Patient Rights & Responsibilities

Patient Rights & Responsibilities At Global Smiles Dental, we believe every patient deserves respectful, clear, and compassionate dental care. This page explains your rights as a patient and the responsibilities that help our team provide safe, efficient, and appropriate care. This information is intended for general patient guidance. It does not replace our Notice of Privacy Practices, financial policies, consent forms, insurance documents, or any treatment-specific instructions provided by our dental team. ## Your Rights as a Patient ### Respectful and Considerate Care You have the right to be treated with courtesy, dignity, and respect by our doctors, clinical team, front office team, and staff members. Global Smiles Dental does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, religion, language, insurance status, or any other classification protected by applicable law. ### Access to Dental Care You have the right to receive dental care in a professional setting that is focused on your oral health, comfort, and safety. Our team will make reasonable efforts to help patients schedule care, understand available appointment options, and receive treatment based on clinical needs, provider availability, office policies, and applicable laws. ### Clear Information About Your Dental Health You have the right to receive information about your oral health in a way that is understandable. This may include information about your diagnosis, recommended treatment, alternative treatment options, expected benefits, possible risks, and what may happen if treatment is delayed or declined. You are encouraged to ask questions before, during, and after treatment. ### Informed Consent You have the right to be informed before treatment is performed, except in limited circumstances where urgent action may be needed or where allowed by law. Before treatment, our team may review the purpose of the procedure, expected outcome, material risks, alternatives, estimated costs, and post-treatment instructions when applicable. ### Right to Accept or Refuse Treatment You have the right to accept, delay, or refuse recommended dental treatment after receiving information about your options. If you refuse or delay treatment, our team may explain possible risks, including worsening pain, infection, tooth loss, additional treatment needs, or other oral health complications. ### Privacy and Confidentiality You have the right to privacy regarding your dental care and protected health information. Global Smiles Dental follows applicable privacy laws and maintains safeguards to protect patient information. Our Notice of Privacy Practices explains how your health information may be used, disclosed, and protected. ### Access to Dental Records You have the right to request access to your dental records as allowed by law. This may include treatment notes, X-rays, treatment plans, and other information maintained in your patient record. Requests for copies or transfers of records may require written authorization, identity verification, and reasonable processing time. Fees may apply when permitted by law. ### Financial Transparency You have the right to receive information about estimated treatment costs, insurance estimates, payment options, and financial policies before treatment whenever reasonably possible. Insurance estimates are not a guarantee of payment. Final patient responsibility is determined by the insurance plan, coverage rules, deductible, co-pays, annual maximums, exclusions, and the treatment actually provided. ### Insurance and Payment Information You have the right to ask questions about insurance, Medicaid, financing, in-house payment options, and the Global360 dental savings plan when applicable. Our team can help verify benefits and provide estimates, but insurance companies make final coverage and payment decisions. ### Comfort and Anxiety Support You have the right to discuss dental anxiety, previous dental experiences, pain concerns, and comfort options with our team. When appropriate, our doctors may discuss options to help make treatment more comfortable. Medication options, including oral sedation when clinically appropriate, require provider evaluation and may not be suitable for every patient. ### Interpreter and Communication Support You have the right to ask for reasonable communication support if you have difficulty understanding information, forms, or treatment instructions. Global Smiles Dental has team members who may be able to assist in multiple languages depending on availability. If specific communication support is needed, please tell our team as early as possible so we can make reasonable efforts to help. ### Accessibility and Accommodations You have the right to request reasonable accommodations if you have a disability or specific accessibility need. Please notify our team before your appointment when possible so we can make reasonable efforts to support your visit. ### Emergency and Urgent Dental Needs You have the right to contact our office for dental pain, swelling, broken teeth, dental infections, or other urgent concerns. Global Smiles Dental is a dental office, not a hospital emergency department. If you are experiencing difficulty breathing or swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, severe facial swelling, trauma, chest pain, or another life-threatening emergency, call 911 or seek emergency medical care immediately. ### Minors and Legal Guardians Patients under 18 generally require involvement and consent from a parent or legal guardian, unless otherwise allowed by law. Parents and legal guardians are responsible for providing accurate information, completing required forms, consenting to care, and following office policies related to minors. ### Concerns, Questions, or Complaints You have the right to share questions, concerns, or complaints about your care or experience. We encourage patients to contact our office directly so our team can review