WELCOME TO TULE RIVER Dental Office

The Tule River Dental Clinic provides excellent service. Our dental staff is dedicated to providing quality dental care and hospitality to all of our patients. Many people choose us after comparing our fees with other dental practices. Our Clinic’s first priority is to provide quality dental care to our local Native American population. However, we are also open to the public and will provide the same quality dental service to all of our patients without regard to ethnic background.
In order to be fair and distribute patient time at the office evenly we ask that you read over these office guidelines which are essential. Following these rules will benefit everyone. We must ask you to comply.

WHEN YOU CALL OR VISIT—Our front desk staff will be as pleasant, polite and helpful to you as possible and in return we ask that you please be courteous to them as well. Our staff is protected by Federal Anti-harassment laws. Rudeness will not be of any value. Profanity or shouting are not tolerated, and may result in your call or visit being terminated.

Our COVID-19 office hours are Monday through Friday 9:00 am – 3:00pm

Dr. Newman –Monday-Thursday
Dr. Dunivan – Expected return July 2020
Dr. Nevarez –Thursday

OFFICE ETIQUETTE — Considering our limited space, Federal OSHA safety & HIPAA privacy rules, and to reduce employee distractions we must ask family and friends not to accompany patients over age 12 to the treatment room. Handicap exemptions apply.

Please note we do not have babysitting capability; please make accommodations for your small children.

SHOWING UP TO APPOINTMENTS — Please be on time.
• Allow 30 minutes to register or update annually.
• Showing up 15 minutes past appointment time by the clinic’s clock may result in us not having time to see you and therefore rescheduling your appointment. (see “Broken Appointment”)
• Patients under age 18 will require a legal guardian escort who is able complete the medical history and sign legal consent for the patient. (Mothers under age 18 are exempted and may sign for their children.)
• Please remember to take your pre-medications ahead of time if needed. (Usually 1 hour)

REGULAR EXAMINATIONS — Are the foundation of your successful treatment. At this visit we become familiar with your overall health and medication history; we check blood pressure, measure your gums, take X-rays, screen for oral cancer and plan your treatment in logical order. During regular examinations we consider many factors as well as your personal preferences. We will begin treatment at the following scheduled visit.

IMPORTANT—Oral conditions change over time, therefore it is necessary to update your treatment plan every 6 months and have a cleaning (or periodontal recall depending on your situation.) For this reason we advise you to show up for every appointment.

Skipping appointments will result in less work or even no work being done between examinations.

EMERGENCY VISITS (LIMITED EXAM) –  Call Ahead or Walk-in

Daily Emergency Visit Hours During COVID-19
9:00am-3:00pm

Defined as or must include:
1. Severe dental pain started in the past 2-3 days.
2. Severe dental pain that keeps the patient awake.
3. Swelling in face due to an abscessed tooth.
4. Fever due to an abscessed tooth.
5. Excessive bleeding / pain from a recent extraction.
6. Teeth that have recently been knocked out, displaced or broken. Save teeth and bring if possible.
7. A very recent facial injury with possible maxillary (upper jaw) or mandible (lower jaw) fracture.
8. A temporary crown which came off and needs to be re-cemented to prevent tooth movement.
9. Sore spots after a denture or a partial delivery.
10. Sudden appearance of unusual/painful oral rash.
11. Need a referral to a specialist for one problem.

Because emergency or limited examination and diagnosis appointments are added to the existing schedule, they will generally consist of palliative or therapeutic treatment only to relieve pain or infection until a routine visit can be conveniently scheduled. Do not expect work to be done at this visit.

Routine TREATMENT Visit — Scheduled in advance
This visit consists of regular planned treatment. Due to heavy demand of services treatment plans are scheduled over time to allow for higher patient access, keep or improve grant funding and state reimbursement to keep our doors open. We apologize for any inconvenience to you. When you show up for appointments on time your work will progress and ultimately get done.

IMPORTANT—We ask that families observe a limit of scheduling two members per day, and one provider per day for each patient, due to access problems for others if your appointments are broken.
 
Cancelled Appointment — When you cancel one full day (24hr) in advance. We appreciate this notice.

Broken Appointment — Occurs when appointment is missed without 24 hour notification, or when the patient is fifteen (15) minutes late by the clinic’s clock and has not called 24 hours ahead to reschedule. Note: If CHR transportation is late, these patients will be seen only if time allows.

A brief bio of our Dental Staff:

You may also contact us directly through private message for more information:

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