• About Us
  • More About Our Practice
  • Meet Our Doctor
  • Meet the Team
  • What Sets Us Apart
  • Office Tour
• Your First Visit
• FAQs
• About Orthodontics
  • Why Braces?
  • For Children
  • Two-Phase Treatment
  • For Adults
  • Surgical Orthodontics
  • Common Treatments
  • Ortho Dictionary
  • Resources
• Braces 101
  • Life with Braces
  • Types of Braces
  • Types of Appliances
  • Emergency Care
  • Braces Diagram
  • Brace Painter
  • Oral Care Video
  • Retainers
• Invisalign®
• Contact Us
• Home

Your First Visit

Thank you for choosing our office for your orthodontic evaluation. We hope your visit will be informative as well as enjoyable. At your new patient exam, a complimentary panoramic x-ray and the latest in digital techniques will be used to image photographs of your face and teeth. Dr. Barnett will then do a thorough exam of your teeth, bite, oral tissues and temperomandibular joints. After which, the doctor will discuss the clinical findings and any area of concern you may have. If treatment is indicated, the specifics of your custom treatment plan will be discussed including the types of braces or appliances needed, the treatment time and cost for your particular case. If your insurance policy offers orthodontic coverage, please bring a completed form to the first appointment so that we may serve you better. We will help you determine the coverage available to you and make arrangements for payment dependent on your insurance coverage. We will take the time to answer any questions you may have. Our goal is to make you feel comfortable and relaxed as you enter this new world of orthodontics. WELCOME!

Appointments

The appointment when you get your appliances (braces, expanders, etc.) usually takes from one to two hours. We use a state-of-the-art technique called indirect bonding to place your braces (which we call brackets) onto your teeth. In this technique, a custom tray is used to position all the brackets in one arch at the same time. This allows us to place each bracket exactly where Dr. Barnett wants it on each tooth, as he has precisely positioned the brackets on your tooth models prior to the custom trays being made. Our indirect bonding technique is very comfortable and eliminates the need for separators and metal bands around the teeth.

Once your braces are placed on your teeth your orthodontic treatment involves a specifically designed series and sequence of return visits. Some of your visits will be brief to evaluate your progress while other visits will be longer to adjust and change the wires or appliances. Each appointment in the sequence has a specific purpose. Missed, rescheduled or cancelled appointments have the potential to slow the progress of your treatment.

During the course of your orthodontic treatment you will see us at regular intervals every 4 to 6 weeks. Patients are seen by appointment only. We make every effort to be on time for our patients and ask that you extend the same courtesy to us. If you cannot keep an appointment, please notify us immediately. Cancel only if it is an emergency. It is difficult to reschedule you since most appointments are made 4 to 6 weeks in advance.

Cost

Orthodontic treatment that results in a beautiful smile and healthy bite is an investment that will last a lifetime. Many options are available for making this investment affordable. We will work with you to fit your individual needs. Cost of treatment vary for each individual case and is based on severity of the problem, age of the patient and the length of treatment time.

We will discuss fees and payment options before treatment begins. We have payment plans to suit different budgets. We offer finance free payment plans, and also accept assignment from most insurance companies. We work hard to make orthodontics affordable.

In an effort to keep orthodontic fees down, while maintaining the highest level of professional care, we have established this financial policy:

• If full payment is made at the onset of treatment, we will offer a fee discount. (If you have insurance, we will offer a discount for payment of your portion of the fee that will not be covered by insurance.)
• To fit your individual needs, financial arrangements can be made to extend your payments over a period of months, with no finance charges.
• For your convenience, we accept payment by Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.

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