concerns and work toward a respectful resolution when possible. ## Your Responsibilities as a Patient ### Provide Accurate Information You are responsible for providing complete and accurate information about your medical history, dental history, medications, allergies, current symptoms, insurance coverage, and any changes in your health. This information helps our doctors and team provide safe and appropriate care. ### Ask Questions You are responsible for asking questions if you do not understand your diagnosis, treatment options, risks, financial estimate, insurance information, or home-care instructions. Our team wants you to feel informed before making decisions about your care. ### Follow Treatment and Home-Care Instructions You are responsible for following instructions provided by your dental team, including medication directions, post-operative instructions, hygiene recommendations, referral instructions, and follow-up care. If you are unable or unwilling to follow a recommendation, please tell our team so we can discuss your concerns. ### Keep Appointments or Notify Us of Changes You are responsible for arriving on time for scheduled appointments and notifying our office as soon as possible if you need to cancel or reschedule. Late arrivals, missed appointments, or repeated cancellations may affect scheduling availability and treatment continuity. ### Treat Staff and Other Patients Respectfully You are responsible for treating our doctors, staff, and other patients with courtesy and respect. Threatening, abusive, discriminatory, harassing, or disruptive behavior may result in dismissal from the practice, subject to applicable laws and professional obligations. ### Follow Office Policies You are responsible for following Global Smiles Dental’s office policies, including policies related to scheduling, forms, payments, insurance, minors, safety, visitors, and communication. ### Provide Current Insurance and Payment Information You are responsible for providing current insurance information, Medicaid information, identification, and payment details when requested. You are also responsible for any balances not paid by insurance, including deductibles, co-payments, denied claims, non-covered services, and treatment not eligible under your plan. ### Understand Insurance Limitations You are responsible for understanding that insurance benefit checks are estimates only. Insurance plans may change coverage, deny claims, request additional information, or apply limitations after treatment is completed. Patient responsibility may change based on the final insurance determination. ### Maintain Communication You are responsible for keeping your contact information up to date, including your phone number, email address, mailing address, and emergency contact information when applicable. Please notify our office if your medical status, medications, insurance, or contact information changes. ### Use Medications Safely You are responsible for taking medications only as prescribed or directed and informing our team about all medications, supplements, allergies, and adverse reactions. Do not drive, operate machinery, or make important decisions after sedation or certain medications unless your dentist or physician has advised that it is safe. ### Arrange Transportation When Needed You are responsible for arranging a responsible adult driver if treatment, sedation, or medication requires it. Some procedures or medications may require transportation assistance before we can safely provide care. ### Supervise Children and Dependents Parents, guardians, and caregivers are responsible for supervising children and dependents while in the office. This helps maintain a safe and respectful environment for patients, staff, and visitors. ### Respect Privacy You are responsible for respecting the privacy of other patients. Please do not record, photograph, or share images, audio, or video inside the office without permission. ### Share Concerns Promptly You are responsible for telling our team promptly if you have pain, swelling, symptoms after treatment, concerns about healing, medication issues, billing questions, or dissatisfaction with your experience. Early communication helps us address concerns more effectively. ## Financial Responsibility Payment is expected according to office policy and any financial agreement made before treatment. Insurance may reduce your out-of-pocket cost, but it does not remove your responsibility for balances that are not paid by your insurance plan. This may include deductibles, co-payments, non-covered services, denied claims, annual maximums, waiting periods, frequency limits, or services considered elective by your plan. If you have questions about estimated costs or payment options, please speak with our team before treatment begins. ## Privacy and Records Global Smiles Dental protects patient information according to applicable privacy laws and office policies. Patients may request access to dental records as allowed by law. Requests may require verification, written authorization, and processing time. Records may be provided directly to the patient or sent to another provider when properly authorized. Our full Notice of Privacy Practices provides more detail about how patient information may be used and disclosed. ## Safety and Clinical Judgment Dental treatment recommendations are based on the dentist’s professional judgment, clinical findings, patient history, diagnostic images, patient goals, and applicable standards of care. Not every treatment is appropriate for every patient. Our doctors may decline to provide treatment that is not clinically appropriate, unsafe, outside the scope of care, or inconsistent with professional judgment. ## Changes to This Page Global Smiles Dental may update this Patient Rights & Responsibilities page from time to time to reflect changes in office policies, laws, regulations, or clinical procedures. For questions about this page, please contact our office.