Choosing to straighten your smile is a big decision, and we’re excited to help you take the first step towards improving your oral health! When you schedule a free consultation here at Icon Orthodontics, we do more than simply take a look at your mouth. This important visit is your chance to meet our team, learn more about our services, and discuss any concerns you have about your smile. Let’s take a look at what you can expect from your initial appointment with our Glendale or Surprise office!
Completing your new patient paperwork
If you’re new to our practice, we’ll need you to complete intake paperwork on or before your first visit. For your convenience, we have these available on our website, or you can complete them in the office once you arrive for your appointment. While every office has its own set of required forms, there are some basics you’ll need to complete in almost any healthcare setting. We’ll outline these below.
New patient intake forms
This basic paperwork will ask for your name, date of birth, contact information, and the party responsible for any recommended treatment. This person will be financially responsible for the treatment and will be expected to sign all consent forms, so they must be at least 18 years of age.
Medical history forms
The medical history form is used to evaluate your overall health before treatment. Read through each item carefully as the accuracy of this form is important to the success of your treatment plan.
Dental history forms
A thorough dental history is essential before beginning orthodontic treatment. This paperwork will include an assessment of the dental work you’ve had over the years and ask you to outline any dental surgery or trauma you’ve had. You’ll also lay out the basics of your current oral hygiene routine.
Dental insurance forms
If you have dental insurance, you’ll need to complete the insurance verification form at your initial appointment. This allows our office staff to verify your benefits promptly.
HIPAA forms
You’ll receive a notice about our privacy practices regarding your personal health information. This describes how your medical information may be used and disclosed and explains how you can access this information. It also goes over the rights you have with respect to your Personal Health Information (PHI) and how you can exercise those rights.
Meeting our treatment coordinator
Once you’ve completed the new patient intake paperwork, you’ll be shown to a consultation room and introduced to our treatment coordinator. Mayra will help you understand what you can expect from our practice! After going over your medical and dental histories, Mayra will hand you over to a records technician for a few digital photographs of your teeth. X-rays may be taken as well. These images are used to identify any orthodontic problems that are present. After the pictures are taken, it’s time for your exam!
Meeting your orthodontist
You’ll be introduced to Dr. Sarpotdar or Dr. Sun before they perform a careful examination of your teeth and jaws. You may be asked some follow-up questions about your specific concerns as they are looking at your mouth. The findings from this exam will form part of your diagnostic records, which also include the digital photographs and any X-rays we take. If necessary, we may take an impression of your teeth and add this to your diagnostic records as well.
Our orthodontists use the data from your records to create a “problem” list, a customized catalog of everything that needs to be corrected. This leads to a skeletal and dental diagnosis, a significant step in your journey towards a straighter smile! Receiving an accurate diagnosis at this point will help ensure the most appropriate treatment plan for your unique smile.
Dr. Sarpotdar or Dr. Sun will then create a personalized treatment plan for you. This outlines each step of the process, from start to finish, including which appliances would be best for you and an estimate of how long treatment will take. If you’re ready to get started, we can often expedite treatment by taking records during that same visit. We can sometimes even place braces that same day!
Exploring the investment needed for your new smile
Once you’ve decided on a treatment plan, we’ll go over the total investment needed for your new smile. Every case is different and each patient responds to treatment in their own way, so the total costs will vary from person to person. But you never have to worry about hidden fees here! Our financial coordinator Demi will make sure you understand everything that’s included in your treatment plan before moving on to the active phase of treatment. We offer a variety of customized options to suit any budget, including:
- Limited Treatment (minor movement of only the teeth of concern) starting under $3,000
- Early Orthodontics (space creation and bite correction for children who still have some baby teeth) starting around $3,000
- Comprehensive Treatment (correction of bite and full alignment of all teeth for adolescents and adults) starting in the $4,000’s
We also have several financial incentives available to patients, such as:
- No-interest financing available
- 5% Full-payment/cash upfront discount
- Multi-family member discount
- 5% Military, fire, police, and teacher discount
- Start Treatment for as low as $99 down, $99/month (some exclusions apply)
For your convenience, Dr. Sarpotdar and Dr. Sun offer an automatic draft from checking accounts or credit cards. We also accept all PPO insurance plans. Our team is happy to review your insurance coverage and file the necessary paperwork on your behalf.
Making it official
The final step in your consultation will be completing a financial contract and treatment consent form. This makes everything official! Our straightforward financial contract outlines the total fees for your treatment, any upgrades included, and the expected insurance benefit amount.
As the responsible party, you are liable for the contract. In the unfortunate event that insurance stops payments, the remaining unpaid balance will need to be paid by you to settle the account. Take time to carefully review the contracts and clarify any final questions you have before signing.
Your consent form permits us to treat you (or your minor child.) Legally, nothing can move forward without this form so be sure to read and initial each statement on the form. This helps us verify that every point has been read and understood prior to beginning treatment.
There will also be some office policies to review at this point. These will generally include our policies on emergency visits, payments, and broken brackets or appliances. There will be some additional information on transferring or discontinuing your treatment.
Your free consultation with Icon Orthodontics
Now you know exactly what to expect from your free consultation with our expert team! If you haven’t already, get in touch to schedule your first visit with us. Your best smile is waiting for you here!