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Orthodontic Associates strive to give everyone the orthodontic care they desire. Our goal is to create beautiful smiles.
- We are flexible with our financial arrangements.
- We extend payments over the course of active treatment with no interest charges.
- We offer families the option to utilize their Visa, MasterCard, and Discover for payments.
- We will arrange for direct withdrawal from your bank account for payment of fees.
- If full payment is made for our full treatment patients, we offer a discount.
Fees
The philosophy of this office is to provide the highest quality of orthodontic care in a warm and caring environment. Fees for orthodontic services have a broad range. All fees are individual and based upon the difficulty of the case, projected treatment time, and various mechanical requirements. An estimated cost and treatment length may be discussed at the first clinical exam, but your specific fee and financial arrangements will be discussed with you confidentially at the consultation appointment, after the full diagnostic records have been taken. Financial arrangements, or payment plans, are made on an individual basis, and the orthodontic fee can be paid over the course of treatment.
Our costs do not include extractions, general dental care, or
fees by other dental specialists. We do not charge for observation appointments while in our pre-orthodontic guidance program. Payment is due at the time of service (such as records or receiving a new retainer).
Fees are divided into 2 sections:
Records/Consult
This fee includes:
- Orthodontic plaster study casts, facial and oral photographs, Panoramic
x-ray, Cephalometric x-ray (45-60 minute appointment) $400
- Diagnosis and treatment planning by our orthodontists
- Presentation of information and the doctors' recommendations
Treatment
The treatment fee covers all active orthodontic care, insertion and adjustment of retainers.
Payment Plans
In an effort to keep orthodontic fees down while maintaining the highest level of professional care, we offer several payment options for comprehensive treatment:
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Discount: If full payment is made at the onset of treatment, we offer a bookkeeping discount. |
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Office Plan: This consists of an initial payment, followed by monthly payments. There is no interest charge. Coupon books are provided to assist you in your payments. The first monthly payment is due on the first day of the month following the start of active treatment. The option of setting up your payments or be billed to your credit card every month is also available . Statements are sent out only for those accounts which are delinquent. Even if you or your child has not been seen in a given month, payments are still due as scheduled. Prepayments can be made at any time with no penalty and payment must be received in full prior to the removal of the braces. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards for your convenience, and also offer automatic debiting from your checking or savings accounts. |
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Out of Office Financing: Orthodontists Fee PlanŽ provides convenient no initial payment, low monthly payment plans for orthodontic patients.
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Insurance
If your dental insurance coverage has orthodontic benefits, your benefits have been set forth by your insurance plan and employer with this information being available in your dental benefits booklet. Orthodontic benefits are usually limited to a specific sum for each patient. This sum is ordinarily paid over the period of treatment because the insurance company pays for work completed. Rather than wait for the completion of treatment, most companies pay their benefits monthly or quarterly as treatment progresses. When the sum provided by your plan has been paid, insurance payments cease. Because continuation of coverage is dependent upon uninterrupted premiums and/or continued employment, we do not generally accept direct payments from your insurance company. We ask that benefits be paid directly from the insurance company to you, the insured. We are happy to assist you with insurance claims and filing but throughout your treatment, but you are responsible for the monthly payment schedule that you arranged at the beginning of your treatment consultation. You are responsible to the doctors for all payments for orthodontic services rendered. Your insurance company is responsible to you. It is important to keep your account with our office up-to-date, regardless of the payment schedule of your insurance company.
For any questions regarding insurance, you can e-mail or call Evelyn Geras.
Verification: You may be required to verify to your insurance company that treatment was initiated, is continuing, or has been completed. Please give these forms to the receptionist for verification and signing.
Flex Spending Programs
If your employer offers a flexible spending plan, we can help plan your pre-tax contributions to maximize your savings. These programs are designed to allow you to cover medical/dental expenses not covered by insurance. You must accurately predict these expenses. For this reason all people with insurance who use a Flex Spending Program as well, need to have pre-treatment forms sent to their insurance company. This must be done prior to establishing an amount to be withheld in the Flex Program. Guidelines set up by the IRS are rigid and must be adhered to. Some Flex Programs are integrated with your insurance benefits. This has a significant impact on your Flex withholdings. You must know this before establishing your withholdings. It is your responsibility to determine this.
Lost or Broken Appliances
It is the policy of most insurance companies not to reimburse for a lost, broken or replacement appliance (including headgear, lip bumper, retainer, etc.). Therefore, the payment for the appliance is due when the service is rendered. If your insurance company will reimburse for a lost, broken or replacement retainer, we still require payment for the appliance when the service is rendered and the insurance company will reimburse the policyholder.
We strive to minimize the financial barriers to orthodontic treatment.
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