Frequently asked questions

Yes! We usually offer same-day emergency dental care on the Upper West Side, including evenings, weekends, and most holidays. Call 212-579-8885 to speak with our team and schedule a visit right away.

Yes, our office is open Saturdays, Sundays, and most holidays for emergency dental care. Same or next-day visits are often available. We’re also open for appointments until 8pm during the week. We know that dental problems don’t follow a 9–5 schedule.

We welcome people without insurance and offer pay-over-time options. For many urgent issues, getting care right away can prevent more costly treatment later. We’ll talk you through your options so you can make an informed decision. Our new patient special is $199 for a problem-focused exam and x-rays to diagnose the issue. Treatment is additional.

A dental emergency is any issue involving your teeth, gums, or jaw that causes pain, swelling, bleeding, or puts your oral health at risk if it’s not treated promptly. You can learn more on our blog here.

Common dental emergencies include toothaches, infections or abscesses, broken or cracked teeth, swollen or bleeding gums, lost fillings or crowns, loose or missing veneers, dental trauma from accidents or falls, and knocked-out or loosened teeth. Sudden jaw pain, facial swelling, or signs of infection like fever or pus should also be treated urgently.

Not every dental problem feels like an emergency at first, but even mild discomfort can signal something more serious beneath the surface. If you’re unsure whether your situation counts as an emergency, it’s always better to reach out. Our team can help assess your symptoms and let you know how quickly you should be seen.

Yes, we provide personalized care for everything from small cavities to more advanced decay. Our tooth-colored fillings are strong, natural-looking, and mercury-free.

Yes. Our team is trained to provide gentle, supportive care for people who feel nervous at the dentist. We also offer nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and other comfort options to help you feel at ease

Most people benefit from a dental cleaning and exam every six months. If you have a history of gum disease or other concerns, we may recommend more frequent visits to maintain your oral health.

A dental wellness visit is a preventive checkup that includes a professional cleaning, a comprehensive exam, and any necessary X-rays. At CPW Dentistry, we use this time to check for cavities, gum disease, oral cancer, and other signs of trouble so we can catch problems early and keep your teeth and gums healthy.

At least once a year. The health of your mouth can change in a short amount of time, so we want to be able to catch problems while they’re small, to save you unnecessary expense.

In order to prevent dental problems, your child should see a dentist when the first tooth appears, or no later than his/her first birthday.

Before your baby’s teeth come in, you can use a piece of gauze moistened with water to remove plaque from teeth and gums. Once your baby has several teeth, you could use a baby toothbrush with a small head and a tiny amount of toothpaste.

Bleaching procedures can change your natural tooth color by removing both deep and surface stains. In-office (chairside) whitening and at-home (tray) whitening both rely on bleaching. A light-activated whitening session in a dentist’s office, sometimes called chairside bleaching, can result in instantly and often dramatically whiter teeth. However, after a year or so of eating and drinking normally (coffee, tea, soft drinks), your teeth become slightly discolored again and develop new stains. A custom made tray created by your dental hygienist, known as in-home bleaching is typically worn for several hours a day or overnight for two weeks. When you notice new staining, you can wear your trays again to take the stains off and achieve your desired shade. When in-office whitening is done at our office, we also make you complimentary custom made trays to allow for such touch-ups. Everyone responds differently to different whitening procedures, but be aware: clean teeth will always whiten better. Some people respond well to whitening procedures, while people with gray teeth or other severe discoloration may require porcelain veneers or bonding to achieve the goals desired. Your dentist and dental hygienist can determine what’s right for you.

Sealants are a thin coating painted on the chewing surfaces of teeth to prevent tooth decay. The painted on sealant quickly bonds into grooves of the teeth, forming a protective shield over the enamel. Dental sealants are beneficial for all ages! Ideally, children should have sealants done on their permanent molars and premolars as soon as they come in. However, adults without decay or fillings in their molars can also benefit from sealants.Typically, sealants can last up to 10 years, but they need to be checked for signs of wear at your dental check-ups. Your dental hygienist can replace sealants as necessary. Keep in mind that it is still possible for decay to get under a sealant that wears out, so it’s important to have regular x-rays taken to help your dentist examine these areas.

We have digital x-ray machines that limit the radiation beam to the small area being x-rayed. Digital x-rays have 17 times less radiation than traditional film x-rays. It’s important to have regular check-up x-rays to allow your dentist to detect disease and other conditions much sooner than by examination alone. These are usually taken once a year unless there’s a specific issue we’re monitoring.

Our new patient special is $450 for your first visit, which includes a cleaning, full set of x-rays, comprehensive exam, oral cancer screening, and fluoride treatment.

Most of general dentists are in-network with Delta Dental Premier, Cigna PPO, Aetna PPO, United Concordia Elite, and Premera Blue Cross plans. Effective March 15th, 2024 we are no longer scheduling new patients with Delta Dental plans. We also accept most major PPO plans like MetLife and Guardian. If you have any questions about your plan, we are happy to do a complimentary benefits check for you and let you know all about your coverage.

PPO stands for Preferred Provider Organization. HMO stands for Health Maintenance Organization. Our office works with all types of PPO insurances because these plans allow you the freedom to choose any provider you’d like to see, whether they are in or out of network. We are in-network with many PPO plans.

