Appointments
We schedule regular 20-30 minute
monthly adjustment appointments between 7-9 am and from
2 pm to the end of our workday, so as many patients as possible
can be seen during non-school and non-work hours (we
call these ‘fast lane’ times!) Repair of loose
or broken braces may not be able to be done during ‘fast
lane’ and may need to be scheduled for midday hours.
If
you are unable to come to an appointment, please
inform us 24 hours ahead of time. Every missed appointment
can lengthen treatment by one month, since appointments
are made four to six weeks in advance and you may not
be able to reschedule for the time of day you desire. We
will work you as much as possible without inconveniencing
our other regularly scheduled patients. There is an automatic
charge of $25 for a third and each subsequent missed
appointment.
When you and your family are going on vacation,
please let us know and we will provide a list of orthodontists
in the area and a letter of introduction for emergency
treatment. Please give us some advance notice so we can
have the information ready for you.
Appointment Types
New Patient: Your first
visit to our office is complimentary. Dr. Symonds will
examine your teeth and bite and assess your need for orthodontic
treatment.
- Records: Molds of your teeth, x-rays and
digital photographs are taken. The doctor uses these
records as tools to develop your treatment plan.
- Consult: Mary Anne,
our Financial Coordinator, presents the doctor’s
treatment plan and works with you to develop a payment
plan that will work for you.
- Banding: The braces go
on!
- Re-tie 1: This is a 30-minute appointment to
change the colored ‘ties’ and check
progress.
- Re-tie 2: This appointment takes approximately
45 minutes; colored ‘ties’ are changed, and
other procedures are done to advance treatment,
such as changing the wires.
- Add-on: This is an appointment
in which we bond one or more new brackets on teeth that
previously had been done.
- Detail: We call this appointment
the beginning of the end! At this appointment the doctor
will make the bends in the wires to align the teeth
and roots into the correct positions. This is a 90-minute
appointment and the patient should expect to be slightly
sore that evening and the following day.
- Debanding Check: After
the Detail appointment, the patient is seen for a series
of ‘debanding checks.’ The
doctor checks the progress and makes
fine- tuning adjustments if necessary.
- Debanding & Final
Records: The braces come off and final records
(impressions for models, pictures, and x-rays) are
taken!
- Retainer
Seating: Two days after the debanding, the patient
receives his or her retainers and instructions for
wearing them.
- Retainer Check: For up to two years the doctor
will check the fit and wear of the retainers.
After that, it is up to the patient to call if they have
any problems or need replacements.
Computerized Appointment Scheduling
Our office has the most advanced computerized appointment scheduling system available. This allows us to quickly and efficiently schedule your future appointments. To schedule an appointment, please call (907) 349-1951.
HouseCalls Appointment Confirmation System
Our automated HouseCalls appointment confirmation system works with our appointment-scheduling program to assist our front office staff with confirming the next day's appointments. HouseCalls will dial your home telephone number and leave a message confirming your appointment for the next day. If HouseCalls reaches your answering machine, it will automatically leave the time and date of your appointment on your machine.
Transferring
There is a fee
of up to $150.00 for copying and sending transfer records
if a patient moves during active treatment. This fee
covers the time required to write a detailed transfer report
outlining the original malocclusion and diagnosis, treatment
procedures to date and future treatment recommendations.
Included with this report are copies of models, x-rays
and photographs and recommendations for an orthodontist
after you move. If a move out of Anchorage is in your future,
please let us know so we can talk about it with you and
prepare for it.
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