Office Policies
Orthodontics is affordable
We feel that our fees reflect an excellent value. With proper maintenance (retainer wear), your investment should last a lifetime. Most treatments take 18 to 24 months to complete and cost approximately $6/day during that period. Unlike most things you might purchase during that time, a great smile never goes out of style. Never wears out. Never breaks down. A great smile lasts a lifetime.
The Fee
The actual cost of treatment depends on several factors, including the severity of the problem and the treatment approach selected. You will be able to thoroughly discuss fees and payment options before any treatment begins. We will present and explain the fee at the initial consultation. The fee is an estimate, but the final amount rarely varies. Typically we request a down payment on the day your braces are placed (we can be flexible here). We also ask that you pay up-front for the record taking during your second visit. For your convenience, we offer payment options.
Option 1: Full payment at the start of the treatment. We offer a bookkeeping discount of 5% for payment by cash or cheque, and 1.5% for debit or credit cards.
Option 2: Extended payment terms are available, with no interest charged. You are required to provide our office with postdated cheques to cover the balance of your treatment fee: alternatively, we can charge your Visa/MC on a monthly basis. We set up monthly plans so that payments are completed by the end of treatment.
(Payment terms are offered as a courtesy to our customers to make it easier for you to finance your treatment. If the treatment takes longer than we anticipated, we will not charge more. Nor will we charge you more if you need more visits than expected. Conversely, if the treatment is completed sooner than expected, you are expected to fulfill the terms of your financial arrangements/contract.).
What Your Fee Includes
- Initial Examination by Dr. Dumore
- Comprehensive orthodontic examination
- Preliminary diagnosis and explanation of any problems that were identified
- Preliminary treatment plan
- Initial Diagnostic Records
- Study models of teeth
- Records to transfer the models to an articulator to assess the bite
- Digital photographs of the face and teeth
- Diagnostic full head (cephalometric) xray
- Diagnostic dental / jaw (panoramic) xray
- Diagnostic functional evaluation
- All time required for Dr. Dumore to compile a problem list and detailed treatment plan to address the problems.
- Treatment of Case (approximately two years)
- All materials and supplies
- Doctor and staff time
- Correspondence with other doctors
- All progress diagnostic records as required
- Treatment progress reports to parents and dentist as required
- "Tim Bucks" incentive program
- Emergency care for orthodontic appliances *Lab charges are "passed through" at cost
- Philips Sonicare Toothbrush
- Retention Treatment (braces removed)
- Removal of orthodontic appliances
- Construction of original retainers (as needed)
- Retention diagnostic records (as needed)
- Study models of teeth, mounted to an articulator
- Digital facial intraoral photographs
- Post-treatment full head (cephalometric) x-ray
- Post-treatment dental / jaw (panoramic) x-ray
- Review of retention plan
- Retention Treatment (approximately 12 months)
- Retainer adjustments (as needed)
- Adjustment of teeth (reshaping) as needed to improve aesthetics and function
- All doctor and staff time
- Progress reports and correspondence to dentist as required
Dental Care Coverage
If your employer offers Dental Care Insurance, read the specifics of your policy carefully. Please note that employer-sponsored Dental Care Insurance:
- covers only what your employer has agreed to cover (orthodontic treatment may not be covered).If you have coverage, the maximum covered is usually 50 percent of the treatment costs, with a lifetime maximum that varies.
- may not reimburse a lump sum payment. Check your policy.
- covers you only while you are employed with that company. If you change jobs and your coverage is lost, you are still responsible for payment of the treatment.
Did you know that you might be able to claim orthodontic fees on your income tax?
Appointments
Orthodontic force systems must be adjusted and monitored every 4 to 8 weeks for treatment to proceed as planned. Treatment proceeds in stages. At some points, only small adjustments are needed, requiring a relatively short appointment. At other times, major changes are required in the appliance, requiring a long appointment. Many of the office visits will inevitably conflict with your work or school schedule. In order to balance the need for regular appointments with the need to minimize missed school and work hours we have organized our schedule as follows:
We will schedule longer appointments during school and work hours; shorter appointments are scheduled before and after school or work. In this way we do not reserve an entire afternoon for one or two patients, but rather see as many patients as possible during the popular appointment times.
We want to see every patient at the time of their scheduled appointment. Time is valuable – it should not be wasted sitting in our welcome area.
We want to have enough time at each appointment to do the necessary adjustments, plan the next visit, discuss treatment progress, and answer questions.
Late or Missed Appointments
Because the schedule is carefully crafted, arriving late for an appointment can pose a problem. In fairness to other scheduled patients we cannot squeeze a late arrival into the schedule. We will probably have to reschedule the appointment unless there is an unexpected opening in the schedule. All failed or late appointments should be rescheduled as soon as possible. Since the after school and work appointments are scheduled several weeks in advance, it will probably be necessary to reschedule the missed appointment during the middle of the day. Our goal is fairness for everyone.
