Dr. Carla Guzmn Stappenbeck grew up in Virginia before earning her bachelors degree from Harvard University and her Doctorate of Dental Surgery from the University of Maryland. She then obtained a certificate in pediatric dentistry from the prestigious residency program at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center where she had the opportunity to serve as chief resident. By training at one of the nations top childrens hospitals, she gained extensive experience treating people with special needs and medically compromised patients.
Dr. Carla is a board certified pediatric dentist and earned the Pugh Award for scoring in the top three percent on her board examination. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the College of Diplomates of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Dental Association, Georgia Dental Association, and the Southeastern Society of Pediatric Dentistry.
Dr. Carla enjoyed her years as an associate in private practice in Pennsylvania and is now excited to call Pooler home. She is looking forward to becoming active in the community. Along with her husband, Charles, Dr. Carla has three adorable children and two active German Shepherds.
Our office, as well as the The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Dental Association (ADA), and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) all recommend establishing a 'Dental Home' for your child by one year of age. Children who have a dental home are more likely to receive appropriate preventive and routine oral health care.
You can make the first visit to the dentist enjoyable and positive. If old enough, your child should be informed of the visit and told that the dentist and their staff will explain all procedures and answer any questions. The less to-do concerning the visit, the better.
It is best if you refrain from using words around your child that might cause unnecessary fear, such as 'needle', 'shot', 'pull', 'drill' or 'hurt'. The office makes a practice of using words that convey the same message, but are pleasant and non-frightening to the child.
Payment for professional services is due at the time dental treatment is provided. Every effort will be made to provide a treatment plan which fits your timetable and budget, and gives your child the best possible care. We accept cash, personal checks, debit cards and most major credit cards.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND that we file dental insurance as a courtesy to our patients. We do not have a contract with your insurance company, only you do. We are not responsible for how your insurance company handles its claims or for what benefits they pay on a claim. We can only assist you in estimating your portion of the cost of treatment. We at no time guarantee what your insurance will or will not do with each claim. We also can not be responsible for any errors in filing your insurance. Once again, we file claims as a courtesy to you.
You may have noticed that sometimes your dental insurer reimburses you or the dentist at a lower rate than the dentists actual fee. Frequently, insurance companies state that the reimbursement was reduced because your dentists fee has exceeded the usual, customary, or reasonable fee (UCR) used by the company.
A statement such as this gives the impression that any fee greater than the amount paid by the insurance company is unreasonable, or well above what most dentists in the area charge for a certain service. This can be very misleading and simply is not accurate.
Insurance companies set their own schedules, and each company uses a different set of fees they consider allowable. These allowable fees may vary widely, because each company collects fee information from claims it processes. The insurance company then takes this data and arbitrarily chooses a level they call the allowable UCR Fee. Frequently, this data can be three to five years old and these allowable fees are set by the insurance company so they can make a net 20%-30% profit.
Unfortunately, insurance companies imply that your dentist is overcharging, rather than say that they are underpaying, or that their benefits are low. In general, the less expensive insurance policy will use a lower usual, customary, or reasonable (UCR) figure.
Pediatric Dentist in Pooler, GA serving infants, children and teens in the surrounding cities of Savannah, Rincon, and Port Wentworth, GA. Pediatric Dental Website Designed by (a sister company of Dentists4kids.com)