What to Expect
Upon your arrival at Maui Smile Works, please notify our receptionist. We can’t wait to welcome you to our office.
Dr. Damerell will conduct a thorough clinical orthodontic examination and explain all aspects of treatment himself.
The purpose of the initial examination is to answer:
- What sort of problem is present, if any?
- When is the proper time to begin treatment?
- What type of treatment is indicated?
- How long will treatment take?
- How much will the treatment cost?
- How can you pay?
What’s Next?
When you are comfortable with the proposed treatment plan, then complete diagnostic records will be taken or scheduled. These typically include: digital study models of your teeth using a digital scanner instead of gooey impression material, digital photos of your face and teeth, and additional digital X-rays.
What is the cost of the treatment?
In an effort to keep orthodontic fees down while maintaining the highest level of professional care, we have established this financial policy:
- If full payment is made at the onset of treatment, we will offer a 5% fee discount.
- To fit your individual needs, financial arrangements can be made to extend your payments over a period of months through in-house financing or Care Credit.
- For your convenience, we accept payment by VISA, MASTER CARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS, and automatic withdrawal.
- In cases of serious delinquency, treatment will be discontinued, although we will make every effort to accommodate patients with temporary difficulties.
What does my investment include?
Your investment includes:
- Orthodontic records, which consist of digital: x-rays, photos, study models and a personalized growth study workup to determine your treatment objectives.
- Active treatment fee for both early treatment options and complete comprehensive treatment with Invisalign or braces includes all appliances, office visits, and procedures performed in the office. Appliances are durable and should last through the entire treatment period if the patient follows instructions. If appliances require replacement due to loss, breakage, misuse or failure to eliminate foods that cause damage, we reserve the right to charge an additional replacement fee.
- One set of final retainers for our comprehensive (Phase II) patients is provided upon completion of treatment. There is a replacement fee for each additional retainer that is lost or broken.
What doesn’t my investment include?
- Work performed at other dental offices outside our orthodontic practice.
- If an accident or injury occurs during treatment which results in TMJ (Temporo-Mandibular-Joint) complications, additional orthodontics, orthognathic surgery, etc, a fee adjustment may be required to complete treatment under these unusual circumstances.
Assignment of Benefits
We accept assignment of benefits for most insurance plans. By doing this, the family’s out-of-pocket expense is substantially lower. If we do not accept assignment of benefits from your plan, we will be happy to file claims so that the insured can be reimbursed directly. Should there be any change in your policy prior to full payment of the insurance benefit, please contact our office immediately so adjustments may be made to your contract.
Regular Appointments
The appointment when you get your appliances (braces, expanders, etc.) usually takes from one to two hours. You’ll then see us at regular intervals 4 to 8 weeks apart for an adjustment, which takes 20 to 40 minutes. Our regular office hours are Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM; one regular Saturday and one 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM weekday per month. Patient appointments start at 8:00 am, the last appointment for an hour long appointment is 3:00 pm. The last appointment time on the late Wednesday is 6:00 pm. Patients are seen by appointment only. We make every effort to be on time for our patients and ask that you extend the same courtesy to us. If you cannot keep an appointment, please notify us immediately. Cancel only if it is an emergency. It is difficult to reschedule you since most appointments are made 4 to 8 weeks in advance.