First Visit At your first visit, Dr. Hennes will review your medical and
dental history. He will then complete a comprehensive oral examination to
determine your orthodontic needs.
He may then recommend that: Treatment
is needed now. Treatment is not needed at all. Treatment will be needed, but the
timing is such that it should be delayed until appropriate growth, tooth
eruption or other factors are most ideal.
If a patient is not ready for
orthodontic treatment, he or she will be placed on recall and will be contacted
to return to the office at the appropriate time. If treatment is needed,
Dr. Hennes will recommend we take a set of orthodontic records in order to
start the treatment process. Orthodontic Records Orthodontic records consist of
X-rays of the head, teeth and jaws, photographs of the face and teeth and study
models. The X-rays, photographs and study models are taken in our office by one
of our certified dental assistants. Dr. Hennes will then review your
records and formulate the appropriate treatment plan, which he will present to
you at the follow-up consultation appointment.
Consultation Appointment
At the consultation appointment, Dr. Hennes will review the results of your
diagnostic records and discuss the recommended treatment plan for your case. He
will review the approximate length of treatment and the specific orthodontic
appliances he intends to use to achieve your perfect
smile.
Dr. Hennes will also take the time to discuss the importance
of patient compliance in achieving a successful outcome, and he will answer any
questions you may have regarding the proposed treatment.
Lastly, our
financial coordinator will discuss with you the orthodontic fee and will work
out a payment arrangement suitable to your family's budget. If applicable, we
will gladly coordinate for you the dental insurance process to ensure you
receive all your entitled benefits. Panoramic X-Ray Cephalometric X-Ray Study
Model Intraoral Photos
How do I fit orthodontics into my busy schedule?
Most
people seeking orthodontic treatment have other important obligations during the
day, usually involved with work or school. When active orthodontic treatment
begins, each patient is seen every few weeks, and some of these appointments
will conflict with work or school schedules.
We have devoted considerable
time and effort into designing our scheduling system. Here is what we want you
to do: First, we want to see you on time for your appointment.
Second, we want to have adequate time during each appointment
to do the necessary procedures. Third, we wish to answer
questions and update your treatment progress. In
addition, we will work with you to schedule around your school or work hours as
much as possible. As you can imagine, a well-organized schedule requires
considerable structure tempered with flexibility.
Our
approach
Longer appointments, which are few in number, are scheduled
during school hours and shorter appointments are scheduled either before or
after school. In this way, an entire afternoon is not committed to one or two
patients but rather is scheduled to accommodate as many families as possible for
after-school appointments. If you should ever wish to come to the office during
a quieter time, please ask to schedule an appointment during school
hours.
Some appointments are blissfully short. During your treatment,
there are times when the adjustments are completed quickly even though they may
be quite technical. We have tried to design treatment methods that limit your
inconvenience.
Because the schedule is carefully crafted, your late
arrival can pose a problem. In fairness to the other scheduled patients, we may
not be able to work you into the schedule and will therefore find it necessary
to reschedule your appointment.
Rescheduling
appointments
We realize that, once in a while, unforeseen
circumstances arise which necessitate a change in appointments or cause you to
overlook an appointment. We will do our best to reschedule your appointment as
soon as possible; however, in order to avoid a delay in treatment, it may become
necessary to reschedule an after-school appointment to one during school hours.
Missed appointments or numerous appointment changes will inevitably result in an
extension of your treatment time.
Thank you for your interest
in our services. We look forward to seeing you
soon.
