Moss Orthodontics

Dr. Theodore L. Moss, DMD, MS
804 Freeport Road | Sterling, IL 61081 | 815-625-3504

Office Policies

Your First Visit

At your first visit Dr. Moss will review your dental history and complete an orthodontic exam. This will enable him to determine if orthodontic treatment is needed. He will discuss with you the problems that are present and the treatment needed to correct them. If braces are needed, he will be able to answer questions about procedures, when treatment should start, estimated treatment time and cost.

Patients who are not yet ready to begin treatment will be placed on recall and monitored until the best time to start orthodontic treatment. Occasionally, two phases of treatment are needed for young patients. Early treatment is necessary when problems exist that are causing irreversible damage to teeth and gums or treatment results will be better if completed during periods of growth.

There is no charge for the first visit unless it is necessary to take x-rays. We will inform you of fees prior to completing any procedures.

Records Appointment
Before braces are placed, it is always necessary to have complete orthodontic records so that an accurate and individualized diagnosis and treatment plan can be made. The orthodontic records consist of x-rays, study models, and photographs. This appointment will take 45 minutes and can be completed at your initial appointment if arranged ahead of time.

Braces Appointment
The appointment to have your appliances (braces, expanders, etc.) placed usually takes from one to two hours. You will be given instructions about caring for your braces, proper brushing techniques and foods to avoid.

Regular Appointments

Once you have braces you will then see us at regular intervals of about 6 weeks for adjustments. The adjustment appointments average 20 minutes. 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 to reschedule. In order to complete treatment within the estimated treatment time, appointments must be kept. We also request that we be called if anything on the orthodontic appliance is rubbing, loose, broken or not as it was when the patient leaves our office.

Payment & Office Policies

Cost
The cost of treatment depends on the severity of the patient's problem. You will be able to discuss fees and payment options before treatment begins. We accept assignment from most insurance plans and file the necessary papers to the insurance company. We work hard to make orthodontics affordable.

Fees
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 fee discount of 5%. (If you have insurance, we will offer a discount for payment of your portion of the fee that will not be covered by insurance.)
To fit your individual needs, financial arrangements can be made to extend your payments over a period of months.
For your convenience, we accept payment by VISA, MASTERCARD, DISCOVER and AMERICAN EXPRESS.
In cases of serious delinquency, treatment will be discontinued, although we will make every effort to accommodate patients with temporary difficulties.

Insurance
If you have insurance, we will help you to determine the coverage you have available. We ask that you assign your insurance benefit to us. The balance will be arranged for you to pay (see above). Professional care is provided to you, our patient, and not to an insurance company. Thus, the insurance company is responsible to the patient and the patient is responsible to the doctor. We will help in every way we can in filing your claim and handling insurance questions from our office on your behalf.