Common Questions

He is a caring person who is passionate about dentistry and someone who will listen, explain procedures, and put you at ease immediately.  He is committed to providing each patient with quality and thorough dental health care.  Your resulting smile will reflect excellence in both the areas of dental health and cosmetic artistry.  Dr. Oshins is committed to a “state of the art” approach in quality dental care and continually updates his knowledge and skills by participating in national courses given by the best leaders in the field.

• * Professional, kind and caring staff
• * Convenient office hours and parking
• * Emergencies seen the same day
• * Dr. Oshins and his staff are happy to take the time to answer all your questions and   provide you the most up-to-date dental care information.

Yes, we love referrals.  Referring family members or friends is the highest compliment you can give us.  After visiting our office or experiencing an initial exam, we feel confident that you’ll want to spread the word that our office is the place to be for quality dental care.  Ask us about the special perks you’ll receive when sharing the great news of our office’s commitment to oral health with your family and friends.

We have several payment methods available to ensure that your dentistry is affordable.  We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. If you feel more comfortable making monthly payments, we offer low or no interest financing through Care Credit.  If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call our office, or you can apply on line at www.carecredit.com.

We do accept all insurances, but we are not a participating provider with all insurance carriers.  We will be happy to process all paperwork on your behalf and pre-authorize services after you have your initial exam and x-rays with Dr. Oshins so there will be no surprises.  At the time of service you will be responsible for your copay and any differences between our charges and your insurance company’s allowable amount for those carriers where we are not a participating provider.

Certain insurance carriers will not reimburse us directly if we do not participate.  If that is the case, you will be responsible for the charges at the time of service and your insurance will reimburse you directly.

There are many products and procedures available to whiten your smile.  Before you purchase any number of the tooth whitening products in the store or online, it is important to understand what is causing your teeth to stain, the risks, as well as the benefits to whitening your teeth.  There are a number of procedures available to help whiten your smile.

Find the answer at www.ada.org/public/topics/whitening_faq.asp

Find the answer at www.ada.org/public/topics/xrays_faq.asp

It is recommended by the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Dentists and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists that your child’s first dental visit should take place at around 12 months of age or shortly thereafter the eruption of the first baby tooth.  We typically have patients bring their child in between the ages of one and two.  It is a good way to slowly introduce dentistry so your child has a positive experience.  Early visits also give us the opportunity to detect any problems and to prevent potential problems in the future.

Visit http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/dental_care/hic_dental_care_in_infants.aspx

Sealants are a thin, plastic coating that are meticulously placed on the chewing surfaces of teeth – usually the back teeth (the pre-molars and molars) – to prevent tooth decay.  The liquid sealant quickly bonds into the depressions and grooves of the teeth forming a protective shield over the enamel of each tooth.           

Typically, children should get sealants on their permanent molars and pre-molars as soon as these teeth come in.  In this way, the dental sealants can protect the teeth through the cavity prone years of ages 6 to 14.  However, adults without decay or fillings in their molars can also benefit from sealants.

Well placed sealants can protect the teeth from decay for many years.  They do need to be checked for chipping or wearing at regular dental check ups.

Brushing our teeth removes food particles, plaque, and bacteria from all tooth surfaces, except in between the teeth.  Unfortunately, our toothbrush can’t reach these areas that are highly susceptible to decay and periodontal (gum) disease.

Daily flossing is the best way to clean between the teeth and under the gumline.  Flossing not only helps clean these spaces, it disrupts plaque colonies from building up, preventing damage to the gums, teeth, and bone.

Plaque is a sticky, almost invisible film that forms on the teeth.  It is a growing colony of living bacteria, food debris, and saliva.  The bacteria produce toxins (acids) that cause cavities and irritate and inflame the gums.  Also, when plaque is not removed above and below the gumline, it hardens and turns into calculus (tartar).  This will further irritate and inflame the gums and also slowly destroy the bone.  This is the beginning of periodontal disease.

How to floss properly:

• • Take 12-16 inches (30-40cm) of dental floss and wrap it around your middle fingers, leaving about 2 inches (5cm) of floss between the hands.
• • Using your thumbs and forefingers to guide the floss, gently insert the floss between teeth using a sawing motion.
• • Curve the floss into a “C” shape around each tooth and under the gumline. Gently move the floss up and down, cleaning the side of each tooth.

Floss holders are recommended if you have difficulty using conventional floss.

Daily flossing will help you keep a healthy, beautiful smile for life!

Find the answer at www.ada.org/public/topics/srays_faq.asp

Visit http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/dental_care/hic_frequently_asked_dental_questions.aspx

Dental implants are artificial tooth roots.  Implants provide a strong foundation for fixed (permanent) or removable replacement teeth that are made to match your natural teeth. 

For more information visit http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/dental_care/hic_dental_implants.

Call our office telephone number (518)356-5635 at any time.  If the office is closed, you will be directed through some prompts allowing Dr. Oshins to be personally paged to call you back.

We appreciate as much notice as possible for appointment cancellations.  A minimum of 2 business days is requested.  Our office hours are as follows:  Monday/Tuesday, 11:00am to 7:00pm, closed between 3:00p and 4:00p for lunch; Wednesday/Thursday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, closed between 1:00p and 2:00p for lunch; closed on Fridays. (For example, please call by noon Thursday to cancel or change a Monday appointment.)