Cambridge Pediatric Dental Associates

Board certification is published for some, and only these: Dr. Ramya Rao is described as "a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist, a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry." Dr. Fatima Aziz "is certified with the American Board of Pediatric Dentists." Dr. Margherita Santoro is "a Board Certified Orthodontist who has been practicing Orthodontics since 1992." Dr. Lily Razavi, Dr. Shankar Rengasamy Venugopalan and Dr. Alyssa Kotin are each described as a board certified Orthodontist. No board certification is published for Dr. McEachern, Dr. Anderson or Dr. Ghattas, so none should be stated for them.

History, quoted: "In 1970, Dr. George McEachern established the first dental practice in Cambridge dedicated solely to the treatment of children." The history page notes Dr. Aziz was mentored by him and that Drs. Aziz and Rao worked seven years under his mentorship prior to his retirement.

The doctors page states the team "have all received advanced training in pediatric dentistry or orthodontics." The website publishes no license numbers, no fees or rates, and does not list which doctor is available on a given day. Contact the office on 617.491.1161.

The practice describes itself as serving "the pediatric dental and orthodontic needs of children and adolescent families of Cambridge, Arlington, Somerville, Medford, Lexington, Belmont, Watertown, Boston and surrounding areas for over fifty years."

The website does not publish any price, prices, pricing, cost, rates or fees for these services, and it does not offer an online quote or estimate tool. It does not say which services are appropriate for a particular child, nor does it describe outcomes of any treatment. Anyone who needs the cost of a service, or wants an appointment, should contact the office directly by phone on 617.491.1161 or by email at info@cambridgepediatricdental.com. The site's own disclaimer states: "The information presented here is not intended or implied to be medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It should be used for informational purposes only."

That is the full extent of what is published about money. The website lists no price, prices, pricing, cost, rates or fees for any exam, cleaning, filling, crown, extraction, mouthguard, braces or Invisalign. There is no fee schedule, no payment plan terms, no financing provider named, and no online quote or estimate.

Critically, the site does not name a single insurance carrier or plan and does not say the practice is in-network with any insurer. "Most insurance plans" is the only wording published, so whether a particular family's plan is accepted, and what it covers, has to be confirmed with the office rather than assumed.

The practice does offer an Online Payments option through its website navigation. For any question about cost, insurance benefits or billing, call the office on 617.491.1161 or email info@cambridgepediatricdental.com during published hours.

For infants

"An initial dental evaluation is usually performed with the parent and doctor seated facing one another and the baby lying back upon the adult's knees. Advice about home care, oral habits, and nutrition are common."

For any age

the first visit usually begins in a private setting with one of the practice's pediatric hygienists; the dentist is then introduced and "will perform a thorough dental examination and take time to communicate with the patient and family. Dental tooth cleaning and other diagnostic procedures (such as dental x-ray imaging) may be suggested. Orthodontic assessment is also part of every first visit."

Cancellations require 48 hours notice. No visit length, price, cost or fee for a first appointment is published, and no live booking availability is shown online.

Directions, quoted from the site: "We are located at the corner of Mass Ave. and Exeter Pk. (across from Linnaean St.) approximately 0.3 miles from the Porter Square MBTA station, serving the Red Line, Commuter Rail, and Buses."

On parking

"Metered parking (quarters only) is available along both sides of Massachusetts Ave. A limited number of non-resident parking spaces are also available on some side streets. Please note that street cleaning occurs one day each month on side streets during non-winter months. Signs are clearly posted on street-cleaning days."

The areas served, in the practice's own words, are "Cambridge, Arlington, Somerville, Medford, Lexington, Belmont, Watertown, Boston and surrounding areas." The history page adds that patients come from Cambridge, Boston, Arlington, Belmont, Brookline, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Newton, Somerville, Watertown, Winchester and beyond.

The contact page also asks

"If you are unable to keep your scheduled appointment, please give our office 48 hours notice so that someone else may use that time."

No second office, no holiday hours and no live appointment availability are published on the website.

The contact page states the same thing in slightly different words: "If your child is in need of emergency dental care, please contact our office immediately. If our office is closed, you'll reach our answering service, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They will take your information and you will be contacted by the CPDA doctor on call."

The published emergency number is the practice's main phone number: Emergency Care: 617.491.1161. The address is 1749 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140.

Emergency Care is listed both as a pediatric dental service and as an orthodontic service on the website.

The site does not publish call-back times, on-call schedules, after-hours fees, an emergency price, cost or rates, or first-aid instructions for any specific injury. It gives no guidance on when to go to a hospital instead. Callers should phone 617.491.1161 and follow what the office tells them.

On timing, the page publishes this: "All children should receive their first orthodontic evaluation by age seven to allow for early identification of any potential problems." The practice's Your First Visit page separately notes that "Orthodontic assessment is also part of every first visit."

Four of the practice's doctors are listed as Orthodontists: Dr. Margherita Santoro, Dr. Lily Razavi, Dr. Shankar Rengasamy Venugopalan, and Dr. Alyssa Kotin.

The website publishes no price, prices, pricing, cost, rates, fees or payment plan figures for braces, Invisalign, retainers or any other orthodontic service, and there is no online quote or estimate. It does not state treatment lengths, and it does not state whether any individual child is a candidate for a particular appliance. Families wanting an orthodontic consultation, cost information or an appointment should phone the office on 617.491.1161 during its published hours, or email info@cambridgepediatricdental.com.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.