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Financial Information
You can pay for your office visits and any treatments by cash, check, credit or debit card at the time of treatment. We also accept most major dental insurances, and the CareCredit. To discuss your payment options or insurance coverage, please call (317) 578-9696.
New Patients
If you are interested in becoming a new patient, please email us here or call our office at (317) 578-9696.
We can take care of transferring your dental records from your prior dental office and will schedule your first appointment to tour our office, meet our friendly staff, and receive a thorough examination. Prior to your first visit, we will send you 3 forms: a comprehensive medical and dental history, insurance information, and privacy consent.
First Visit
As part of your first visit, we will review your medical and dental history to help us determine the course of your treatment. We have to know about allergies, sensitivity to anesthetics, long-term medications, and other issues that affect your general health.
We will also conduct a comprehensive examination (including oral cancer screening) and a periodontal evaluation. Full-mouth X-rays are necessary diagnostic tools that give us a picture of the tooth structure above and below the gum line and enable us to evaluate the bone structure surrounding your teeth.After gathering all of the necessary information, we will review your treatment plan with you so you and Dr. Chen can develop a personalized plan for your oral care. We look forward to helping you maintain a happy, healthy smile.
Emergencies
We sincerely hope that you never have a dental emergency, but if you do, we offer 24-hour emergency service for our established patients. If the emergency occurs during our normal office hours, please call the office at (317) 578-9696 and explain your situation. We will make every effort to accommodate you as soon as possible. For after hours, please call the doctor’s emergency number.
In the meantime, here’s what to do:
TOOTHACHE: Toothaches are common, but they indicate a problem that needs attention. Rinse your mouth with warm water and try to floss away any food particles. Don’t lodge aspirin near the tooth – it will irritate, even damage gum tissue. Ice packs or a numbing agent (such as Oral-Jel) may keep you more comfortable until we can see you. Toothaches may go away, but the source of the pain won’t.
BROKEN FILLINGS: If possible, save the filling so we can examine it. Rinse your mouth gently with lukewarm water to remove debris – warm salt-water or dissolved baking soda can be soothing. If the tooth is sensitive, protect it with dental wax or sugarless gum.
LOOSE OR DISPLACED CROWNS: These crowns can sometimes be reused. If yours becomes loose or displaced, please bring it with you to your emergency appointment.
KNOCKED-OUT TOOTH: Don’t panic. If we can treat you within an hour, we may be able to reseat the tooth. Please do not touch the tooth root – you may damage the delicate tissue. Gently replace the tooth or keep it moist in milk.
DAMAGED BRIDGES, DENTURES AND PARTIALS: Do not risk home repairs. Glue can destroy composition materials and cause tissue erosion. Keep all the pieces, even the smallest, and call us to schedule an appointment. We can usually repair the prosthesis in 2 to 7 days.
LACERATIONS OR JAW DAMAGE: Lacerations or jaw damage require immediate treatment at a hospital facility or an oral surgeon’s office. Take such injuries seriously. Delay may result in further damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which type of toothbrush should I use?
A: The brand of the toothbrush is not as critical as the type of bristle and the size of the head. A soft toothbrush with a small head is recommended because medium and hard brushes tend to cause irritation and contribute to recession of the gums, and a small head allows you to get around each tooth more completely and is less likely to injure your gums. It's unnecessary to "scrub" the teeth as long as you are brushing at least twice a day and visiting your dentist at least twice a year for cleanings.
Q: Is one toothpaste better than others?
A: Generally, no. However, it's advisable to use a fluoride containing toothpaste to decrease the incidence of dental decay. We recommend our patients use what tastes good to them as long as it contains fluoride.
Q: How often should I floss?
A: Flossing of the teeth once per day helps to prevent cavities from forming between the teeth where your toothbrush can't reach. Flossing also helps to keep your gums healthy.
Q: What's the difference between a "crown" and a "cap"?
A: These are restorations to repair a severely broken tooth by covering all or most of the tooth after removing old fillings, fractured tooth structure, and all decay. The restoration material is made of gold, porcelain, composites, or even stainless steel. Dentists refer to all of these restorations as "crowns". However, patients often refer to the tooth-colored ones as "caps" and the gold or stainless steel ones as "crowns".
Q: What's the difference between a "bridge" and a "partial denture"?
A: Both bridges and partial dentures replace missing teeth. A bridge is permanently attached to abutment teeth or, in some cases, implants. A partial denture is attached by clasps to the teeth and is easily removed by the patient. Patients are usually more satisfied with bridges than with partial dentures.
Q: What about "silver" fillings versus "white" fillings?
