Office Policies
| Your First Visit It is our goal to make your consultation a pleasant and informative experience. Your initial appointment will consist of the following:
What to expect at your next appointments Your sequence of appointments following the initial consultation with Dr. Hickman will be as follows:
Fitting Orthodontics into Your Schedule We understand that orthodontic treatment can interfere with important obligations that you have during the day, including work and school. We have tried to design treatment methods in order to minimize our appointment times and intervals between visits to allow fewer conflicts with your schedule. Our Approach to Minimizing Conflicts During your orthodontic care, there will be different types of appointments that are needed. Depending on which type of appointment is needed, a different appointment length will be required. THE MAJORITY OF YOUR APPOINTMENTS CAN BE SCHEDULED AT TIMES WHICH ARE MORE CONVIENIENT TO YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE, AFTER WORK OR AFTER SCHOOL. However, every patient will have a few longer appointment times, which include putting the braces on and taking them off. We schedule these infrequent longer appointment times in the morning. This allows us to offer the majority of your appointments at the most popular times. Our schedule is carefully crafted to allow our patients the time needed to continually progress with treatment. In fairness to other patients, we need you to arrive on time for your appointment. We want to have adequate time during each appointment to do the necessary procedures and to answer questions about your treatment progress. In the rare circumstance that you would arrive late, we may find it necessary to reschedule your appointment in order to give you the time that you deserve for your appointment. Dr. Hickman and his staff utilize state-of-the-art technology and treatment methods that straighten teeth efficiently and require fewer visits to our office. We are committed to providing you with the best orthodontic service and to making your treatment as convenient as possible. Rescheduling Appointments We ask at least 48 hours notice to reschedule an appointment, as we set aside time to accommodate your specific needs. Our goal is to continually progress with your treatment. Missed appointments or numerous appointment changes will inevitably result in an extension of your treatment time. Payment Options Cost How Orthodontic Insurance Works Do We Accept Insurance? YES, we accept all valid forms of insurance! What We Need From You! Please bring all of your insurance information to your first visit so we can assist you in determining your benefit. Our Approach to Insurance Unlike insurance coverage for regular dental treatment, most orthodontic coverage typically has a lifetime maximum benefit for each insured individual for orthodontic services rendered. At Hickman Orthodontics, the benefit will be credited to your total treatment fee and, as a convenience to you, we will accept payments directly from your insurance carrier. This benefit is generally paid monthly through the duration of treatment until the maximum benefit has been attained. Since there are many different agreements between insurance carriers and their subscribers, we will gladly assist you in determining the coverage you have available. In order to obtain your benefits for orthodontic coverage, you will need to provide us with your complete insurance information. From this information and the information obtained from the initial consultation appointment, we will be able to submit an insurance claim to your insurance carrier. For medical reimbursement accounts, such as Flex Accounts, you may submit a copy of your account information provided by our office. Resources    |