To ensure an environmentally friendly and efficient check-in process, we’ve provided your patient forms online. Complete them in the comfort of your own home before your appointment to enjoy a swift, seamless experience at Smile Wellness Co.
Looking to finance your treatment, but need a plan to pay for care on your own schedule? We’ve got you covered with CareCredit, one of the nation’s most reputable third-party lenders. Thanks to CareCredit’s flexible payment plans, you can get peace of mind knowing that your dental care fits comfortably within your budget. Give us a call at (425) 455-2370 to speak with a member of our team and get started.
We believe you deserve to know exactly how your care is paid for — and why.At Smile Wellness Co., we're committed to being fully transparent about insurance, costs, and the choices we've made as a practice. We know navigating dental benefits can feel confusing, so we've put together honest answers to the questions we hear most often.
We are an out-of-network (OON) provider, which means we don't have a contracted agreement with dental insurance companies. We made this decision intentionally — and we made it for you.
When a dental practice signs a contract with an insurance company, they agree to follow that company's rules: which treatments are approved, how often you can receive care, and how much the dentist can charge. That arrangement puts the insurance company in the driver's seat of your treatment — not your dentist, and not you.
By remaining out-of-network, we're free to recommend only what's best for your health, spend the time your care actually requires, and never let a coverage policy override our clinical judgment. We answer to you — not to an insurance carrier.
Absolutely — and we encourage you to! Most PPO plans include out-of-network benefits, which means your insurance will likely cover a portion of your care. Here's how it works at our office:
For most insurance plans, we handle the billing on your behalf. We collect your estimated co-pay at the time of your visit, submit the claim to your insurance company, and they send their portion of the payment directly to us. Simple and straightforward.
Delta Dental works a little differently. Because of the way Delta Dental processes out-of-network claims, we do collect the full estimated cost upfront. Delta Dental will then send any reimbursement directly to you, usually within two weeks.
We do our best to provide accurate cost estimates based on plans similar to yours — whether employer-sponsored or individually purchased. That said, every plan is unique, and insurance companies can sometimes pay differently than estimated. Ultimately, the patient is responsible for the cost of any treatment rendered, and we'll always be upfront with you before we begin.
Not sure what your plan covers? Give us a call — we're happy to look into it with you. We'll do our best to get you the answers you need, and if we're unable to track down the details, we may have you reach out to your insurance company directly. Either way, we won't leave you figuring it out alone.
This is one of the most common frustrations we hear — and it's completely valid.
Dental insurance was originally designed in the 1960s as a modest employee benefit, with annual maximums typically set around $1,000–$1,500. Here's the uncomfortable truth: those maximums haven't meaningfully changed in over 60 years, even as the cost of living, materials, technology, and the complexity of dental care have all grown dramatically.
Insurance companies also decide what's "covered" based on what's least expensive — not what's best for your long-term health. A filling might be covered, while a treatment that could prevent a much bigger problem down the road gets denied or discounted. This isn't a flaw in the system; it's how the system was built.
We want you to understand that when your insurance says something "isn't covered," it doesn't mean it isn't necessary. It means the insurance company has decided not to pay for it. Those are two very different things.
We never want cost to stand in the way of the care you need. Here's what we offer to make things as accessible as possible:
● In-House Membership Plan — Our own wellness membership gives you access to preventive care, discounts on treatment, and predictable costs — no insurance required. Ask our team for details.
● CareCredit Financing — Spread the cost of care over time with a healthcare credit option that works for your budget.
● Credit cards, cash, check, and HSA/FSA funds — We accept all major forms of payment, including health savings accounts.
Our team is always happy to walk through your treatment plan costs before you commit, so you can make informed decisions without any surprises.
Still have questions?
We love talking through this stuff — really. Reach out to our team any time and we'll help you understand your benefits, estimate your reimbursement, or find a payment path that works for you.
Your health comes first. Everything else, we'll figure out together.
X-rays are one of the most important diagnostic tools we have for understanding your oral health — and for catching issues that simply aren't visible to the naked eye. We use digital x-ray equipment, which keeps radiation exposure as low as possible while giving us the clearest, most detailed images of your teeth, roots, bone, and surrounding structures.
Here's our standard x-ray schedule:
For younger patients, we welcome children 12 years of age and older. X-rays for our younger patients are tailored to their age and individual tooth eruption patterns.
New patients: If you're coming to us from another dental office, we may be able to use your existing x-rays — as long as they were taken within an acceptable timeframe and are of diagnostic quality. Occasionally, films we receive are blurry or otherwise unusable, in which case we'll need to take updated images.
To avoid any delays at your first visit, please arrange for your x-ray records to be sent to us ahead of time. If we haven't received them by your appointment, we'll take a new series for you that day so we can get started on your care right away.
A note for patients with dental insurance: Most plans cover a full mouth series once every three to five years and bitewing x-rays annually — which aligns closely with our standard schedule. That said, every plan is different, and coverage can vary.
If you're a new patient transferring from another office, keep in mind that your insurance may have already applied benefits toward x-rays taken there. If recent x-rays on file with your previous dentist fall outside your plan's coverage window, your new x-rays here may not be covered. We'll do our best to give you a heads-up about this before we proceed — no surprises. As always, if you have questions about your specific coverage, give us a call and we'll look into it together.
When we schedule an appointment for you, that time is reserved exclusively for you and your care. Because of this, we require a minimum of 48 business hours' notice if you need to cancel or reschedule.
Please note that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are not business days at our office. So, for example, if you have an appointment on Wednesday, we would need to hear from you by Monday at the latest.
If adequate notice is not given, a fee of $125 per appointment hour may be assessed. We want to be transparent — this charge helps to offset the cost of unoccupied chair time in our schedule, and is never meant as a penalty. In fairness to all of our patients, we are unable to make exceptions to this policy regardless of the circumstance.
We do send courtesy appointment reminders by text, email, and/or phone call as a convenience — however, please understand that your appointment is confirmed at the time of scheduling. A reminder is simply that — a courtesy. If we are unable to reach you, or if you do not respond to a reminder, your appointment still stands. Failure to appear will be treated as a missed appointment and our cancellation policy will apply.
We encourage you to note your appointment on your calendar at the time of booking rather than relying on a reminder to keep track of it. Thank you for your understanding — honoring this policy helps us continue providing timely, attentive care to every patient we serve.
Your privacy is something we take seriously. In accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), all of your personal and health information is kept strictly confidential.
From time to time, we may reach out to you by mail, email, text, or voicemail regarding your appointments, billing, or treatment. We may also share relevant dental records with specialists involved in your care — but only when it serves your treatment.
You are always in control of how we communicate with you. If you'd prefer we not use a particular method, just let us know and we'll make note of it in your file. And if you ever have a concern about your privacy or a special request, please don't hesitate to reach out — we're happy to talk it through.
We're here to help you achieve your best smile and ideal health. Ready to get started? Call (425) 455-2370 to book your appointment.
