Patients

“At Transcend Dental Health we take the time to meet and understand the individuals we serve. We provide value to our patients by using a unique combination of holistic dentistry and naturopathic medicine that honors our patient’s health goals, personal values and the delicate balance which God has designed into our amazing bodies. We assist each patient to define their unique vision for health and help them make choices that are consistent with that vision. We provide a comprehensive explanation of dental procedures, restorative materials and how they relate to total body health. We practice only safe and proven protocols. We provide our patients with facts so that they may make a truly informed consent for care.”

When calling for a new patient appointment, you will be asked if you have any prior lab-work or x-rays taken within the last six months. Your appointment will be approximately two hours and include a comprehensive exam, digital panoramic X-ray, and 4 digital bite-wing X-rays. When you arrive, our dental assistants will take the panoramic X-ray. You will then meet with Dr. Carpenter for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. After your initial meeting with Dr. Carpenter, the dental assistants will take additional diagnostic images as well as the bite-wing X-rays. Dr. Carpenter will review the images with you, as well as perform a very thorough assessment of your current dental condition, and an oral cancer screening based on the findings from the comprehensive exam. Dr. Carpenter will then offer you dental and health recommendations based upon those findings.

For your convenience, we accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Care Credit, Chase Health Advance, and Discover. We deliver the finest care at the most reasonable cost to our patients; therefore, payment is due at the time service is rendered, unless other arrangements have been made in advance. If you have questions regarding your account, please contact us at 512-255-3618. Many times, a simple telephone call will clear any misunderstandings. Please remember you are fully responsible for all fees charged by this office regardless of your insurance coverage. For our detailed Financial Policy, please see our Welcome, New Patients! page, where you may download a copy of our complete policy.

Infection controls and universal precautions protect clients and staff alike. Everyone benefits from rigorous infection control — you, your dentist, and the dental team. The cornerstone in a good and safe dental practice is the element of trust. You should feel free to discuss this topic with Dr. Carpenter and receive a straightforward answer. Dr. Carpenter and our entire team follow procedures recommended by several federal agencies: the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA,) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). These measures include: -Disinfectant hand soap -Gloves and face masks -Chemical disinfection of counter-tops and surfaces -Sterilization of all equipment before every use -Disposable materials We sterilize all reusable equipment, including dental hand-pieces. We use an autoclave, a device that kills bacteria and viruses by steam, heat, and pressure. The best defense against disease is information. The more you know, the better equipped you are to make wise decisions about your health care. The more you know about our daily procedures and policies, the more comfortable you will feel. We use ozone at TDH. Ozone, in its many forms (gas, liquid) plays a significant part in naturally supporting infection control by minimizing contaminated dental lines and reducing airborne bacteria and viruses and other types of cross-contamination between patients. For example, every patient treated in our practice has a 1-minute rinse with ozone water before their dental cleaning or dental procedure. Similar to wiping the skin before starting an IV, ozone greatly reduces the pathogenic bacteria, virus, parasite, and mold activity in the mouth before there is a chance to introduce it into the body via a dental procedure. We also purge out lines daily with ozone water, which keeps them clean and protects patients from biofilms and other colonized infections that routinely grow in dental lines and live on and in dental equipment. Additionlly, we treat every tooth we work on with gaseous ozone, which eliminates almost 100% of post-operative sensitivity. Imagine having a dental procedure with little to no cold or chewing sensitivity following the procedure. It’s truly awesome and completely natural!

Your dental plan is a form of compensation provided by your employer. You can expect the carrier (insurance company) to reimburse you for a portion of our fee. That portion is determined by the contract between your employer and the insurance company. The higher the premium paid by your company, the more generous the reimbursement. Although we are not a party to the contractual arrangement with your insurance company, we do want to help you receive the maximum reimbursement to which you are entitled. As a convenience to you, we will help you process your insurance claims in order for you to receive the maximum benefit. We will also gladly provide dental x-rays and a written diagnostic report should your insurance company have any questions about the services provided. At all times, you can be confident that we will always provide you with our best services without regard to the limitations imposed by your insurance coverage. To do otherwise would violate our contract with you — a contract we feel morally obliged to honor.

