Office Policies
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you into our orthodontic practice. Please be assured that the goals of our office are to provide quality care and personal attention to each one of our patients.
This information is intended to present you with our office procedures and to make your association with our office more comfortable. Please read all of this information and if you have any questions, please feel free to discuss these with any of our staff.
Office Hours
Our office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, with lunch from 1:00 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. daily.
Insurance
For your convenience, our office will file your insurance. We must remind our patients that this is YOUR insurance. We will prepare the necessary forms to assist you in making collection from the insurance company. However, we cannot render services on the assumption that our fee will be paid by your insurance company. If for some reason orthodontic coverage is discontinued, it is the patient's (or parent's) responsibility for the payment of our fee.
Financial
The fee for orthodontic treatment is normally handled by having a down payment (payable at the time appliances are placed) and monthly payments extended over the treatment time. The monthly payment arrangement is not related to the number of times we see a patient in a given month. The time interval between appointments may vary depending on the stage of treatment. Some months we may check a patient more than once, whereas at other times, we may not need to see the patient as often. Even though we may not see a patient in a particular month, payment is still expected for that month. Monthly payments are simply a means of dividing the total active treatment fee into more convenient payments for you. The payment will be considered delinquent 15 days after the due date.
Appointments
It is impossible for one whose practice is mainly with young people to see all of the patients after school hours. Therefore, it is necessary for us to alternate appointments. One month, the patient will be given an appointment after school, and the next month the patient will be given an appointment during regular school hours. Any time after 2:30 p.m. is considered an after-school appointment time. We will endeavor to arrange appointments so that the patient does not miss a major subject. The alternation of appointments also applies to our adult patients. Our general office procedure is to schedule long appointments during morning hours.
Regular Dental Check-ups
Since it is a primary concern for our patients to maintain good oral hygiene, it will be necessary for the patient to have regular dental check-ups. During orthodontic treatment, we recommend that our patients have check-ups every four months and have their teeth cleaned during the visit. We also recommend the use of a topical fluoride daily. This will help reduce the problems of decalcification and decay of the teeth.
Medical History
It is in the patient's best interest for our office to be kept informed of the patient's medical history and any changes related thereto. Please inform our office of any changes in the patient's medical status.
Emergencies
Due to our concern for staying on schedule, please contact our office immediately when there are broken, loose or lost appliances. This will allow us adequate time for the necessary corrective procedures. On some occasions, it may be necessary to re-schedule patients with broken appliances. This allows our office more time to do a complete and thorough repair. There is also a replacement or repair fee for broken, lost braces or removable appliances. Again, if you have any questions relating to the above policies, please feel free to discuss them with us. We assure you that everything will be done to make orthodontics a pleasant and worthwhile experience.