How much do you charge for a consultation appointment?

In our case, new patients can enter our practice in a number of ways. Our preferred way to start a new patient is with a check up and a cleaning, followed up by a separate visit to discuss our findings. The checkup, x-rays and cleaning is usually covered by most PPO dental insurance plans. Some patients call our office to request a consultation. They have usually been to another practice, had a check up and now want to find out what another dentist has to say about their mouth.

My office manager will schedule a half hour consultation for these patients and our fee for this scheduled time is $100. My consultation usually includes me taking an x-ray or two if needed. Many patients are curious if our consultations are free or covered by their insurance plan. Our consultations are not free nor are they covered by most dental insurance plans. The consultation fee is set lower then our normal fee for a comprehensive examination and X-rays, as a courtesy to patients either seeking advice or who want to meet with a  new dentist, before committing to any treatment.

It is not unusual that during a consultation, a patient opts to end up having a full set of X-rays and a dental examination, instead of the simple consultation that they were scheduled for. We try and accommodate this desire if time permits. If a patient does require a complex treatment plan, a simple consultation will not take the place of a comprehensive examination, and often additional visits are required, in order for the patient to meet with specialists to get their input . Complex treatment plans often  require consultations with other dental specialists and treatment plans are developed jointly.