Office Policies

Your First Visit
Diagnostic Records
Regular Appointments
Fees & Insurance

Your First Visit

Welcome to Dr. Mark Lowe's orthodontic office. We want to thank you for the opportunity to take care of all of your orthodontic needs. We also want you to know what to expect during your first visit.

At your first visit, a complimentary oral exam will be done by Dr. Lowe. He will give you his professional recommendations regarding your orthodontic care. He will discuss, if any treatment is needed, what type of treatment is available, when your treatment would start, and an estimated treatment time. During your exam, feel free to communicate to Dr. Lowe any questions or concerns you may have regarding your orthodontic treatment.

After your exam, you will meet with our treatment coordinator regarding your treatment options and fees. We want you to feel comfortable and thank you for choosing our office.
Menu

Diagnostic Records

If treatment is recommended at your first visit, the next step would be making diagnostic records. These records are made in our office and consist of orthodontic x-rays, digital photographs, and study models of the teeth. A formal diagnosis is made using these records and your treatment plan is finalized. At this point, all necessary appointments are scheduled to begin your orthodontic treatment. In some more complex cases, an additional appointment with the doctor is needed before proceeding with treatment.
Menu

Regular Appointments

Orthodontic appliances must be monitored and adjusted every four to six weeks for treatment to proceed as planned. The length of appointments varies depending on the type, stage, and progress of treatment. Some appointment times may conflict with hectic work or school schedules. Below you will find a guide of our appointments and the length of time we need to see you in our office.

*Please Note: If you or your child is too sick to go to work or school, or are contagious to others, please call our office to reschedule your appointment. We want to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our patients and staff.

Short Appointments

The majority of our appointments will be approximately 30 minutes. These appointments are scheduled throughout the day.

Long Appointments

Appointments requiring more than 30 minutes are scheduled in the morning or early afternoon. To allow the maximum number of patients to be seen, long appointments are not scheduled after 3:00pm. These appointments are less frequent and we will try to schedule them around work and school schedules.

Emergency Appointments

Emergency/repair visits are available during office hours. However, if there is an emergency please call our office so we can schedule this appointment accordingly. When our office is closed, the doctor is on-call and can be paged by calling our office number and following the prompts. You can also find our emergency number on the contact page of our website.

Late Arrivals

In order to provide you with the best care possible, we want to see every patient at their scheduled time. In all fairness to others who arrive on time, we may not be able to see you right away. We may need to reschedule your appointment for another day, so the office can provide the best quality and see you for your entire appointment.

Missed/ Cancelled Appointments

Since we schedule appointments in four to six-week intervals, missed or cancelled appointments may not be easily rescheduled at immediate acceptable times. We will work with you to find a new appointment but want to stress the importance of regular appointments. Missed and cancelled appointments can delay your treatment process if not rescheduled in a timely manner.

Appointment Reminders

We provide email reminders two days prior to your scheduled appointment. Through our website, you also have 24-hour access to appointment details and can also confirm your appointment with our office.
Menu

Fees & Insurance

The cost of orthodontic treatment depends on the severity of the patient's case and on the specific treatment options. Fees and payment options are discussed at the first visit. We have several payment plans available in order to make your orthodontic treatment affordable.

Payment Options

If full payment is made at the onset of treatment, we offer a discount on your portion of the fee that is not covered by insurance. We offer a payment plan which involves a down payment followed by monthly payments with no interest or finance charges. In addition, we also have a program available which requires no down payment with competitive interest rates through Care Credit, a third-party financing company. We also accept Visa and MasterCard.

Insurance

Our office is a fee-for-service practice and does not usually contract with dental insurance plans. For our patients who have orthodontic insurance, we accept assignment from most plans and will take care of all insurance billing necessary. It is our office policy that any amount not paid of the estimated insurance benefit is the insured's responsibility.

In cases of serious delinquency, treatment will be evaluated and discontinued if necessary. We make every effort to accommodate our patients with temporary difficulties.
Menu

Top