Your first visit with our office will vary depending upon your needs. If you are experiencing pain, we will focus all of our efforts on diagnosing the cause of the pain and providing you relief from your suffering. If you are looking to start a relationship with a new dental team, our comprehensive examination is second to none. In case of emergency, most times, treatment can be accomplished in our office. Sometimes the situation will dictate that we refer you to a specialist, the quality of your care being the main deciding factor. Although we gladly offer assistance to patients experiencing dental pain, there can often be a pattern or habit to the pain. We will not lecture you on the benefits of preventive care while you are in emergency pain, but understand that the Preventive Care Model can help to eliminate most causes of emergency dental pain. Because of the positive impact we can have on our patients’ lives, our goal is to complete a comprehensive exam for every patient or member of our dental family. Your first visit involves a personal interview with either Dr. Carpenter or one of our integrative hygienists (if you choose to start your dental health journey with a cleaning or hygiene visit.) We will gather diagnostic information, and based on your dental history and goals, will take only needed digital radiographs (based mainly on your history of dental care and current level of health or disease.) This could involve digital panoramic X-ray and a few images of the teeth to rule out decay or could be a digital panoramic X-ray and full series of digital images for evaluating the health of each tooth, whichever is necessary based on your history and goals. All patients are offered homeopathic nosodes for minimizing the negative impact of digital X-ray exposure. The digital panoramic image is used to observe the health of the jaw joints, to help rule out cancer and to evaluate the jaw bone for infection related to root canals, or infections left behind after failed extractions… also known as cavitation osteonecrosis or “cavitation lesions.” Sometimes we will request mounted study models of your teeth to allow us to study your bite and plan your necessary treatment when you are not at our practice. Most times, Dr. Carpenter will be able to offer you a treatment plan the same day that addresses your oral and systemic health goals. The most important service any dentist or physician can offer is a thorough examination and diagnosis of existing conditions, a detailed review of these findings and a plan for prevention and treatment that serves the patients’ short-range and long-term goals. I believe that the journey to greater comfort, beauty, and confidence with our teeth begins with a clear understanding of where we are and where we want to go. Understanding the existing conditions provides you with the knowledge necessary to make the proper choices that suit your personal health values. Without a target or goal, the process of dental care can be discouraging, painful, unnecessarily expensive, and crippling. Dentistry, unlike many other aspects of life, is usually carried out without a master plan: without concrete goals and objectives of what you would like your mouth to be like in the future. For this reason, we take a great deal of time and effort throughout your examination to help you understand your mouth as much as possible, including the causes of disease and breakdown. We then help you decide how you would like to be treated. This may be different from your previous dental experiences if you were told what you should do without a clear understanding of the underlying causes of the problem, then asked to make an uninformed decision about the repairs. Many patients would have chosen a different course of treatment for themselves if they had only understood the rules of cause and effect in dentistry. Many patients end up needing expensive dental repair as a result of a lack of dental knowledge. Modern dentistry has reached a high level of comfort and capability, and our ability to serve patients has never been more exceptional. Please assist us by providing the following information at the time of your consultation: New Patient Registration Forms 2019 HIPAA Form 2019 Notice of Privacy Practices 2019 Financial Information 2019

At Transcend Dental Health, we take pride in our patients’ health and in the trust you put in us every time you make an appointment. We also take great pride in the long-term relationships we develop with our patients, which is why we take the time to listen to your concerns and questions before we propose treatment. We want to make sure that our practice is the right fit for you and that you feel comfortable in our office and with our staff.

Yes and no. If you have a PPO or Indemnity plan that allows you to see the provider of your choice, we can probably help you with your insurance. To find out more about how we handle insurance and to see if you can use your insurance at our practice, please read our Insurance Guide. Regardless of your insurance situation, we require payment in advance for all services and, when applicable, we can help you maximize your reimbursement from your insurance company.