Tips for Your First Visit

Tips and helpful information for your first visit

Thank you for choosing Inside the Smile, your partner in dental health! On your first visit, you’ll find us conveniently located at 5669 95th Street, Oak Lawn, IL 60453. You may pass by our office on your daily routine, and may not realize our entrance is in back.  Visit our Contact Us page for a map of our location. As in most healthcare visits, the first thing you’ll do when you arrive for your first visit is to complete our Health History Form, general information and review our Privacy Policy.

The rising cost of healthcare

We’re sensitive to the increasing cost of healthcare, and do everything we can to keep our charges within your budget.  We tailor your treatment plan accordingly, helping your to prioritize the most crucial treatment first.  At Inside the Smile, you have options.

For Uninsured Patients

Payment is due in full on the date of treatment for regular cleanings, check-ups and minor restorations.  For major restorations, half of the total payment is due on the date of your first treatment, and the balance is due in full on the final day of treatment.

Visa, MasterCard and Discover are accepted

We offer a flexible payment policy, and accept most major credit cards, Visa, Discover, and MasterCard. For your convenience, you may authorize us to automatically charge your monthly payment to your credit card, and never worry about late payments again.  For qualifying patients, we offer payment plans in advance of treatment.  We’ll explain details of our payment plans at your first visit, and you’ll get an estimate of treatment cost.  No surprises at Inside the Smile.

Our Missed Appointment Policy

After 60 years serving Oak Lawn, we have a large extended patient family. Therefore, every appointment is important, and timed to your specific treatment needs. Your on-time arrival for your appointment is important.  If you arrive more than 20 minutes late, we may need to reschedule your appointment. We offer flexible appointment scheduling, and Sherri will help you arrange visits for your whole family within the same time frame. Unfortunately however, due to the demand on our schedule, we must enforce charges for missed, cancelled and rescheduled appointments with less than 24 hours’ notice.  These charges are enforced according to the following guide. $50 charge for appointments with Dr. Smith or an ITS hygienist. If your appointment is scheduled for more than 30 minutes, this charge applies to every half hour. Saturday appointments are in great demand, so penalties are higher for failing to notify us of a change in your schedule.  Please call to cancel or reschedule your Saturday appointment at least 48 hours in advance or the following charges apply. $60 charge for appointments with Dr. Smith or an ITS hygienist with less than 24 hours notification. If your appointment with Dr. Smith is scheduled for more than 30 minutes, this charge applies to each half hour of your appointment.