Office Policies

Scheduling appointments

Patients scheduled for regular (fifteen minute) visits may be seen at regular office hours Monday through Thursday. We do work through our lunch hour on Tuesday for your convenience. School hour appointments must be made for certain orthodontic procedures because of their length and nature; however, we shall try to make these appointments during the least affected classes.
The majority of appointments for routine adjustments, retainer checks, and progress checks can be scheduled before or after school.
Regular short appointments - The majority of appointments for routine adjustments, retainer checks, and progress checks can be scheduled before or after school. These appointments last approximately 15 minutes and are scheduled four to eight weeks in advance.
Appointments for placement of braces or appliances on the teeth requires approximately 30 to 60 minutes. These appointments are usually scheduled 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. on any day. Please call us for anything loose or broken.
Emergency appointments - Emergencies are anything that pokes, scratches, cuts, or causes pain that you cannot handle yourself. Please call our office to schedule an appointment to fix the problem. Refer to our braces diagram to determine which part is causing the problem. This will help when calling our office for assistance.
Missed/Cancelled appointments - If you are unable to make your scheduled appointment, please call to reschedule as soon as possible. Keeping your appointment is critical for your treatment progress.
Arriving late for appointments - If you are running late for your appointment, please call our office. We may be able to see you at the time you arrive, or we may need to reschedule your appointment in order to be fair to other patients who arrive on time.

Fees

In an effort to keep orthodontic fees down while maintaining the highest level of professional care, we offer the following payment policy: Many options are available for making this investment affordable. We will work with you to fit your individual needs. Please understand that we finance the treatment as courtesy.

If payment is made in full at the beginning of treatment, we offer a fee discount If you have insurance, we offer the discount on your portion of the fee that is not 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 Master Card and Visa, and can automatically charge your account each month.

Financial Arrangements

Treatment fees vary depending on the complexity and duration of treatment required. We recommend coming in for an initial complimentary orthodontic examination so our doctors can evaluate the individual needs of each patient.

Many options are available for making this investment affordable. We will work with you to fit your individual needs.

Payment in Full: If you make a payment in full at the onset of treatment, we will extend a bookkeeping fee reduction.
Monthly Payment Plans with No Interest: You may make monthly payments after making a down payment.

Insurance

If you have insurance coverage for orthodontics, we will be happy to assist you in determining the benefits available to you and your family. We accept many insurance plans and our experienced staff will assist you in filing your claims.

Your orthodontic insurance plan may have eligibility requirements. Some plans have age limits or waiting periods before coverage can begin.
If the insured changes employers or if the insurance coverage changes, benefits may also change or be discontinued.
Insurance plans offer different levels of benefits. Orthodontic benefits are not the same as your dental benefits.
Usually there is a lifetime maximum benefit although some plans may renew yearly.
Total orthodontic benefits are rarely paid in one payment. Partial payments are received throughout the course of treatment until the maximum benefit is paid.
We will accept assignment of benefits from your insurance plan and receive payments on your behalf. If no assignment is made, we will be happy to file claims so that the insured can be reimbursed directly.
Professional care is provided to you, our patient, and not the insurance company. Therefore, the insurance company is responsible to you and you are responsible to the doctor.