 |
 |
 
Your First VisitThe New Patient Exam The first visit to our office is for you to meet Dr. Frey and our staff. We will begin getting you acquainted with our office with a mini-tour. Our treatment coordinator will review the patient's medical and dental history and our records technician will take a complimentary set of digital color photographs of the face and teeth plus a digital panoramic film. Dr. Frey will evaluate your oral health and discuss your treatment needs and desires. All of this at no cost. If treatment is not needed at this time, the patient will be put on a complimentary observation program where we will see you every 6-12 months until the best time active treatment can be started. We will also work with your family dentist to provide you with the highest level of oral health.  Complete Diagnostic RecordsIf the timing is right for you to start treatment, our treatment coordinator can give a general idea of cost and treatment time. Dr. Frey will suggest our records technician take a set of plaster study models of the teeth and a digital cephalometric (head) film. These additional diagnostic tools are needed by Dr. Frey to determine the best course of treatment and can be done at this initial exam appointment by our records technician. If these additional records are completed at the first visit, a nominal fee is charged for this expanded service. At the conclusion of your first visit (approximately 45 minutes) our treatment coordinator will schedule your next appointment, the treatment planning conference, with Dr. Frey. Dr. Frey will study all of these diagnostic records and decide the best mode of treatment.  Treatment Planning SessionAfter Dr. Frey has evaluated all of the findings from the initial exam and full diagnostic records, he will formulate a custom treatment plan or "blue print" for your orthodontic care. Once this diagnosis is complete, he will review these findings at the treatment conference. It is best if the child as well as one or both of the parents can attend this session. We welcome spouses and/or significant others at adult treatment conferences. The proposed treatment options, length of treatment and cost will be discussed in detail. We want to fully answer any questions you may have and get you started towards a healthy, beautiful smile! Scheduling Regular Appointments  Most people seeking orthodontic treatment have important obligations during the day, such as school or work. Since Dr. Frey has designed the individual treatment plans to be very efficient, this minimizes the number of active visits and length of each visit. When active treatment begins, each patient is seen every 6-8 weeks, and some of these appointments will conflict with work or school schedules.We have devoted considerable time and effort into designing our scheduling system. We offer early morning appointments starting at 7:00am Wednesday and Thursday during the school months and then the summer months each day, Monday-Thursday, at 7:00am. On days without an early start, we see patients from 8:00am-5:30pm. Our goal is to see you on time for all appointments, and we want to allow plenty of time to do the necessary treatment, answer any questions, and update your treatment progress. We want to work with your school and work hours as much as possible. As you can imagine, a well-organized schedule requires both structure and flexibility. We schedule the longer appointments (45 minutes to 2 hours) for procedures such as bonding and removals during the late morning and early afternoon. The shorter appointments (15 to 30 minutes) for active adjustments and retainer checks are scheduled early morning and late afternoon. This allows us to accommodate as many families as possible for after-school hours. If you prefer to come during a quieter time, please ask to schedule your appointment 9:00am -2:00pm. Keep in mind; because we normally see our patients every 6-8 weeks and we work with your school calendars, students miss minimal school due to their orthodontic treatment. We are committed to providing you with the best orthodontic service anywhere and to making your treatment as convenient as possible. Because our schedule is carefully crafted, your late arrival can pose a problem. In fairness to the other scheduled patients, should you arrive late, we may find it necessary to reschedule your appointment. If circumstances arise that conflict with your regularly scheduled appointment, we ask for at least 48 hours notice to reschedule that appointment, as we have set aside time to accommodate your specific needs. Missed, broken appointments or numerous appointment changes will inevitably result in extended treatment time and subsequent additional treatment fees. We have a patient reminder system that automatically calls to remind you of your scheduled appointment time. We also have email reminders. Please keep in mind that if there is a power outage or computer failure, you may not receive a reminder. For this reason, it is important that you keep your appointment cards. Financial and Insurance Cost/Payments Your initial examination is complimentary, so it costs you nothing to get an orthodontic assessment. The total cost will vary by case and complexity, but because our modern techniques often require fewer visits, you might be surprised how affordable orthodontic treatment can be. A beautiful, healthy smile is one of the best investments you can make in your or your child's future. To help you fit this investment into your budget, we offer a few payment options. The most common includes the following:
Insurance Policy 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. Since there are many various insurance plans, our policy is not to accept assignment of benefits from your plan. This does not mean you will receive any less benefits. Professional care is provided to you, our patient, and not the insurance company. Thus, the insurance company is responsible to the patient and the patient is financially responsible to our office. The insurance company is much more responsive to patient's direct inquiries, rather than from the orthodontic office. We will submit all the paperwork necessary for you to be reimbursed at your maximum directly from your insurance company. Our office is always ready to handle your claims and insurance questions. Back to Top |
|
