Treatment Time and Appointments

Cooperation in wearing rubber bands (also called “elastics”), keeping your teeth clean and taking care of your braces as prescribed will also influence the length of time you’re in treatment.

There will be two initial appointments to get your appliances placed. The first of these will take approximately 1 ½ hrs, with the next one following in 2 weeks of approximately 1 hour. Once you are wearing braces, we will see you every 4 to 8 weeks for an adjustment, which usually takes 15-30 minutes.

At each regular visit you will receive a grade for oral hygiene and elastic wear so you can keep track of your progress. Dr. Smith and his staff will carefully explain everything. If you have any questions, be sure to ask!

We worked extremely hard to create a schedule that is fair to everyone. In our schedule, we have reserved after school/work times (“prime time”) for short appointments such as simple appliance checks and progress checks ( 2:30pm to 7:00pm ) with your appointment frequency varying between 4-8 weeks. By doing this we can accommodate more families during this precious time. Longer appointments and repair appointments will be scheduled during the hours of 9:00am and 2:00pm , with your appointment frequency varying between 2-6 weeks). This arrangement usually results in patients having to visit our office only 2-3 times per year during school hours. We are happy to work around certain classes, lunch, sports, meetings, etc. Also, if you prefer to come during a quieter time, please schedule an appointment during school hours.

In case of emergency, please call first so that we may offer you a specific appointment time. If you drop by without an appointment, we may be out of the office, at lunch, or in a staff meeting and unable to handle your problem. An emergency consists of anything poking, scratching or cutting your cheeks or gums that you cannot take care of with wax. Please contact us if you have a loose bracket. We have created this schedule to be fair to everyone and we appreciate your help in working with us.

We realize that, at times, circumstances beyond your control can cause a conflict with your scheduled appointment. An appointment that is not cancelled 24 hours in advance is considered a broken or missed appointment. Broken appointments can lead to extended treatment and subsequent extended treatment fees.

We do call to remind you of your appointment. But, there may be occasions where this does not happen due to unforeseen circumstances. For this reason, it is important that you keep your appointment cards! If you should miss an appointment please call our office as soon as possible to reschedule. Please remember that if you should miss or cancel an appointment during “prime time”, you may not be able to reschedule at that same time.

We look forward to getting to know you and creating that beautiful smile!

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Payments

• Payment in Full. If you make full payment at the onset of treatment, we will extend a bookkeeping fee reduction.
• Monthly Payment Plans with No Interest. If you prefer, you may make monthly payments directly to our office after making a down payment. You may also choose to charge your Visa or MC each month. Your specific payment plan will be set forth in your Contract.

We offer family discounts for the second and subsequent family members we treat. Please ask about other types of discounts that we offer, plus other benefits that might be available. Also, ask about our Patient Appreciation Program.

Orthodontic Insurance Benefits
If you have insurance coverage for orthodontics, we will be happy to assist you in determining the amount of benefit available to you and your family. 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.

Eligibility
Your dental plan may offer orthodontic coverage, but have eligibility requirements. Some plans have age limits or there may be a waiting period for orthodontic coverage. Eligibility may change during the course of treatment, if the insured changes employers or if the employer changes the coverage, benefit payments may change or be discontinued.

Benefit Payments
Every insurance plan offers a different level of benefits. Orthodontic benefits are not the same as your general dental benefits. There is usually a lifetime maximum benefit, however some benefits renew yearly. Orthodontic benefits are rarely paid in one payment. Partial payments will be issued throughout the length of treatment until the maximum benefit has been paid or the estimated treatment time is complete.

Assignment of Benefits
We accept assignment of benefits for most insurance plans. This means that we will accept the benefit payments on behalf of the patient. By doing this, the family’s out-of-pocket expense is substantially lower. Filing orthodontic claims can be a burden for your family. If we do not accept assignment of benefits from your plan, we will be happy to file claims so that the insured can be reimbursed directly.