Frequently asked questions

Book online at any time, or call us at (312) 858-7067 during opening hours. If you’d like to ask something first, call, and we’ll talk it through.

Yes. Book online or call us, and tell us it’s your first visit, so we leave time to get to know you. If it’s been a while since you saw a dentist, come anyway. We’ll start where you are.

At 1009 W Webster Ave, Chicago, IL 60614, in Lincoln Park, across Webster Avenue from St. Vincent de Paul Church, near DePaul’s campus, with street parking nearby.

Monday to Thursday, 9 AM to 5 PM, and Friday, 9 AM to 3 PM. We’re closed on weekends.

Yes, there’s street parking nearby, and plenty of places to eat if you’d like lunch after.

Yes. We see children as well as adults, so the whole family can come to one practice, and we explain things to them as we go.

Usually an exam, digital X-rays, an oral cancer screening and a cleaning, and time to talk about what you’d like to change. We show you what we found and explain your options and the cost before anything is booked, so you leave knowing where you stand, with no pressure to decide that day.

Your dental insurance details if you have them, a photo ID, a list of any medications you take, and recent X-rays from another dentist if you have them.

Tell us when you book, and we’ll plan for it. Many of our patients came to us after years of dreading the dentist. We explain everything as we go, work at your pace, and you can ask us to pause at any time. Our rooms don’t look like a typical dental office, which many nervous patients tell us helps.

Very likely. We accept plans from Aetna, Ameritas, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Delta Dental, Guardian, Humana, Lincoln Financial, MetLife, Principal and UnitedHealthcare. If yours isn’t listed, call us, and we’ll tell you how it works at Pearl.

Usually not. Whitening, cosmetic veneers and bonding are typically paid for by you, though part of a treatment that also repairs a tooth may be covered. Either way, you’ll hear the full cost and your options before you decide.

Usually, yes, for dental treatment, though not for purely cosmetic work.

Every six months for most people. If you’ve had gum disease, or tartar builds up quickly, every three or four months may be better. Regular visits catch problems while the fix is still small, quick and less costly.

Yes. Every filling at Pearl is matched to the shade of your tooth and shaped to it, so it blends in with the tooth around it. Even a small filling is done with how it looks in mind.

Often 10 to 15 years, and many last longer with good care, regular checkups and a night guard if you grind your teeth. You’ll live with them for a decade or more, so we take the design slowly, until they look like you.

It depends on how far your teeth need to move. Small corrections can take about six months, and many adults finish in 12 to 18 months. You’ll see your own timeline after your scan, before you decide, and the aligners come out to eat, so daily life carries on.

It can, for a day or two, and then it passes. A sensitivity toothpaste in the days before helps, and if your teeth are already sensitive, tell us, and we’ll plan around it.

Yes. Botox to soften lines such as crow’s feet, fillers to restore volume, and the lip flip, kept subtle so you still look like yourself.

Usually about three to four months, sometimes longer with regular treatment. It wears off gradually, so your face eases back rather than changing overnight.

Usually within a few days, with the full effect at about two weeks. If you have an event coming up, book a couple of weeks ahead.

A few small units of Botox along the upper lip, so it turns slightly outward and shows a little more when you smile, without filler. It’s a subtle change, and it usually lasts about two to three months.