What to Expect at Our Office

“We hold ourselves to higher standards than you expect of us”

Initial Free Consultation

Your first visit with Dr. Hamersky will be primarily informational. It is a time to meet, see the office and primarily discuss you or your child’s orthodontic needs and recommended treatment, if any. Expect the appointment to last about 45 minutes. One digital panoramic radiographic scan of the jaws and teeth is taken on children under 18 (this film is complimentary as is the consultation with Dr. Hamersky). It is not possible for Dr. Hamersky to fully assess and discuss your child’s orthodontic needs without this scan which locates all permanent teeth including ones not yet in the mouth. Dr. Hamersky will perform a thorough clinical exam and assess if treatment is needed.

The majority of the time spent with us will be to discuss Dr. Hamersky’s findings and recommendations. Dr. Hamersky is committed to you leaving this visit with:

• An understanding of the orthodontic problems and recommended treatment
• The Cost – not an estimate – you will know exactly the full cost.
• A full review of payment options including your insurance benefits (requires you providing us with your insurance information in advance)
• An estimate of the projected time required to complete treatment
• What are the “next steps” in getting treatment started
• If treatment is not needed yet – when your child should be seen next to assess growth and dental changes in our Growth Guidance Program.

Cost

The cost of treatment is determined on an individual basis and varies primarily on the severity of the individual orthodontic problem, the treatment time estimated to correct that problem, and your preference on type of braces to use. You will be able to discuss fees and payment options before treatment begins. We have payment plans to suit different budgets, including a no-down-payment option. We also accept assignment from most insurance plans, and file the necessary papers to the insurance company. We work hard to make orthodontics affordable with no surprises or open-ended payment plans.

Fees

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.

For your convenience, we accept payment by most major credit and debit cards as well as payment online.

In cases of serious delinquency, treatment will be discontinued, although we will make every effort to accommodate patients with temporary difficulties.

Insurance

If you have insurance, we will help you to determine the coverage you have available. We ask that you assign your insurance benefit to us. The balance will be arranged for you to pay (see above). Professional care is provided to you, our patient, and not to an insurance company. Thus, the insurance company is legally responsible to the insured member only and the financially responsible party is responsible to us for the full fee. It is for your convenience we accept insurance payment directly. We will help in every way we can in filing your claim and handling insurance questions from our office on your behalf.

Regular Appointments

Orthodontic treatment is individually planned by Dr. Hamersky for each specific person. If orthodontic treatment is recommended for you or your child, we will have an in-depth discussion with you at the Initial Consultation regarding all aspects of treatment, certainly including estimated length of time, appointments needed to begin the process, as well as anticipated discomforts and care required along the way. Our regular business office hours are Monday to Friday from 8:00 – 12:00 PM and 1:00 – 5:00 PM. Patient office hours are by advance appointment only and will vary by day from 7:15 AM to 5:30 PM.

Growth Guidance Program

Our growth guidance program is designed for children with orthodontic problems that Dr. Hamersky has determined that no immediate treatment is required at this time. The primary reason for waiting is to allow more permanent teeth to erupt into the mouth on younger children who will not benefit from Two Phase Orthodontic Treatment. During this pre-treatment time, Dr. Hamersky will periodically re-evaluate the orthodontic needs of your child as they grow and get new teeth. The usual interval of time between these checkups is 6 months but will vary as Dr. Hamersky determines necessary. There is no charge for these growth guidance checkups.

Web-based Communication

We offer a secured Web-based communication system that allows you to access your secured financial and account information, and pay by credit card, as well as receive appointment reminders, rescheduling emails, newsletters, and general information online. We will be encouraging and assisting you to join our private secure automated system. We do not share or distribute email addresses for any reason; your privacy is our primary concern.