Littleton Dentist Dr. Becker and her dedicated, long-term staff look forward to providing you with a pleasant visit and results that you’re proud to show off. Our Administrative Staff is ready to help you with scheduling, insurance and all financial matters. We strive to make this part of the dental process as efficient as possible for our patients. Our Clinical Staff is always eager to share information about technologies and treatments to help you maintain healthy teeth, gums and a beautiful smile.
This section provides additional information about topics of interest to many patients:
New Patient Forms
What to Expect on Your First Visit
Having your completed health history will help our office get to know a little bit about you before your visit. Please make available a list of your current medications and alert us to any health issues. Did you know your general medical physician may require you to pre-medicate for certain dental treatments? If you are currently taking blood thinners, have a medical implant, or have allergies please let our office staff know.
Our dental practice usually runs on time according to our schedule. If you are running a few minutes late, please give our office call so we can make adjustments. We love making a good first impression by running on time.
Initial dental cleaning appointments, dental prophylaxis, include a thorough exam, digital x-rays, and a consultation so we can answer any question you have about your dental health. Dr. Becker enjoys explaining treatment options, such as tooth colored resins, implant restorations, and crown and bridge. However, a complex medical history or treatment plan will require an evaluation and a second appointment to provide treatment on another day.
Please help us by providing information about your health:
A current list of medications you are taking.
Bring your dental insurance card, or the subscriber’s information — full name, SS#, date of birth and employer information.This will allow us process your claims quickly.
If your previous dentist has taken recent x-rays (within 6-months), please request that they forward them to our dental office. If they are digital x-rays, they can be easily emailed to us in jpeg format.
Scheduling
Highline Family Dentistry is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM and Friday from 8:00 AM until 12:00 noon. Because our dental hygienists are so well liked, most of our dental patients book cleanings 4 to 6 months in advance. We schedule new patient appointments as promptly as possible and place patients on a call list if we don’t currently have an opening in our schedule. If you have dental pain we will try to see you the same day. Many dental issues start slowly so give us a call before your dental pain becomes an emergency situation.
Our dental practice take pride in running on time. We try our best to minimize your time in the reception area. Please understand that Dr. Becker provides many types of dental services, and we may sometimes take longer than expected. Broken teeth and other dental emergencies can delay our office from seeing you. When necessary, our office manager or dental assistant will call you if we are running 15 minutes or more behind schedule. We thank our patients for being flexible when a true dental emergency happens. Other circumstances can lengthen the time needed for a procedure. We appreciate your understanding and patience.
Please call our Littleton Dental office at (303) 794-6800 with any appointment requests and to schedule your appointment.
Financial Policy
For your convenience, we accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover. We deliver the finest care at the most reasonable costs to our patients. If you have questions regarding your account, please contact us at (303) 794-6800. Many times, a simple telephone call will clear up any misunderstandings.
Please remember, even if your dental insurance does not pay, you are fully responsible for all fees charged by this office. Our dental office manager will make every attempt to maximize your dental insurance coverage to help pay for the dental treatment you need. Every dental insurance group has slightly different coverage, and the dental patient is ultimately responsible for the cost of his or her dental coverage.
Our dental office will mail you a monthly statement after your insurance has paid. Please call our office if your statement and EOB ( explanation of benefits ) do not reflect your insurance coverage. Any remaining balance after your insurance has paid is your responsibility. Your prompt payment is always appreciated. For larger treatment costs, we are proud to offer Care Credit. Please inquire about it at the front desk.
At this time, our dental office is in network with Delta Dental Premier. Please call to setup an appointment today.
Insurance
At Highline Family Dentistry we make every effort to provide you with quality dental care. To achieve your goal of quality dentistry at reasonable fees, we ask that you as the dental patient pay at time of service. To accomplish this we ask that you have your up to date and current dental insurance information available before your appointment. Do you have co-workers that visit our office? Our computer stores your dental insurance based on your employer group information and we may already have that information in our system.
Our office manager will work hand-in-hand with you to maximize your insurance coverage for dental procedures. Please note that most dental insurance policies have an individual maximum yearly payout. After the individual maximum dental insurance has been reached, no additional payments by your dental insurance company will be made. If you have any problems or questions, please ask our staff. They are well informed and up-to-date. They can be reached by phone at (303) 794-6800.
