Public >> Patient Expectations: Dental Do’s and Don’ts

Patient Expectations: Dental Do’s and Don’ts

Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM) is committed to working with you to meet your oral health care needs. Our dedicated students, residents, faculty, and staff look forward to partnering with you toward bettering your dental health and our educational mission. Our goal is for you to have the same care and attention we would want for our families and ourselves. This document explains how you can expect to be treated as well as what we need from you to care for you better.

Do's

  • Do come prepared. Carefully review the documents contained in your New Patient Welcome Packet.
  • Do be punctual. If you are more than 15 minutes late, it will be considered a missed appointment, and you will need to reschedule.
  • Do keep your appointments. If you need to cancel, please call us at least 24 hours before your appointment. If you miss three appointments within one year without proper notification, we will discontinue you as a patient.
  • Do silence cell phones and other electronic devices. Any device that produces audible sound is prohibited in the waiting and treatment areas.
  • Do follow the instructions of staff and care providers. Please follow staff instructions while in the waiting area and care provider’s instructions while in the treatment area. This ensures our clinic operates safely and efficiently for all.
  • Do respect staff, care providers, and other patients. Patients who exhibit threatening or violent behavior or damage TUSDM property will be dismissed and may be reported to the Tufts University Campus Police.

Don'ts

  • Don’t invite guests into the treatment area. Guests include friends and family (including children).
  • Don’t leave children unattended in the waiting area. If you, the patient, bring children to your appointment, they must be supervised in the waiting area by someone other than yourself.
  • Don’t take photos or record audio and/or video in the waiting or treatment areas. Please respect the privacy of staff, care providers, and fellow patients. Any violation of privacy laws poses serious ethical, legal, and financial risks to TUSDM.
  • Don’t bring food or beverages into the treatment area. Due to strict sanitary conditions, consuming food or beverages in the treatment area is prohibited.
  • Don’t bring pets. Due to strict sanitary conditions, and the safety and wellbeing of staff, care providers, and fellow patients, pets are prohibited in TUSDM (per law, we welcome service animals).

Any patient who disrupts the clinic environment will receive a series of warnings before we will discontinue or dismiss him or her as a patient. Reasons for discontinuing or dismissing a patient include causing disruptions that:

  • affect the flow of scheduled appointments and critical care;
  • affect our ability to provide care to patients or instructions to students and residents (e.g., the inability to pay for services or agree to the minimum recommended treatment plan); or
  • threaten the safety and wellbeing of staff, care providers, and other patients.

Thank you for partnering with us as we work toward a better oral health for all. For questions, comments, or concerns, e-mail the Associate Director of Patient Relations at patientrelations@tufts.edu.