Our Patients In Active Treatment
Some Things to Know About Appointments
Appointments vary in length and type. In our office, there are some appointments which are scheduled at specific times of the day. Generally, these appointments are longer in duration and involve more complex procedures. Such appointments include: diagnostic records, appliance placement or removal, addition of brackets or bands, or specific types of wire changes. Other types of appointments have more flexible scheduling.
During active treatment, there are three common types of appointments. The first type is what we call a routine visit. Routine visits are short appointments in which the doctor makes minor adjustments or performs shorter procedures. These appointments are usually about 15 minutes in length.
The second type of appointment is a wire change. Most wire change appointments take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Some wire changes must be done earlier in the day and may take slightly longer due to the complexity of the procedure.
The third type of appointment is a 45- to 60-minute appointment which usually entails the addition or replacement of brackets and/or bands. These appointments generally occur only sporadically over the course of treatment unless there is excessive breakage.
Through most of active treatment, patients are most often seen once a month (every 4 to 5 weeks). Occasionally, due to scheduling or the next procedure required, this interval may be a little shorter or longer.
While under treatment at Briss Orthodontics, school-age patients should expect to have to have school-time appointments every two to three months during the school year. School notes are available at the front desk upon request.
All appointments, regardless of length, are important. Please let the office know as soon as possible about any cancellations so that the patient may be seen close to their original appointment date. As we do book our appointments several weeks ahead, a cancellation the day of or the day before the appointment may not be able to be rescheduled for a few weeks and may result in a delay in treatment.
Appointment Booking
Due to the nature of orthodontics, appointments for the next visit are booked at the end of the current visit. When the patient is finished his or her appointment, the doctor will indicate the type of appointment required for the following visit. The front desk staff will then be able to provide the patient and/or parent with the amount of time required for the next visit and times of day at which that procedure can be scheduled.
Please check in at the front desk after your appointment to schedule your next appointment.
Appointment Cancellations
If you need to cancel an appointment, please call no less than 48 hours prior to the appointment time when at all possible. The sooner that our staff is aware that you or your child will not be able to attend the next booked appointment, the sooner they can reschedule the visit and reduce any delays in treatment.
Appointments that are not attended and are not canceled are considered broken appointments. We reserve the right to charge our patients for excessive broken appointments.