Patient Information

Making sound decisions about your dental care and oral health is an easy thing to do with the right preparation beforehand:

A knocked out tooth or bitten tongue can cause panic in any parent, but quick thinking and staying calm are the best ways to approach such common dental emergencies and prevent additional unnecessary damage and costly dental restoration. This includes taking measures such as application of cold compresses to reduce swelling, and of course, contacting our office as soon as possible.

• You have a right to see the dentist every time you receive dental treatment.
• You have a right to ask about treatment alternatives and be told, in language you can understand, the advantages and disadvantages of each.
• You have a right to know the education and training of your dentist and the dental team.
• You have a right to know in advance the type and expected cost of treatment.
• You have a right to expect dental team members to use appropriate infection and sterilization controls.
• You have a right to ask your dentist to explain all the treatment options regardless of coverage or cost.
• You have a right to be treated in a professional and ethical manner by your dentist and dental team.
• You should have a right to schedule an appointment with the dentist of your choice.

(Adopted by the Pennsylvania Dental Association in 1998)

American Dental Association Leads Fight for Patient Rights 

The American Dental Association has supported legislation that will set a few basic rules to promote high-quality care and protect patients in an increasingly bottom line-driven health care system.

ADA member dentists have been instrumental in moving the patients’ rights issue into the national spotlight. The nation appears closer than ever to finally seeing a comprehensive patients’ bill of rights passed into law.

While Congress debates various versions of patient rights legislation, the insurance and managed care industries have long supported legislation that would fail to protect all privately insured Americans against unfair delays and denials of coverage by their health plans, according to the ADA. Some ill-fated bills left out critical protections, such as guaranteeing people the option of choosing their own doctors or creating mechanisms to address patients’ grievances against health plans. One proposal even omitted freestanding dental plans, which could have left more than 120 million dental patients without these vital protections.