Dental Clinic

Refer a Patient

How to Refer a Patient

To locate or expedite a referral, please call Clinical Intake Coordinators at 206-987-2080, option 2.

Appointment availability

Updated July 2023.

We are accepting new referrals for routine preventive and specialty dental care services for children with certain complex medical and behavioral conditions. We are only accepting patients who are 16 years old and under unless they are actively seeking treatment for cancer, or are pre-transplant or heart surgery patients.

Referral requirements

We ask that providers submit a referral that is complete. A complete referral helps us schedule an appointment for your patient in a timely manner and match them with the right specialist. It ensures a productive and smooth first appointment for your patient. It also helps us assess the needs of our community and plan to have the capacity to meet those needs. We may not schedule patients until a complete referral is received. 

Please include:

  • Referring provider’s name, phone, fax and the referral coordinator’s email address so that we may contact you if additional information is needed
  • Complete demographic information for the patient, found in the top portion of our New Appointment Request Form (NARF)
  • Patient’s clinical records related to the reason for your referral
  • Growth charts/curves that are pertinent to the referral
  • Pertinent laboratory testing reports
  • Pertinent dental X-rays sent to dentalrecords@seattlechildrens.org
  • Previous specialty evaluations for second opinions or transfers of specialty care

We accept referrals for patients with complex medical and behavioral conditions, including:

  • Blood disorders

    We offer dental care to patients with blood disorders before or after procedures like lab tests or infusions.

  • Cancer

    We offer dental care to patients with cancer who are actively being treated at Seattle Children’s and for 1 year after their treatment ends.

  • Children with special healthcare needs

    We will care for patients with special healthcare needs who have cavities and who require hospital-based general anesthesia to treat the cavities.

    We will also provide dental care for children with special healthcare needs who travel from long distances during coordinated visits with multiple providers.

  • Conditions requiring a transplant

    We offer dental care to patients during the pre-transplant period and for 12 months after transplant.

    If patient is 17 or older and will undergo a transplant, a Seattle Children’s provider must submit an over age approval form.

  • Conditions requiring the use of a ventilator

    We will serve as the dental home for ventilator-dependent patients.

  • Craniofacial disorders

    We will care for patients with craniofacial diagnoses seen by care team members at Seattle Children’s Craniofacial Center who have ongoing orthodontic needs or surgical plans.

  • Heart disease (if condition is unstable or patient requires surgery)

    We will serve as the dental home for patients with unstable congenital heart disease.

    For patients undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease, we will provide pre-surgical dental treatment.

    If patient is 17 or olderand will undergo heart surgery, a Seattle Children’s provider must submit an over age approval form.

  • Intractable epilepsy

    We will serve as the dental home for patients with intractable epilepsy.

  • Progressively debilitating medical conditions

    We will serve as the dental home for patients with progressively debilitating medical conditions like spinal muscular atrophy, muscular dystrophy and epidermolysis bullosa.

  • Severe behavioral problems

    We will provide dental care to patients with behavioral problems that may cause them to become physically violent.

Submit a referral

If you are referring a patient for one of the conditions listed above, please follow the standard referral procedures below:

New Appointment Request Form (PDF) (DOC)

Step-by-step Guide to Submitting a Referral

New Patient Referral FAQ

We’re committed to partnering with you

We are always available to answer questions and support your care of your patients.

  • Diagnosis and treatment options: call 206-987-7777 (Provider-to-Provider Line)
  • Referring or transporting a patient to our Emergency Department or Urgent Care: call 206-987-8899 or toll free 866-987-8899 (ED Communications Center)

Learn more about managing your patients at Seattle Children's, including viewing your patient’s records.

Meet the Dental Clinic team.

See our locations.

If your patient does not qualify for services at Seattle Children’s Dental Clinic, we may refer you to one of our partner programs.

What Your Patients Can Expect

  • Once we receive your referral, your patient will be in our queue to review and schedule. Many services have a long wait for appointments.
  • Families may call 206-987-2243 to ask to be added to a cancellation list.
  • We review openings and the patient referral queue daily.
  • As openings become available, we call families to schedule based on provider availability and the patient’s condition and acuity.