Broken Devices or Braces
We count on patients showing care for their braces. If a patient arrives with multiple broken braces, we will need to reschedule for a rebonding appointment. In this way, we will have sufficient time to do the necessary repairs without rushing.
(Recall that additional fees may apply for persistent offenders. However, patients with no broken braces will be rewarded with entry forms for our monthly prize draws!)
Orthodontic Emergencies
What is an orthodontic emergercy?
Something related to your braces or appliance which is causing you pain.
Orthodontic device breakage
A tooth without a brace is a tooth that is not moving in the right direction (or maybe moving the wrong way!) This is why we ask that you be very careful with your orthodontic devices. A breakage could mean:
- Increased treatment time.
- Longer appointments to do repairs.
- Greater number of appointments.
- Discomfort caused by poking wires.
- Increased cost, if repairs to appliances are required.
You may not be able to receive an appointment at a time that is convenient for you.
What should you do?
- Keep any braces or appliance pieces.
- Try wax to protect sore cheeks and gums. If you need more wax, we will gladly give you some.
- If you are in pain, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, or generic) usually works well.
- If you are not in pain, please call the next business day between 8:00 and 4:30. We can then determine how quickly your problem must be solved.
- If you are calling after hours and your problem is not urgent, please leave a message and someone will respond to your call the next working day.
- If your problem is urgent and a prompt response is required, note that Dr. Dumore's personal number is listed on our voicemail message.
Your well-being is our primary concern. Please call us at (204) 832-3910 if you have any concerns.
Protecting Patient Privacy — Below is a copy of our privacy policy.
Dr. Tim Dumore & Team Office Privacy Policy
Privacy Officer: Dr. Tim Dumore
Effective January 1, 2004 the new federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) regulates the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information in the private sector.
PIPEDA allows for information to be disclosed to other healthcare providers, laboratories, and related health professionals, including commercial third parties in the course of activities for reimbursement as long as the information is related to care and treatment of a patient and that the patient knows the information will be shared.
This office will comply with the principles of PIPEDA and as such will ensure that:
- Only necessary information is collected about you
- Your information is only shared with your consent
- Storage, retention and destruction of your personal information complies with existing legislation and privacy protection protocols
- Our privacy protocols comply with privacy legislation, standards of our regulatory body, the Manitoba Dental Association, and the law
Our dental office is also committed to protecting your personal information that we collect from you (such as: medical history, address, phone number, credit card information, insurance information, marital status, and dependents). To help you understand how we are doing that, we have outlined below how your personal information is being used by our office.
- To deliver safe and efficient dental care
- Ensure that side effects from adding or mixing medications will be minimized
- Ensure that any health problems that you may have will not be aggravated or cause problems with treatment that is done
- To identify and ensure quality care
- To assess your dental health needs
- To provide proper and timely dental care
- To advise you of treatment options
- To enable us to maintain communication with you for the following purposes:
- Follow-up for treatment, care and billings
- Booking and confirmation of appointments
- Distribution of dental health information
- To communicate with other treating dentists and healthcare providers, including physicians, specialists and/or referring dentists
- To comply with legal and regulatory requirements as stated in The Dental Association Act, which may include:
- Delivery of patient charts, x-rays, and other materials to the Manitoba Dental Association for the purposes of reviewing patient complaints
- Preparation of materials for peer review as identified in The Dental Association Act
- To process payments for dental care and purchases from our office
- To assist in the collection of outstanding accounts
- To permit potential purchasers, practice brokers or advisors to evaluate the dental practice and/or conduct an audit in preparation of its sale
- To comply with PIPEDA
All staff members who come in contact with your personal information are aware of the sensitive nature of the information that you have disclosed to us. They are all trained in the appropriate uses and protection of your information.
In the course of care and treatment, you are giving your informed consent to the collection, use and/or disclosure of your personal information for the purposes that are listed. If a new purpose arises for the use and/or disclosure of your personal information, we will seek your approval in advance.
Our office will not under any conditions supply your insurer with your confidential medical history. In the event we receive such as a request, we will forward the information directly to you for review and for your specific consent. When we received unusual requests, we will contact you for permission to release such information. You may withdraw your consent for use or disclosure of your personal information at anytime, and we will explain the ramifications of such a decision, and the required process for withdrawal.
Patient Right to Access Personal Information
Patients have a right to access their personal information collected by our dental office, to correct or amend any personal information that is identified as being incorrect, and to make inquiries about the privacy practices of this dental office.
If you do have a concern and/or wish to inquire about our privacy practices, including asking questions about the contents of your charts or records, you must make your request in writing to our dental office privacy officer.
If you have any questions, regarding our dental office privacy policy, please talk to one of our dental staff.
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