Every dental office makes choices about how it runs: how long appointments are, which hours it keeps, what it does itself and what it sends out, and how it gets paid. We’d rather you know them before you come in than find out afterward. Here they are, with the reasons.
At a glance
- An independent, privately owned family practice, here since 1968. Not corporate, and one location.
- Two doctors, Dr. Sandquist and Dr. Lee-Mirzayan, so you see the same people year after year.
- Long appointments: an hour for exams and cleanings, 60 to 90 minutes for a first visit.
- Open Monday through Thursday, starting at 7am. No evenings or weekends.
- Diagnosis, planning and the work that gets built are done here. Root canals and surgery go to specialists we trust, and we stay in charge of the plan.
- We’re not in any insurance network, but most PPO plans still pay you back for care here.
Comprehensive doesn’t mean more dentistry
We look at the whole mouth and ask why a problem is there before we fix it. People sometimes hear that and assume it means bigger treatment plans. Usually it’s the opposite. When a simple fix will hold, that’s what we recommend: a filling instead of a crown, bonding instead of veneers, or sometimes moving the teeth first so nothing has to be added at all. And for a lot of people, the honest answer after the exam is just to keep up with regular cleanings.
What our exam checks, step by step. Crown or filling? How we decide. Bonding vs. veneers, and when you need neither.
Longer visits, the same doctors
A regular exam and cleaning here takes an hour. A first visit takes 60 to 90 minutes, because we’d rather understand what’s going on, what’s bothering you and what you’re hoping for before anyone talks about treatment. What your first visit looks like.
There are two doctors. Dr. Douglas Sandquist has practiced here since 1998, in the office his father, Dr. David B. Sandquist, opened in 1968. Dr. Jeannie Lee-Mirzayan does myofunctional therapy, buccal massage and Invisalign. You won’t be handed to whoever is free that day, and the person who planned your treatment is the one who sees it through. Meet our team.
Our hours
| Monday and Tuesday | 7am to 12pm, 1pm to 5pm |
| Wednesday | 7am to 12pm, 1pm to 3pm |
| Thursday | 7am to 12pm, 1pm to 4pm |
| Friday to Sunday | Closed |
We don’t have evening or weekend hours, and we’re at one location. The early start is the trade: a 7am appointment is often done before a workday begins. If you’re in pain while we’re open, call. We’ll get you seen quickly, often the same day, including if you’re new to us. What to do in a dental emergency, including after hours.
What we do here, and what we refer
We’re general dentists, and we do most of the work ourselves. Some procedures are better done by specialists who do them every day, in offices built for them. We don’t do the easy ones and refer the hard ones, because a case that looks routine on an X-ray can turn out not to be, and you often can’t tell which until you’re in the middle of it.
| Done here | Referred to a specialist | |
|---|---|---|
| Exams and cleanings | Exams, records and X-rays, cleanings, deep cleanings | Advanced gum disease and gum grafts, to a periodontist |
| Fixing teeth | Fillings, crowns, onlays, bonding, veneers, whitening | Root canals, to an endodontist |
| Replacing teeth | Implant crowns, bridges, dentures, full-arch restorations | Implant placement and bone grafting, to a periodontist or oral surgeon |
| Extractions | Now and then, a tooth that should come out easily, in a healthy patient | Most extractions, all surgical ones and wisdom teeth, to an oral surgeon or periodontist |
| Straightening | Invisalign | Cases aligners aren’t suited to, which can need braces or an orthodontist |
| Jaw, bite and breathing | TMJ care, night guards and orthotics, Botox for clenching, myofunctional therapy, laser soft tissue procedures |
A referral doesn’t mean you’re on your own. We make the diagnosis, plan the case together with the specialist, and our team handles the referral and schedules the appointment for you. Once you’ve healed, your care comes back here, and we build whatever the specialist’s work was for. The specialist sets and bills their own fee, and we’d rather you see the whole cost of a case at the start, not just our part of it.
Why every root canal goes to an endodontist. Why Dr. Sandquist stopped placing implants himself. How surgery referrals work.
How paying for care works
We’re not in any insurance network. That changes one thing for most people: you pay at the time of your visit, we file the claim for you, and your insurer pays you back directly. PPO, indemnity and point-of-service plans all do this. DHMO, EPO and discount plans and Medicaid generally don’t, so it’s worth one call to the number on your card before you come in. Can I use my dental insurance here?
Our fees are our standard fees, not a network’s discounted rate. Staying out of networks is also what lets us keep appointments an hour long and plan treatment around your mouth instead of around a benefit year. To help with the cost:
- The Optimal Dental Health Program. Prepay a year of cleanings, exams and X-rays at a reduced fee, plus 10% off most treatment. How it works.
- 5% off for paying in full up front, on treatment plans of $1,000 or more.
- Financing through CareCredit or Cherry, if you’d rather spread it out.
- Phased treatment. Larger cases can be done in stages, sometimes over years, to fit your budget.
On a fixed income? What your options really are.
Good to know before you schedule
- A card is needed to schedule online.
- Appointments missed, or cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice, are charged a $75 fee.
- The office is wheelchair accessible, with a ground-floor entrance and parking in front.
- Not sure we’re the right fit? Call 702-734-0776 and ask. Nobody will push you onto the schedule.
Who we’re a good fit for
People who want to understand what’s going on before deciding anything. People who want the same doctor over the years. People who haven’t been to a dentist in a while, or whose teeth keep chipping, wearing or breaking and want to know why. And people who just want a thorough checkup and a good cleaning.
Call 702-734-0776 or tell us what’s going on.