Questions Patients Ask

These are the questions patients ask Pearl32 Dentistry and Wellness by phone and in the chair, with short plain answers. The office is at 24022 Calle De La Plata, Suite 450, Laguna Hills, CA 92653, open Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Same-day emergency slots are held during those hours. We are in network with most major PPO plans and Delta Dental HMO. If your question is not here, call (949) 830-0074. More about the practice is on the about page.

Visiting the office

This group covers getting to the office and what a visit is like: hours, the address, parking, the elevator to Suite 450, the Laguna Woods Village bus, how long a first visit takes and what to bring. Address and hours are also on the contact page. Laguna Woods residents have a page of their own at Laguna Woods dentist. What a routine visit includes is described on the cleanings and exams page.

Paying for care

This group covers insurance, the membership plan and financing. We are in network with most major PPO plans and Delta Dental HMO. The membership plan covers preventive visits for a set annual fee and is a membership plan, not insurance. Third party financing is available and the practice is not the creditor, through CareCredit, Cherry, Sunbit and Happen Bank (formerly LendingClub). See the financing page. Cost is quoted in writing, itemized, after an examination.

Treatments

This group covers common treatment questions: same-day emergencies and what counts as one, how often x-rays are needed, sedation, how long a single implant takes, same-day crowns, clear aligners, teeth whitening, and care for children. Each answer links to a fuller page. The main entry points are general dentistry, implant dentistry and cosmetic dentistry. Whatever the treatment, nothing starts without a written, itemized plan you have agreed to.

Questions and answers

What are your hours?

Pearl32 Dentistry and Wellness is open Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. The office is closed on Saturday and Sunday. Same-day emergency slots are held during those same hours, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. To book a visit or ask a question, call (949) 830-0074. Hours are also listed on the contact page.

Where is the office?

The office is at 24022 Calle De La Plata, Suite 450, Laguna Hills, CA 92653. Suite 450 is reached by elevator, and the office is wheelchair accessible. Patients come from Laguna Hills and the nearby communities, including Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo and Mission Viejo. The address is also on the contact page.

Where do I park, and is there an elevator?

There is free street parking and there are free spaces behind the building. The parking structure charges, so use the street or the spaces behind the building if you want to avoid a fee. Suite 450 is reached by elevator. The office is wheelchair accessible. If you cannot find the entrance, call (949) 830-0074 from the plaza. Parking details are also on the contact page.

Does the Laguna Woods Village bus stop near the office?

Yes. The Laguna Woods Village resident bus stops at the plaza on service days. From the stop, Suite 450 is reached by elevator, and the office is wheelchair accessible. Check the Village bus schedule for the days and times that apply to your route. Our Laguna Woods dentist page has more for Village residents, including how to book by phone at (949) 830-0074.

How long does a first visit take?

About ninety minutes. That covers your medical history, digital x-rays, an examination of every tooth and the gums with a probe, a cleaning where the chart supports one, and a conversation with the images on the screen. You leave with a written, itemized plan. Nothing is done that you have not agreed to. See what a routine visit includes on the cleanings and exams page.

What should I bring to a first visit?

Bring a photo ID, your insurance card if you have one, and a list of the medications and supplements you take. If you have had x-rays at another office, bring them or ask that office to send the digital files in advance. If you want a treatment plan from another office reviewed, bring the written plan. Book by calling (949) 830-0074 or find the address on the contact page.

Do you take my dental insurance?

We are in network with most major PPO plans and Delta Dental HMO. Call (949) 830-0074 with your plan details and we check your benefits before treatment, so you know your estimated share in writing before anything starts. If your plan is not one we are in network with, we tell you that up front and explain your options, including the membership plan.

What is the membership plan?

The membership plan is for people without dental insurance. For a set annual fee it covers preventive visits. It is a membership plan, not insurance. The fee, what is included and how to join are on the membership page. Call (949) 830-0074 if you want to talk it through first, or ask about it at your first visit.

Do you offer financing?

Third party financing is available and the practice is not the creditor, through CareCredit, Cherry, Sunbit and Happen Bank (formerly LendingClub). You apply directly with the lender you choose, and the lender sets the terms. Treatment cost is quoted in writing, itemized, after an examination, so you know the figure you are financing. Details are on the financing page.

Can I get a same-day appointment for a dental emergency?

Same-day emergency slots are held Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Call (949) 830-0074 as early in the day as you can and describe what you feel. The office is closed on Saturday and Sunday. An emergency visit focuses on the tooth that hurts, with x-rays of that area and a diagnosis before any treatment. See the emergency dentist page for more.

What counts as a dental emergency?

A toothache, swelling in the gum or face, a tooth knocked out or loosened, a broken tooth with a sharp edge or exposed nerve, a lost crown or filling that leaves the tooth sensitive, and bleeding that does not stop. Swelling that affects breathing or swallowing needs an emergency room, not a dental office. If unsure, call (949) 830-0074. See our tooth pain page.

How often do I need x-rays, and are they safe?

Bitewing x-rays within the last 12 months are usually adequate for a routine visit. If you had them elsewhere, ask that office to send the digital files. Beyond that, the interval depends on your decay history and gum health. We use digital x-rays. If you have a concern about dose or you are pregnant, tell us before images are taken. See our digital x-rays page.

What sedation options do you offer?

Three: nitrous oxide, oral sedation, and IV sedation administered and monitored by a provider who holds the California permit for it. Which one fits depends on the procedure, your health history and how anxious you are, and the dentist goes through that with you before anything is scheduled. Sedation is not required for routine visits. Details are on the sedation dentistry page.

How long does a single dental implant take?

A single implant takes 16 to 28 weeks from placement to crown when there is enough bone. If bone grafting is needed first, add three to six months. The wait allows the bone to fuse to the implant before it carries a crown. We plan implants on a 3D cone beam CT scan. More on the dental implants page.

Can I really get a crown in one visit?

Most crowns, yes. We scan the tooth with a digital intraoral scanner, so there are no putty impressions, and design and mill the crown in our in-house CAD/CAM mill while you wait. Some crowns are still sent to a lab when the case calls for it, and those take two visits. The dentist tells you which applies before you start. See same-day crowns.

Do you offer clear aligners, and which brand?

Yes. Most of our aligner cases use Candid Pro. Invisalign is the brand most people know, and the idea is the same: a series of clear trays that move teeth in small steps. We scan your teeth with a digital intraoral scanner rather than taking putty impressions. Not every bite is suited to aligners, and the dentist tells you if yours is not. See clear aligners.

What teeth whitening do you offer?

We offer teeth whitening, including KoR whitening. Whitening lightens natural enamel. It does not change the color of crowns, veneers or fillings, so if you have any of those on front teeth, we talk about that before you start. Results vary with the cause of the staining, and the dentist tells you what to expect for your teeth. Read about KoR whitening.

Do you see children?

Yes. Pearl32 Dentistry and Wellness sees children and adults, so a family can be seen at one office. Routine visits for children are done by our general dentists. For complex pediatric cases, a visiting pediatric dentist comes to the office. Same-day emergency slots, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, apply to children too. See our family dentistry page.

This page is general information, not a diagnosis. What is right for you can only be decided after an examination.