Infection Control
Universal precautions and infection control are extremely important for the safety of our dental patients and dental staff alike. Having a staff well trained in sterilization practices keeps everyone safe from the spread of disease and infection. Trust is the cornerstone in a good and safe dental practice. You can trust our dental team follows the latest and correct techniques in sterilization. Feel free to ask questions about this topic with Dr. Becker or a team member for a straightforward answer.
Dr. Becker and our entire team follow procedures recommended by several federal agencies: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA),. These measures include:
Disinfectant hand soap
Gloves and face masks
Chemical disinfection of countertops and surfaces
Sterilization of all equipment before every use
Disposable materials
Our dental staff sterilizes all reusable dental equipment. This also includes dental hand pieces, dental chairs, and dental tools needed to restore dental implants, dental crowns, bridges and fillings. Our office uses an autoclave on every tool that could be used in your dental treatment. This device kills bacteria and viruses by heat, pressure and steam for a measured time period.
The best defense against disease is following proper sterilization and disease control practices. The more you know, the better equipped you are to make wise decisions about your health care. The more you know about our daily sterilization procedures the more comfortable you will feel at our dental office.
Follow-Up Care Instructions
After Dental Cleanings
Experiencing sensitivity is normal for a few days after your appointment. If it has been a few year since your last dental cleaning, your gums may be sore for a few days. Warm salt water rinses (a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) three times a day will reduce pain and swelling. For most dental patients Ibuprofen (Motrin) every 3-4 hours work well and should ease any discomfort.
After Composite Fillings
Your teeth, cheeks, lips and tongue may be numb for one to two hours after your dental filling appointment. Avoid any hot drinks, chewing, or hard foods until the numbness has worn off. While your teeth and mouth are numb, it is very easy to bite or burn your tongue and cheek.
You may chew with your composite fillings as soon as the anesthetic completely wears off, since they are fully set when you leave the office.
It is normal to experience cold and pressure sensitivity after your dental filling treatment. Injection sites may also be sore. Ibuprofen (Motrin), works well to alleviate light pain and tenderness. If pressure sensitivity persists beyond a few days, or if you are having hot sensitivity, call dental our office in Littleton Colorado at (303) 794-6800.
If your bite feels uneven, if you have persistent pain, or if you have any other questions or concerns, please call our office at (303) 794-6800.
After Crown and Bridge Appointments
Crowns and bridges usually take two or three appointments to complete. In the first visit, the teeth are prepared and molds of the mouth are taken. Temporary crowns or bridges are placed to protect the teeth while the custom restoration is being made. Since the teeth will be anesthetized, the tongue, lips and roof of the mouth may be numb. Please refrain from eating and drinking hot beverages until the numbness is completely worn off.
Occasionally a temporary crown may come off because of sticky foods like candy or soft bread.. Call us at (303) 794-6800 if this happens. Many times the temporary crown just needs to be re-cemented, and this procedure is included with the fee for the new crown or bridge.It is important for the temporary crown or bridge to cover the tooth that is being worked on. It helps to prevent teeth from possibly moving and compromising the fit of your final dental work.
While in temporaries, avoid eating, soft white bread, hard bread crusts, sticky foods (gum), hard foods like nuts and popcorn when possible. For the first day or two, chew on the opposite side of your mouth if you have minor sensitively. It is important to brush normally, but floss carefully. Don’t pull up on the floss against the margin of the temporary crown or bridge. This will loosen the temporary cement holding your dental work in your mouth. Please pull the floss out from the side of the temporary crown.
It is normal to experience some temperature and pressure sensitivity after a crown prep, or dental bridge work. The sensitivity to cold and pressure should ease after a few days and may feel great right after the placement of the final restoration. Mild pain medication like Ibuprofen works well for minor dental issues.
It can take a little bit of time to adjust to your new bite after a crown, implant restoration or dental bridge. Newly positioned teeth or a change in thickness is often only different by half a millimeter, but may not feel that way to you. The occlusion of your teeth should be better than before your treatment. If your new crown feels” high”, if it feels uneven, or if your sensitivity to hot, cold or pressure increases over time, give our dental office a call for a follow up exam. If you have any other questions or concerns, please call our office at (303) 794-6800.