coverage ( if Dr. Mullens is away )


2) What types of payment options and patient financing plans are available?

a. This Office accepts cash, personal checks, and the credit cards MasterCard VISA and Discover.

b. This Office has a Patient Financing Program through Citibank U.S.A., N.A. Citibank creates
an individual patient credit account and issues a Citi® Health Card (displaying that account
number), and offers:

(i) No Interest, Minimal Purchase Options for 3, 6 or 12 months - payment is due in full at the
end of the promotional period to avoid interest; no prepayment penalty

(ii) Low Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for 48 months (4 years) - in equal monthly payments;
no prepayment penalty

(iii) Patients desiring a Citi® Health Card may:

- apply in our Office completing an application (some financial information must be disclosed)
- apply online at www.healthcard.citicards.com under Consumer Section, 24 hours, 7 days a week
- apply by phone at toll-free 1-866-843-2330 , 24 hours, 7 days a week

(iv) Minimum personal requirements to obtain a Citi® Health Card (and patient credit account):

--------------two forms of ID that can be verified; one must be a photo ID such as a driver’s license, passport, etc.
------------- having a street address, not a P.O. Box
------------- being at least 18 years of age

3) What is “antibiotic pre-medication” or “antibiotic prophylaxis” and do I need it?

Antibiotic pre-medication or prophylaxis is a dose of antibiotics taken before
coming to the dental office, and is done to prevent any germs that might get into the
bloodstream during dental treatment from causing an infection.

Usually your primary care physician, your cardiologist, or your orthopaedic surgeon will alert you
to the need for pre-dental antibiotics.

Patients that may need antibiotic premedication or prophylaxis are patients with:
- certain heart diseases or histories of heart infection
- certain heart valve situations (e.g. mitral valve regurgitation with prolapse)
- certain immuno-compromised patients (e.g. organ transplants; serious disease)
- certain patients with artificial, implanted prosthetic devices (e.g. knees; hips; penile implants)
- other certain patients not mentioned here

Please contact our Office before your appointment to ask any questions about antibiotic
pre-medication or prophylaxis. Dr. Mullens can call your pharmacy to prescribe antibiotics
before your dental appointment if you appear to need them.


4) How do I know it your office will take my dental insurance?

This Dental Practice participates in most dental insurance plans ( Delta Dental, Blue Cross/ Blue
Shield, Aetna, Guardian, MetLife, etc.) .

Some dental insurances that are HMO’s , PPO’s, or Capitation Plans may not consider this Office
an approved provider and either won’t cover your services, or will pay less benefits than if you
went to an approved provider.

If any questions about our Office taking your insurance arise, it is best to contact our Office before
your appointment so we can research the matter.


5) What if I have many allergies, such as medication allergies, metal allergies or latex allergies?

Please let us know about any allergies you have before receiving treatment.

Allergies to dental medications (e.g. lidocaine; codeine; etc) are rarely a barrier as many
alternatives exist to use if we know there is a problem. Allergies to metals, particularly non-gold metals, are common as less expensive jewelry may cause a person to be come sensitive. There are many alternative metals we can use to avoid a problem if we know about it.

Allergies to latex are becoming very common, and we have dealt with this by attempting to
remove all sources of latex in our office, and using alternative products. We use non-latex gloves,
cleaning prophy cups, and rubber dam. It is still best to always remind us of your latex allergy.

6) I think I may have bad breath. Can anything be done to help me?

Bad breath, or halitosis is not uncommon. Bad breath most often results from chronic mouth
disease such as gingivitis or periodontitis, but can result from stomach disorders and tobacco and
alcohol use. Poor saliva flow and tongue coatings are also frequent factors. Occasionally
systemic problems such as liver or kidney disease may be contributing causes.

It is best to start with a dental examination to try to determine the cause of the bad breath so
correction of its underlying cause can be considered.