The length of wait-time for an appointment may vary based on your need of appointment type and your desired day or time of appointment. Our goal is to get you in within days or weeks to fit your needs and lifestyle.

Brent Pennington Dental Center has an emergency phone number on our voice mail. We do not call in prescriptions for non-patients or inactive-patients. After hours appointments are for patients of record only.

Please call Brent Pennington Dental Center as soon as your plans change to reschedule your dental appointment. If you cancel with less than 24 hours notice, a missed appointment fee will be charged. By giving us advance notice we can schedule another patient for that time.

During your first visit to our office, you will receive a thorough dental examination that includes X-rays and comprehensive risk assessments. Dr. Pennington will develop a Personal Dental Care Plan based upon your immediate needs, current dental health and long-term oral health goals. This individual plan will include recommendations for cleanings, restorations and preventive treatments. Most patients will receive a cleaning at their first visit.

Our first priority is to diagnose and treat any urgent conditions that pose an immediate threat to your oral health. Our next priority is prevention, which means controlling the disease process, promoting wellness, and helping you maintain good overall oral health. This is important to make sure that any major restorative work is successful in the long term. Once you have achieved a satisfactory state of oral health and your teeth and supporting structures are stabilized, then we can proceed with major restorative work that builds on this healthy foundation.

Traditional, fee-for-service, insurance benefits are determined by a “usual and customary” formulation created by your insurance carrier. You will need to contact your insurance carrier directly to answer your question. Any amount not covered by your insurance is your responsibility.

In this day and age, we know deciphering your insurance benefits can be confusing. That’s why we will file your claim for you. We feel, however, that your insurance should never dictate the quality or timing of your treatment. All accounts with a balance owing are billed monthly. We bill insurance carriers as a courtesy to our patients; however, the patient is financially responsible for all balances due.

Some people tend to have a rather strange attitude towards checkups. If the dentist does not find something wrong, their time has been wasted. As a matter of fact, a series of successful visits can discourage them from ever seeing their dentist and hygienist again. The idea that you should only see the dentist when something is wrong can end up costing you a lot of money, comfort and time.

Dr. Pennington is trained to detect and treat many problems before you are even aware of them. The goal is to prevent disease, decay and tooth loss. He can help you but only if you make the appointment. It all comes back to teamwork. Only you, your dentist and your hygienist can determine how often to make a visit, but most for most people, twice a year is sufficient. Checkups should not be a one-time event. They are necessary for regular assessments of the condition and the well-being of your mouth. Check-up procedures vary with each dentist, but basically will contain: a review of dental and medical history, an overall examination of the mouth including oral cancer screening, a professional cleaning, possibly a fluoride treatment, and a general assessment of hygiene at home. Regular checkups are a MUST in the fight against gum disease.

Dental x-rays are taken routinely by your dentist. There are many diseases and dental defects, which cannot be seen by the naked eye, especially where teeth are concerned. These may include such things as decay under old fillings, teeth trapped below the gums, cavities between the teeth, bone loss as a result of gum disease and changes in either jaw bone structure which can be affected by many systemic diseases.

If you are a new patient, Dr. Pennington may recommend x-rays to check the current status of your mouth and to check for hidden problems. Upon your first visit to our office, our assistant or hygienist will usually take those x-rays that will be necessary to comprehensively assess your oral health. A full series of x-rays usually consists of 14 – 18 films. A Panoramic x-ray film showing a much greater areas of your jaw bones may be needed as well in order for Dr. Pennington to comfortably and competently examine you. Every six months to one year we may take a small series of x-rays consisting of four to six films. A six-month period is a long time in the life of a cavity and it is for this reason that a visit to the dentist every six months is so important. X-rays are generally safe when only taken as needed to keep the exposure to a minimum.

We accept and file most insurances. Our office also accepts most all major credit cards: Master Card, Visa, Discover, and American Express. We also accept Debit Cards and Cash. Payment is due at the time treatment is rendered. If you have questions regarding insurance and fees, please contact our billing office 706-935-2900.

Insurance coverage can be confusing to deal with and has limitations: However, your insurance should never dictate the quality or timing of your treatment. If you have extensive or long term dental care, our office offers financial assistance through Care Credit http://www.carecredit.com . We are happy to help you with insurance concerns, so if you have any questions, please contact us at 706-935-2900.

Most dental problems don’t have any symptoms until they reach more advanced stages, so don’t wait for things to hurt! It is best to get a thorough dental exam, and diagnose and treat problems early. Waiting often makes problems more difficult and more expensive to fix.

Yes. We always welcome new patients to our office. Please do tell your friends and coworkers how you’ve enjoyed our office.

We follow a number of health and safety guidelines. First, our office complies and exceeds OSHA standards for safety. All of our staff also maintains their current CPR certification. With every patient, we follow universal precautions. These safety procedures are established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Dental Association (ADA). Under these precautions, our dental team is required to use the appropriate protective wear, such as gloves, masks and eyewear. After your visit, we disinfect the operatory and sterilize all of the equipment. We have a sterilization center where we can maximize efficient sterilization and minimize the chance of contamination through human error. If you have any questions, we would be happy to demonstrate our sterilization procedures. You can also view the CDC Infection Control guidelines online at www.cdc.gov.

From the moment you walk through the door, you will see how different our brand of dentistry is from any other you have experienced. First, our doctor is exceptionally skilled in cosmetic and restorative dentistry. We are serious about your treatment and will take the time to make sure your dental health is the best it can be.

Second, we listen to what our patients have to say about their dental health and are always happy to answer your questions. We can also provide you with patient education information when you need it.

To truly know what makes Brent Pennington Dental Center and their team different, we recommend you schedule an appointment by calling 706-935-2900.