Frequently
Asked
Questions

It is very important that children undergoing treatment be free of ALL symptoms of illness. We strive to keep our patients safe by having them complete a preoperative physical with their pediatrician that is reviewed by our medical team, as well as a preoperative phone call with a Registered Nurse to ensure the patient is safe to be seen at PDI by going over past and current medical history in detail. On the day of surgery, the patient will then meet with a nurse and the anesthesiologist that will be with them that day. All medications are dosed based off of the patient's weight, therefore, a current weight will also be taken on the day of surgery.

Children are referred to PDI because they require extensive treatment that cannot be performed under office sedation at their dentist.   All dental treatment performed at PDI is done under general anesthesia. We do not offer other treatment options.

PDI, which is an ambulatory surgery center, specifically designed to care for pediatric patients, treats children as young as 12 months. Patient safety is very important, which is why we have a full team of Registered Nurses, Dentists, and Anesthesiologists to care for them before, during and after surgery.  We are careful about medication delivery: All medications are dosed by the patient's weight, so a current weight will be obtained before treatment is performed. All patients are monitored one on one during the entirety of the surgery by a licensed Anesthesiologist.

Patients will not be able to eat or drink anything by mouth, including sips of water, starting at midnight the night before the surgery. It is very important that patients arrive with a completely empty stomach to ensure a safe surgery.

Please call the main office if your child eats or drinks before surgery, to appropriately assess next steps.

PDI prioritizes safety, which is why it is our policy that patients do not have signs of sickness for 3 full weeks leading up to the surgery. If your child exhibits any signs of illness, please  call the office to assess if it is appropriate for your child to been seen on their scheduled date.

Upon arriving and meeting with your child's care team, we ask that you sign a consent form, consenting to all possible dental treatments. These treatments could include white fillings, silver stainless steel crowns, or extractions. We want to make sure we treat all of the decay since your child has been referred to be treated under general anesthesia, and give them a fresh oral health start in one visit.

No, PDI does not do provide dental implants, spacers, or temporary “flippers”

It is essential to treat cavities and decay, even in baby teeth. Infection of baby teeth can extend to adult teeth if not treated early on. Infection of the teeth can also be detrimental to the health of your child, as infection and inflammation can affect other organs of the body.  Also, children with tooth pain have difficulty eating, playing, speaking and paying attention as they normally would, often causing missed school days and interrupting proper development.

PDI is a dental surgery center, and is not a regular dentists office. We treat all tooth decay under general anesthesia, and each case is assigned a Dentist, Anesthesiologist, Dental Assistant, and Registered Nurse.

Yes, stainless steel crowns are generally safe and are a common choice for pediatric dentistry. Stainless steel crowns are made from a non-reactive, biocompatible material that is safe for the body and unlikely to cause an allergic reaction.

Yes.

We do not extract wisdom teeth, treat cleft palates, perform root canals, or place veneers.

Yes, two adults at the appointments is best. Patients can be upset when they wake up, and extra help is most times necessary. In addition, we want to make sure on the car ride home, that the patient does not fall asleep in the chin-to-chest position, which creates breathing difficulties.  A second adult in the back seat with them makes this much easier.

We encourage you to find childcare. Most kids want to be with their adult upon waking up, if other children are present, it is hard to give the patient the attention they need. Attending to additional children also is challenging for the patient’s parent/adult to focus on important care instructions they will be given by the nurses and providers.  Additionally, sibling are not allowed in the Operating Room area making it difficult for the parent to accompany the patient to the OR for a comforting hand off to their treatment team.

Your child should wait at least 3 weeks after having vaccinations before having surgery with general anesthesia.

Please bring:

1. Parent/ guardian Government Issued ID
2. Patients social security numbers
3. Insurance cards for billing treatment to your carrier.
4. Extra clothes – especially bottoms, sometimes children have accidents when still sleepy after treatment.
5. Liquid children’s Tylenol for child’s comfort on the way home for long distances and to have on hand once you are home.
6. Another responsible adult to help with any siblings, help with treated child on the way home, for specials needs patients or larger patients that need an extra set of hands for safety. 

Procedure time is dependent on the extent of decay that is found in the mouth on the day of surgery. On average, time in the operating room may be 1-2 hours. Parents/guardians should be prepared to be at PDI for a 4-5 hour day as it involves check-in, pre-op discussions with nurses and providers, treatment time in the OR, recovery room time to wake up, and discharge instructions at the end when the patient is safely ready to go home.

We allow one parent/guardian to be in the room with their child while the child is falling asleep. Once the patient had fallen asleep, we require that the parent/guardian steps out into the waiting room while treatment takes place.

A parent/guardian must be on the property at all times for patient care and safety. It is important in case there is change to expected treatment, a provider needs to speak with you about care, or the nurses are ready to bring you back into the recovery room.  While It is required to stay on site, you may go outside or sit in your car as long as you are accessible by phone.

Door Dash, Uber eats, etc. are recommended food options while at PDI. You also may bring food with you as long as you ensure your child does not find and eat any before surgery.  We also ask that you consume food and beverages outside of the center as it is difficult for patients not allowed to eat waiting in the lobby for surgery. If you have another adult with you, they may leave for food as well while one adult in on site, their nearby options are Charlie’s Grill across the parking lot as well as several fast food option across the freeway by Walmart and Home Depot.

Depending on the extent of the treatment, some patients are in some discomfort for several days after the procedure. Our nurses and dentists will go over pain control and instructions in the recovery room, but in general only children's Motrin and Tylenol is necessary post procedure.

We do not prescribe medications after the procedure, however we do provide intravenous medications to help with discomfort upon going home. Children's liquid Tylenol and Motrin are recommended for use at home, and to have on hand for several-hour car rides home, in case of postoperative discomfort.

Many patients have extended drives home after the procedure. This is completely acceptable, however, if a patient has a long drive home, we request there is another adult to watch the child while driving in the car. We do not want patients to fall asleep in the chin-to-chest position in the car, as their muscles are going to be “sleepy” and it may be hard to breathe in that position.

There are no contraindications to your child being in the sun after the treatment, however, we would like the patient to rest quietly, inside on the day of surgery.

Regular care can be completed at your child's regular dentist, however, we do see special needs cases for return care if they are unable to complete regular dentist visits.

No, For patient safety, patients and their responsible adults need to have dedicated transportation.  The only rideshare exception is the transportation that Partnership Health Plan may organize for a patient and family as we have confirmation that the patient and family have safely returned to their home.

Yes, PDI is an out of network Pediatric Specialist that accepts all PPO plans and participates in a small list of Preferred Providers.

PPO vs. HMO Insurance

• With a PPO insurance policy, you can go to any doctor or hospital the is not on the “Preferred Provider List”.
• HMO Policies Require the patient to choose and see doctors on a specific list of “In Network Providers” and will not cover Out of network services.

PDI Accepts ALL PPO plans.

We are In Network with :

• Medi-Cal
• Partnership Healthplan of California
• Delta Dental Of California
• Anthem Blue Cross Dental
• DeltaCare USA

We accept all forms of payment:

• Cash
• Credit Card
• Care Credit – Financing

Most insurance plans have a deductible and copays. Our financial coordinator will help you estimate what your patient/family portion may be.

• Copy of all insurance cards, front and back
• Name and information about the person that carries the insurance
• Copy of the ID of the person carrying the insurance