A first orthodontic appointment is not a treatment appointment, and knowing that in advance takes most of the nerves out of it. Nothing is fitted, nothing is decided on the spot, and you leave with the information rather than an obligation. Here is how the hour runs.
What happens on the day
- We ask what brought you in, because the thing bothering you is not always the thing we would notice first
- A specialist examines the teeth, the bite and the way the jaws meet and move
- We take photographs, and X-rays if they are needed and you do not already have recent ones
- We talk through what we have found in plain language, with the images in front of you
- We set out the realistic options, including doing nothing for now if that is the sensible answer
Allow about an hour. Bring any referral letter and any recent X-rays from your dentist, along with your Medicare and health fund cards.
What you leave with
A written treatment plan and a written quote for it, so nothing about the fee arrives later as a surprise. You are welcome to take it away, talk it over at home, and come back to us. There is a fuller walkthrough of the appointment on your first visit.
Why we will not quote over the phone
Reception is asked this most days, and the answer is not evasion. Two people with what looks like the same crooked front tooth can need completely different treatment, one taking six months and the other two years, and quoting a number down the phone would mean quoting a number for someone we have not examined. We would rather tell you what changes the fee, then tell you your fee once we know your mouth.
What actually changes the fee
- How far the teeth have to move, and whether the bite has to be corrected as well as the alignment
- Which appliance the case calls for
- How long treatment will run, since much of the cost is the appointments across those months
- Whether anything needs doing first, for example by your general dentist
- Retainers at the end, and how they are looked after afterwards
Paying for it
Very few families pay for orthodontic treatment in one go, and the practice is set up on that basis. Interest free payment plans are arranged through DentiCare, with weekly, fortnightly or monthly direct debits spread across the length of treatment. We set that up at the consultation, once the plan is settled. Our cost and payment plans page goes through this in full, including health funds and families with more than one child in treatment.
Health funds
If your health fund includes extras cover with an orthodontic benefit, we can claim on the spot through Hicaps at each visit, so you pay only the gap. What you are entitled to varies a great deal between funds and policies, so it is worth ringing your fund before you start and asking what your orthodontic limit is and whether there is a waiting period.
Do you need a referral?
No. As specialists we see patients referred by their dentist and patients who ring us directly, in roughly equal numbers, and neither is treated differently.
