Practice FAQs

Please arrive 10 minutes early for your child’s scheduled appointment so we can seat your child at the promised time.

If you arrive more than 10 minutes late, your appointment may be rescheduled.

Appointment times are reserved for your child so our team can be prepared to treat them in the best manner possible. We make a sincere effort to run our office on schedule and to minimize the time spent waiting in our office. Please understand, however, that emergencies and unforeseen circumstances may arise with children and can cause delays.  If Dr. Kari unexpectedly needs to spend more time with a child, just know that she will do the same for your child if and when they need it.

We understand that families have busy schedules and changes to your availability may occasionally occur. We require two business days notice if you must reschedule your child’s appointment so we can fill your appointment with another child who is waiting for dental care. A cancellation fee may apply if you cancel your child’s appointment with less than two business days notice or if you miss an appointment.

Due to current restrictions around COVID-19 we are unable to treat your child if you or they show any symptoms of illness. Please contact our office to reschedule your appointment.

We are a child-friendly office, but do ask that parents supervise their children while in the waiting area to avoid disruptions to the patients and potential injury. While your child is receiving treatment, you must remain in the office (if your child is 10 or under) or wait in your car (if they are over 10), due to COVID-19. Siblings cannot be left unattended.

Please do not bring food or drink into the office as many of our patients cannot eat or drink before or after their appointments and the treatment areas may contain contaminants.

Cell phones should be turned to vibrate as ringing telephones and conversations can be distracting to patients and our dental team.

Dr. Kari is specialist which means she has 2 years additional training after dental school to gain the designation of pediatric dentist. The biggest component of pediatric dentistry is getting kids to cooperate for something they don’t want to do. Dr. Kari has ways of helping your child to cooperate ranging from behaviour management techniques, sedation, or even general anesthetic.

We need to get to know each other at this first visit. We do not want to overwhelm your child. Our goal is to make this first visit as easy as possible, to provide a caring and nurturing environment, and establish trust, as well as assess your child’s co-operation for future appointments. This means waiting until the second visit to perform dental work.

At the end of the first visit, we will put together a treatment plan and review which options are right for your child. We can also provide a clear estimate of the cost and take the time to answer any questions you may have regarding treatment needs, cost and insurance. We ask that the child’s parent or legal guardian accompany the patient to the first visit. Please remember to bring your child’s Alberta Health Care card and all insurance information.

We try to book the first appointment within two weeks of receiving your referral. However, we are a specialty practice and receive referrals from dentists across Calgary and surrounding areas which makes us significantly busier than the average general dentist.

Your child’s general dentist can prescribe antibiotics for an abscessed tooth or do a temporary filling for a deep cavity. Once your child has come in for their first appointment, we will take care of any pain or emergencies that might occur.

Have your dentist call us ASAP. If it is after-hours, your dentist will determine if it is necessary to call Dr. Kari’s mobile number for her to come in for an emergency appointment.

The full cost of the dental visit is due after the appointment is completed, on the same day of service. Payment can be made by debit, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, e-transfer or cash.

If your child needs further treatment (like fillings for cavities), a treatment plan will be discussed with you prior to proceeding and we will provide clear cost estimates on the work to be done so there are no surprises. We will not bill you until after the treatment plan has been agreed upon and treatment has started.

We are a non-assignment office. This means we do not direct bill your insurance. If you have dental coverage, we will electronically submit your claim to the insurance carrier on your behalf if you provide us with your insurance information. We do make an exception for families in low-income government programs, like Alberta Works, and bill them directly.