A: Although the U.S. Public Health Service issued a report in 1993 stating there is no health reason not to use amalgam (silver fillings), more patients today are requesting "white" or tooth-colored composite fillings. We also prefer tooth-colored fillings because they "bond" to the tooth structure and therefore help strengthen a tooth weakened by decay. While fillings are also usually less sensitive to temperature, and they also look better. However, "white" fillings cannot be used in every situation, and if a tooth is very badly broken-down, a crown will usually be necessary and provide better overall satisfaction for the patient.
Q: Do I need to have a root canal just because I have to have a crown?
A: No. While most teeth which have had root canal treatments do need crowns to strengthen the teeth and to return the teeth to normal form and function, not every tooth needing a crown also needs to have a root canal.
Post Op Instructions
Patient home care instructions for temporary crowns and/or bridges
- The crown and/or bridge work that has been seated today is a temporary structure. Please wait until one to two hours before eating.
- Be cautious in biting. Avoid hard or sticky foods.
- When you floss around the temporary, please pull the floss from the side of the tooth to avoid loosening the cement seal and pulling the temporary off.
- Rinse two times a day with warm salt water until you return to the office to keep the gum tissue healthy.
- If your temporary comes off anytime before your next appointment, please call the office during our regular hours. The temporary not only has an esthetic function, and keeps the tooth/teeth from being sensitive, it maintains the space that is needed to make the permanent crown fit properly.
- IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO RETURN TO THE OFFICE WITHIN FIVE WEEKS TO HAVE THE PERMANENT CROWN AND/OR BRIDGE WORK SEATED. IF YOU WANT LONGER THAN FIVE WEEKS, YOU MAY NEED YOUR WORK REDONE AT AN ADDIONAL COST TO YOU.
- Because of the availability and the length of appointments for crown and bridge work, it is important that you keep your scheduled appointments and be on time.
- For any questions and problems please contact our office at (317)578-9696.
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instructions
Post-op surgery instruction (tooth extraction)
Bite down firmly on the gauze placed in your mouth where your teeth extracted. Keep this in place at least for 30 minutes to help stop the bleeding and keep saliva away from the extraction site. Change every 30 minutes or as needed until bleeding has stopped.
- If bleeding persists for more than 6 hours call this office at 578-9696.
- Keep your head elevated. Slightly oozing may continue for one or two days.
- Do not exert yourself physically for at least 24-36 hours after surgery.
- Do not rinse your mouth for 24 hours. After 24 hours begin rinsing with warm salt water.
- DO NOT SMOKE, SPIT or use SODA STRAWS for two to three days.
- Place an old towel or sheet on your pillow. Bleeding may appear to be more than it actually is due to dilution in the saliva.
- It is important to keep your mouth clean following surgery. Use a soft toothbrush and rinse gently with salt water. This may cause some bleeding which is expected.
- To minimize swelling, place an ice pack on the outside of the face in 20 minute intervals. Moist heat may be used after 24 hours for comfort.
- Eat soft foods when the numbness wears off. Resume a normal diet after 24 hours.
- For any questions or concerns call (317)578-9696, if after hours please contact Dr. Chen at (317) 383-6703.
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instructions
Patient Instructions following scaling and root planing
DISCOMFORT
You may experience slight throbbing or aching immediately after treatment. Take acetaminophen or a non-aspirin analgesic as recommended to reduce discomfort. Your discomfort or pain should not be acute and should subside within four hours, definitely within a few days.
BLEEDING
Slight bleeding may occur during the next several brushings, but the bleeding should steadily decrease and not continue past 72 hours.
TOOTH SENSITIVITY
Teeth may be sensitive to temperature changes and sweets the first several days, but the sensitivity usually diminishes quickly. You may want to apply a desensitizing fluoride. If tooth sensitivity persists, use a desensitizing toothpaste containing potassium nitrate. For severe and prolonged sensitivity, you may need a professional application of a desensitizing agent.
DIET/EATING
If a local anesthetic was used, avoid chewing foods until feeling returns to the area to avoid injury to the tongue or cheeks. If extensive root planing was performed, you may find that chewing hard foods such as meat or raw vegetables is uncomfortable for a few days. Choose food with a softer consistency (noodles, peanut butter, cream cheese) until chewing becomes more comfortable.
ORAL HYGIENE
If gum tissues are tender, brush your teeth gently but thoroughly; this may take a little more time than normal. By the third to fourth day, you can resume normal oral hygiene techniques. Rinse your mouth for one to two weeks with an anti-microbial rinse or a warm salt-water rinse.
APPEARANCE As gums heal and tighten, their shape around the teeth may change. This is normal.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
If symptoms are severe or persistent, please call our office immediately.
Following scaling and root planing, you can expect less redness, bleeding and swelling of your gum tissue. Your mouth will also taste and feel better. Plan to maintain the health of your gums with proper homecare and regular professional care.
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instructions