Policies

SFSC’s Dental Hygiene Clinic cannot guarantee regularly scheduled periodic cleaning appointments. The clinic provides services on a term-by-term basis and should not be used as the only source of dental care.

1.	Please understand that it takes time for beginning students to perfect their skills and instructors to check and grade these skills. What seems like a simple procedure in a dental office may require several hours and several appointments in an educational setting. Plan to stay for your entire appointment, which is usually 2 1/2 hours, unless arrangements have been made with the student for shorter appointments.
2.	Appointment cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance. Patients who are more than 15 minutes later, from whom no notice has been received, will be cancelled automatically and another patient called to fill their remaining appointment time. A patient who fails to show for two appointments without adequate notice or cancels twice within an appointment series will no longer be eligible for treatment at this clinic; no money will be refunded. (Please do not disappoint a student by not keeping an appointment or by being late. Students have requirements that must be met to pass this course. If you fail to show for an appointment, you jeopardize the student’s grade.)
3.	Patients under 18 years of age must have a parent or guardian present for every appointment to give written consent for treatment or to complete medical/dental history. Non-patients (parents, guardians, translators, etc.) are not permitted in the clinic operatory during the treatment phase of the patient. (Do not bring infants or small children to the clinic and expect to leave them in the reception area unattended or take them to the chair with you. The student cannot provide optimum treatment if they are distracted, and you cannot relax if you are worried about your child.)
4.	Since the Dental Education Center is our classroom, we follow classroom policy that all cell phones must be turned off before entering the clinic. (Patients may be reached by calling the center’s phone at 863-784-7020 should an emergency occur.)
5.	Please do not ask us to make a final diagnosis of any condition we see that needs the attention of a dentist. We will make you aware of these conditions and provide you with a letter describing the areas that need a dentist’s evaluation and treatment.
6.	Payment is expected on the first appointment of each scheduled series. The Dental Education Center accepts cash or check. If payment is not received by the beginning of the third appointment, treatment will not be permitted until your account is balanced. (Although our services are considerably less expensive than dental offices, our supplies are not; therefore, we must insist on timely payment for each appointment series.)
7.	It is the patient’s responsibility to contact the Dental Hygiene Clinic at the time a cleaning is needed.