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Your First Visit
At the first visit to the orthodontist, diagnostic records
are made to determine the best course of treatment. Complete
diagnostic
records typically include a medical/dental history, clinical
examination; plaster study models of the teeth, photos of the
patient's face and teeth, and X-rays. This information is used
to develop a custom treatment plan for each patient. These
records are also helpful in tracking the progress of treatment
as the
teeth move under orthodontic care.
Consultation
After the doctor has evaluated your records, we discuss
your treatment with you in detail, including the cost for your
particular
case.
There is no fee for this appointment.
Our Appointment Policy
Our appointment policy was developed in an effort to give
everyone the very best service that we can. If it seems at times that
we are inflexible with our schedule, please remember that we
are trying very hard to stay on time and be fair to everyone.
We are always available for questions or comments and greatly
appreciate your feedback.
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. =
PRIME TIME
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. = NON-PRIME TIME
1:30 p.m. – 4:40 p.m. =
PRIME TIME
Why Prime Time?
90% of our patients either work or attend school.
They prefer not to miss work or school for their orthodontic
visits. For this reason we reserve hours before and after
work and school (shown above as PRIME TIME) to accommodate
as many patients as possible.
Scheduling Appointments
Appointments during PRIME TIME
hours are shorter.
These appointments are for appliance checks and progress
check-ups. Longer appointments for placing and removing
braces, repairs and emergencies are scheduled during work
or school
hours (Non-Prime Time). If you have several questions or
want to come in at a quieter time, we suggest an appointment
between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. If the patient is a student,
these appointments are easy to arrange during study period,
lunch time, or recess. We prefer not to see patients on
a "walk-in" basis.
Late
for an Appointment?
Sometimes our patients are late due
to traffic, etc.
While we are sympathetic we cannot, in fairness to everyone
else, "jam" late
patients into the schedule. If you are late, you are always
welcome to wait for an opening in the schedule, but sometimes
there may not be an opening until the end of the day. It
may be easier to reschedule your appointment.
Rescheduling Appointments?
All missed appointments must be
rescheduled, promptly. The new appointment must be scheduled
within one week of the original appointment. Please do
not wait several weeks for another "attractive" PRIME
TIME appointment. During treatment, we are moving teeth
as rapidly as possible and it is very important that we monitor
progress regularly. Our afternoon PRIME TIME appointments
are booked five to six weeks in advance, so missed or late
appointments will have to be rescheduled during work or
school
hours. Since this is not a popular option, please make
every effort to keep the original appointment!
What to do if your child is not ready for orthodontic treatment?
Housecalls®
We know that many of you appreciate a confirmation call the
day before your appointment is scheduled. We also understand
that is is sometimes difficult to remember appointments which
are made many weeks in advance. Unfortunately, since confirmation
calls are made during office hours, we often reach an answering
machine, or get no answer.
We have a computer program called Housecalls
which allows us to call you in the early evenings. You will
hear one
of our pre-recorded voices. It sounds like us calling, but it
is really the program. It will remind you of the specific day
and time of your appointment. You will also have an opportunity
to leave us a message if you would like to.
If you would prefer
that we tell the program not to call you, just let us know. We
hope that this program will help us to reduce
the number of missed appointments and enable us to provide excellent,
efficient service for everyone.
Payment & Office Policies
Cost
The cost of treatment depends on the severity of the patient's
problem. You will be able to discuss fees and payment options
before treatment begins. We have payment plans to suit different
budgets, including a no-down-payment option. We also accept assignment
from most insurance plans, and file the necessary papers to the
insurance company. We work hard to make orthodontics affordable.
Fees
In an effort to keep orthodontic fees down while maintaining
the highest level of professional care, we have established this
financial policy:
- If full payment is made at the onset of treatment, we will
offer a fee discount. (If you have insurance, we will offer
a discount for payment of your portion of the fee that will
not be covered by insurance.)
- To fit your individual needs, financial arrangements can
be made to extend your payments over a period of months.
- For your convenience, we accept payment by VISA and MASTERCARD.
- In cases of serious delinquency, treatment will be discontinued,
although we will make every effort to accommodate
patients with temporary difficulties.
Insurance
If you have insurance, we will help you to determine
the coverage you have available. We ask that you assign your
insurance benefit
to us. The balance will be arranged for you to pay (see above).
Professional care is provided to you, our patient, and not to
an insurance company. Thus, the insurance company is responsible
to the patient and the patient is responsible to the doctor.
We will help in every way we can in filing your claim and handling
insurance questions from our office on your behalf.
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