New Patient
Policy

10/29/10 .... Sorry, As always we still take very few new patients and then only relatives or close personal friends of our existing patients. And even then, only those that have kept up their regular dental appointments in the past. 11/3/10 ... We are now booking in mid January for any appointments longer than an hour.

I have no plans to ever retire, health permitting, But don't want to get burnt out either...... That is why we don't ever have an address or phone # on our sites.

We will never put a new high dollar cosmetic, etc. case ahead of one of our long time regulars! It is our regulars that made us busy in the beginning and they have always been and always will be our primary responsibility! Around 3,000 of them in the computer.

I have told perspective patients for over 30 years now ... "If you don't care as much about your teeth as we do ... You need to find a dentist that thinks as little of your teeth as you do!" ... This is an original Doc Hemp Quote.

I enjoy dentistry and our patients very much ... I have preferred to walk not run through my career .... We now work about 4 shortened days per week and only 3 1/2 days during the summer with no goal to ever end it as long as I feel well & am able to work. We take plenty of time to do what ever ... and we are always sure that all concerned are relaxed, laughing, & comfortable.

We are and always have been a fee for service office, we are not signed up with ANY insurance company, but accept & bill all non HMO insurances for our patients. About 70% of our patients have no insurance at all. I am extremely conservative in my approach to dentistry and look for reasons not to drill instead of reasons to drill! What God gave us is way better than anything even the best of us can replace! (Even me! grin).

In our office we don't take ourselves seriously at all ... we are a solid cohesive unit ... have a LOT OF FUN! Our average employee has been with us for over 30 yrs. I think that when the patient & dentist are totally relaxed is when the best work can be done! I find it very hard to fire a patient with a great sense of humor.
Our office is the conservative dental version of "Click & Clack"

Cheers,
Doc Hemp & Staff.

P.S. ... Oh and AS A RULE .. Never pick a dentist from the internet (me included) or off the biggest ads in the paper or phone book! Or the ones running the ads on T.V. to keep busy! Ask around and get a few names of dentists from your friends .. and you can always go in and ask for a referal from a local CONSERVATIVE Periodontist (gum gardener) that is still into saving teeth as long as possible! Not one of the newer aggressive types that are more into extracting many saveable teeth themselves and placing implants immediately or as soon as possible and pressuring you into taking out a second on your home then and there!

We do do implants but are very conservative and I wait 6 months on the lower and 10 months on the uppers before actually allowing the patient to chew on them. And only place them where there is plenty of bone or where we have waited a significant amount of time to see if bone grafting has worked before placing an implant. Maybe an old fashioned approach but it works VERY VERY well! I also don't believe implants in the upper sinuses are worth the risk or have a good percentage of working out for any extended period of time.

If someone asks me for a second opinion I usually say ... Okay .. You're UGLY TOO! .. Needless to say ... I don't often get asked to give second opinions! ;>)