Over the years, we have had many patients travel from long distance (some from another country!) visit our office for dental treatment.  From this experience, we came up with a way to plan the visit so that all the dental treatment can be done in a short period.  The key is to gather as much information possible so we can provide the care in the best and most comfortable way possible.  Following are the steps that we take to make this possible.

 

Gathering Information:  

 

Your child can either be referred by a local dentist or you can self-refer.  Once we receive the referral, we will gather as much information as possible.  Dental radiographs are the most useful diagnostic tool to identify the problem.  If there are any pictures of the problem areas, it will help us determine what needs to be done.  Patient information (including medical and dental history) form can be filled and sent to us by email.  

 

Consultation with dentist:  

 

Our dentist will give you a call after reviewing all the information to discuss treatment needs and also treatment options.  We provide four different ways to do the dental treatment.  You can find out more about treatment options by checking Patient Management part of our website.  For patients who need to travel a long distance, all the dental treatment needs to be done in a very short period of time.  For this reason, we usually offer sedation or general anesthesia options for patients who are only staying in town for a few days.  

 

Planning a visit:  

 

Once the tentative treatment plan is made, our office manager will send pre-determination to the insurance company/companies and will review the results with you.  

    

If you have NIHB coverage and your band office offers aid in travel, we will notify the band office of the plan so band office can arrange travel for you and your child.  

    

Pre-treatment appointment:  

 

Once the treatment is planned, we will arrange a pre-treatment appointment the day before the treatment appointment.  If treatment is planned on Monday, we may need to see your child on Saturday but we will do our best to make your stay in Vancouver as short as possible.    During pre-treatment appointment, our dentist will meet with you and your child and do a clinical exam to confirm and revise the plan if needed.  The dental radiograph will be taken if more radiograph is needed.  Dental treatment appointment is usually scheduled the next day.  If dental treatment is done under general anesthesia, all the treatment will be done during this visit.  If sedation is scheduled, sometimes second sedation appointment is needed depending on a number of treatment needs and patient behaviour.  

 

Follow up:  

 

Follow up is not always possible due to long distance.  We will be sending a treatment record to your local dentist if your child has a local dentist who can follow up.  You can also let us know in advance if you are going to be visiting Vancouver in the future.  We would be happy to follow up and make sure everything is well!  

 

Please contact us to find out more details about visiting our office.