Appointment and Scheduling Policies
We have devoted considerable time and effort to designing a scheduling system that is favorable for all our patients. We respect your time and make every effort to stay on schedule. Punctuality and timeliness are priorities in our practice. Both contribute to quality care and being able to complete your treatment near the estimated treatment time.
Our scheduling goals for treatment are:
- To seat every patient on time
- To have adequate time to perform all necessary procedures scheduled that day
- To answer any questions you may have and update your treatment progress
We understand that unexpected issues may arise that may cause a late arrival. If you do arrive late, we will attempt to accommodate your visit without disrupting other patients. Unfortunately, if you arrive more than 5 minutes late, we will be unable to provide the planned treatment on that day. We respect your time and we ask that you reciprocate. We take pride in running on time, as well as producing smiles that last a lifetime. Please recognize our requirement that you arrive on time or a few minutes early for your planned visit.
It is important that you are aware of these appointment reminders:
- Patients are seen in order of scheduled appointment time, not in order of arrival.
- Late arrivals may result in rescheduling due to the complexity of our schedule. Please help us complete your treatment on time by being punctual – you will be helping others as well.
- If you cannot keep an appointment, please call the office at least 24 hours in advance.
- Missed appointments or same day cancellations, may require waiting 4-8 weeks to reschedule since this is our normal rotation. Missed appointments or numerous changes definitely extend treatment time and may result in damage to the teeth and gums.
- Complex procedures requiring longer appointments are scheduled during the mornings and early afternoons. These include the initial placement of braces, bands and most appliances, the removal of braces, impressions for all appliances and all repairs including broken brackets and loose bands.
Many people seeking orthodontic treatment have other important obligations during the day. Most of our patients are of school age and many of our adult patients work. Consequently, nearly all of our patients desire after school or evening appointments. Although we make every effort to have convenient appointment times, it is unavoidable that some school, work or extracurricular activities may be missed during a course of orthodontic treatment. We promise to do our best and be fair to everyone in minimizing time away from school and work.
Emergency Appointments
Time is cleared each day for emergency appointments. If you have an emergency, call our office so that we can arrange a mutually beneficial time. Please keep in mind that, in order to accommodate all of our patients, your emergency appointment may not be at the most "ideal" time. Our goal is to see you as soon as we can, keeping in mind the urgency of the situation. If you arrive with broken appliances without advance notice, you may need to be rescheduled. If a return visit is required to make repairs, we ask for your patience and understanding – we work hard so that so that the time of all of our scheduled patients is valued.
Appointment Reminders
As a courtesy to you, an automated system will confirm your appointment 1-2 business days prior to your appointment via a phone call. Please do not rely on this as the only means of remembering your appointment as there could be technical circumstances that may prevent a call from going out. We offer this only as a courtesy to you.
For your convenience as well as enhanced quality of care, you can sign up for automated email and text message reminders. You can sign up for this service by going to the Patient Login section of our website or by providing us your current email address. Email reminders are sent five days prior to a scheduled appointment and the day before the appointment. Text message reminders can be sent to multiple phones three hours before scheduled appointments.
Written correspondence such as appointment cards, work and school excuses are provided to our patients. If a parent is not present during an appointment, the child will be given these documents. Please make sure that you receive and review any pertinent information. Keep in mind that it is the patient's responsibility to make all appointments on time.
Treatment Cooperation Policy
Successful treatment is dependent on the following:
- Patient cooperation in elastic wear
- Proper oral hygiene
- Care of appliances: broken or lost treatment time
- Keeping appointments as scheduled (broken appointments interrupt treatment progress)
- Eliminating foods and eating habits that break or distort the appliance
- Reporting broken or lost appliances promptly
Dental Care Policy
General dental care and checkups are the responsibility of the patient and your regular family dentist. We advise patients to see their general dentist every three to six months during active orthodontic treatment. In the event that you have changed dentists or there has been a change in medical history, please notify our office as soon as possible.