Patient Education
CARE OF MOUTH: Braces and aligners tend to trap food and bacteria (plaque) on teeth. Unless this plaque is removed, damage to teeth and gums can occur.
Therefore, our toothbrushing instructions must be followed carefully. A daily fluoride rinse is highly recommended.
DIET: A well balanced diet, eliminating sweets and sugared beverages is important. Hard, crunchy and sticky foods should be eliminated to avoid damage to your braces.
EMERGENCIES: If bands become loose, a wire breaks, or an appliance is lost, notify the office as soon as possible.
CHECK-UPS: Continue to see your family dentist every four to six months so he / she can check for decay and if necessary, clean your teeth.
ILLNESS: If your child has a fever or has missed school on the day of their appointment, please call the office and reschedule their appointment. We will accommodate them as soon as they are feeling better. This is only fair to your child, other patients, the staff and their families.
OVERDUE ACCOUNTS: At the start of treatment a payment schedule is arranged for your convenience so that you can include this financial obligation in your monthly budget. Your payments have no relation to the number or frequency of orthodontic treatment appointments. If an account is over 2 months past due, the patient will be placed on inactive treatment. In these cases we will not continue the monthly billing until the past due balance is paid The patient will be seen for emergency appointments only during this time, and active treatment will resume when the past due balance is paid. If an account becomes 3 months past due, a collection fee will be added when it is placed for collection. All accounts must be paid in full by the time the appliances are removed.
BROKEN APPLIANCES: A lab fee will be charged for any appliances that are lost or broken through abuse or neglect on the part of the patient.
EXTENDED TREATMENT: Cases that are not completed in the estimated time, for any reason, will be continued for a period of 3 additional months at no additional charge. However, if treatment must be continued beyond this extra time because of poor cooperation or for any unforeseen circumstances, each appointment will be billed at the current office visit fee.
These guidelines have been instituted so that we may make our office more efficient and to treat our patients to the best of our ability. We know that our patients” time is valuable too, and we feel that these guidelines will eliminate much wasted time for us and all of our patients. Your time and consideration regarding all these matters will help us serve you better. If you have any questions regarding these guidelines please call our office. We want to know when you are pleased and we want to know when you are not.
APPOINTMENTS: We have put much effort and time into designing our scheduling system. Here is what we want it to do: We want to see you on time for your appointment, and we want to have plenty of time during each appointment to do the necessary treatments, to give you information about the treatment, and to answer any questions. We also want to work with you around your school and work hours as much as possible. Thus, we need both structure and flexibility in the schedule.
Patients are asked to please be on time for their appointments, as each appointment is especially reserved for them. Because the schedule is carefully crafted, your late arrival can pose a problem. If a patient arrives late, we will try to see them as soon as possible. However, if too much time is lost, we will have to reschedule that appointment for the soonest available time. Since most of our patients are students or working adults, it is impossible to accommodate everyone with evening or Saturday appointments. Therefore, in order to be fair to all of our patients, longer appointments will be scheduled during weekday mornings.
Here are some aspects of our system that you will notice. We schedule longer appointments during school hours and shorter appointments after school By doing this, we do not reserve an entire arternoon for one or two patients out rather accommodate as many families as possible for after school appointments. If you prefer to come to the office during a quieter time, please schedule an appointment during school hours.
Some appointments are blissfully short. During your treatment there will be times when the adjustments can be done quickly even when they are very technical. We have put a lot of thought into designing treatment methods that will cause you the least inconvenience.
MISSED APPOINTMENTS: Occasionally we are faced with emergencies or unavoidable circumstances that may coincide with a previously arranged appointment. We would appreciate a call at least 24 hours in advance to cancel and reschedule an appointment.
COMMUNICATION: Please let us know if you have any questions for us when you arrive for you appointment. If any of our staff are not able to help you with your questions, Dr. Damas will call you after seeing patients that day.
Our normal office communication is in the form of a written progress evaluation every six months, or more often if needed. If this is not sufficient or satisfactory for you, please inform us of what you would prefer and we will make every effort to accommodate your needs.
INSURANCE
In order to prevent misunderstandings about dental insurance, we wish to point out that:
1. All dental services furnished are charged directly to the patient.
2. The patients are personally responsible for the payment of all bills.
3. The patient should expect to keep their account current while waiting for their insurance company to make payment.
Your insurance coverage is a contact between you and your insurance company to help you meet dental expenses. It is not for us to provide service on the basis that the insurance company will always pay all charges, as coverage varies so greatly.
We will be glad to prepare the reports necessary to help you collect your benefits from your insurance company. All insurance forms will be filled out and submitted as necessary for orthodontic treatment.
Estimates of fees will be submitted to insurers prior to treatment when requested.
Should your insurer send us any check we will credit the amount to your account or endorse it to you if your bill is already paid.