We are not in-network with any HMO or DMO plans. These plans require that you choose an in-network dentist from a list of providers, and then see that specific provider for all your care. That’s because HMO/DMO dentists receive a check each month based on the number of patients assigned to him or her. HMO/DMO providers can be expected to perform services for a deeply discounted rate. On the other hand, PPO dentists only receive money from the insurance company if services are rendered.

Usually, patients who have an HMO/DMO plan will notice their choice of dentists is quite limited because fewer offices opt to participate in this kind of plan. However, out of pocket costs are generally lower with HMO/DMO plans than PPO plans, and have fixed co-payments. Having a PPO plan allows you to access a larger number of dentists providing higher quality care, but sometimes at a greater out-of-pocket cost. Additionally, if you have a PPO plan you can see a specialist without a referral, but if you have an HMO/DMO plan you usually need to obtain a referral before seeing a specialist.

Absolutely. However, even though you may have two dental benefit plans, there is no guarantee that both plans will pay for your services. Some secondary plans will not pay until you have exhausted the entire maximum of your primary coverage. In most cases, even if both plans pay, the payments from all insurers will not add up to more than the total charges.

Yes. Unlike traditional insurance, dental benefits are not meant to cover all oral healthcare needs. The dental policy is simply a benefit to offset a portion of your cost of care. Your dental coverage is not based on what you need or what your dentist recommends. It is based on how much your employer pays into the plan. Our office will file claims and estimate your coverage for you, but if the insurance company declines to pay, any portion of the bill not covered by insurance is your responsibility. Luckily, our office provides some of the most flexible payment options around to help you manage any out-of-pocket expenses.

Sometimes, in order to control costs, insurance companies may reduce your benefits using the following methods:

• bundling: two different procedures were performed on the same tooth, but the insurance company combines it into one procedure
• downcoding: the dental plan changes the procedure code to a less complex or lower cost procedure than was actually performed (for example, a white filling was performed but they changed the code to a silver filling)
• least expensive alternative treatment: if there is more than one way to treat a condition, the plan will pay only for the least expensive treatment. For example, your dentist recommended an implant, but the plan may only cover less costly dentures.
• delaying payment: the insurance company may not pay your claim for many months, and ask for additional information multiple times
• not medically necessary: the insurance company may deny payment stating that they did not receive enough proof of necessity. You can appeal this process with a letter from your dentist, including supporting photos and x-rays to explain the treatment decision.

A dental plan may not cover conditions that existed before you enrolled in the plan. For example, benefits will not be paid for replacing a tooth that was missing before the effective date of coverage. Even though your plan may not cover certain conditions, you may still need the treatment to keep your mouth healthy.

A dental plan may limit the number of times it will pay for a certain treatment. But some patients may need a treatment more often to maintain good oral health. For example, one plan may cover dental wellness or gum therapy visits twice a year, while another allows four times a year. If a patient needs a dental wellness or gum care visit four times a year, but their plan only covers cleanings or gum care twice a year, the other two would be out-of-pocket. It’s important to make treatment decisions based on what’s best for your health, not just by what is covered in your plan.

A waiting period may be imposed if you have a new plan, for some or all dental services. This means you and your employer must pay premiums for a period of months (usually 6 to 12 months) before you can utilize your benefits.

Yes, plans can and do change. Even though you may have the same insurance, your employer may opt to change the level of coverage at any time, which could improve or reduce your covered benefits. It is very important that you let us know if your plan changes, or if you get a new insurance card, so that we can update our records.

CPW Dentistry was founded by Dr. John Lhota in 1998 and has grown into a trusted neighborhood practice with a talented team of doctors and specialists. We remain locally owned and focused on delivering exceptional care with a personal touch.

You’ll find us at 1881 Broadway between 62nd and 63rd Streets, on the 4th floor. We’re just steps from Columbus Circle, Lincoln Center, and multiple subway lines, making it easy to get here from anywhere in NYC.

A photo ID, a dental insurance card if you have one, and a form of payment.

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We’d be happy to schedule a consultation with any of our specialists to discuss your treatment goals or concerns.

Yes! Visit our book an appointment page.

Yes, we are happy to see children for routine care. If a child is especially nervous or has complex treatment requirements, a referral to a pediatric specialist may be best for them. We work with wonderful pediatric offices nearby and can provide a referral if required.

In order to ensure that all of our patients have the time and attention they deserve and don’t have to wait, we are unable to accommodate walk-ins. We do usually have a few same day appointments available, so don’t hesitate to call us and see if we can accommodate you.

We aren’t a 24 hour office. We do have early morning, late evening, and weekend appointments available – even on holidays! This way we can fit New Yorkers’ busy schedules and accommodate dental emergencies.

Our providers reserve each appointment just for you, and we don’t overbook. We request that you let us know 48 hours in advance if you’ll need to cancel or reschedule your appointment. In the event that you have to cancel your appointment short notice, a broken appointment fee of $75 per hour of time reserved is collected and donated to the charity of your choice (options include St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Doctors Without Borders, and the ASPCA). Of course, we understand that life happens, and emergency circumstances do occur, but please notify us as soon as you know you are unable to make it so that we can offer the time reserved for you to another patient in need.