smiling teenage girl with pink hat and purple gloves

What to Expect

35 years of Orthodontic experience put to work to give you the beautiful smile and confidence you’ve always wanted. Your comfort and results are our primary concerns. To this end we provide you with complimentary initial consultation and information you need to make an educated decision about orthodontic treatment.

During your first visit you will be welcomed by our treatment coordinator. She will gladly give you a tour of our office. While we review your medical and dental history, you will watch a short educational video about orthodontics.

Next you will meet one of our Doctors – Dr. Claro or Dr. Ghafouri – who will conduct a thorough orthodontic examination, summarize the results, and explain the recommended treatment in simple, non-confusing language. You will know the amount of time, the steps involved, and the cost of your treatment. Once our Doctors outline this information, our treatment coordinator will answer any scheduling and financial questions you might have. By this time many of our new patients feel comfortable with making a decision to move forward with the treatment.

1. Creating Diagnostic Records

Once you make the decision to improve your smile the first step is creating diagnostic records to determine best course of your treatment. We create digital study models of your teeth, take photographs of your face and teeth and take special digital orthodontic X-rays in our office. These records allow us to plan your treatment and are helpful in tracking the progress as we work together to give you a beautiful and healthy smile.

2. Beginning Conference

After one of our Doctors has evaluated your records we discuss your treatment in detail. The doctor will explain in simple terms your unique situation, the sequence of your appointments and the financial particulars. We will take as much time as you need to completely answer all your questions, address any concerns and, if you so choose, introduce you to financial options to make your treatment affordable.

3. First Regular Appointment

Your first appointment usually takes from one to two hours. This is when we install the “appliances” – which, depending on your unique situation, will be braces, expanders, spacers, etc. You'll then see your Doctor every four to eight weeks for an “adjustment” - which takes 20 to 40 minutes. To accommodate your schedule we have morning, afternoon - and occasionally weekend – appointments available.

Here are just a few additional things you may want to know

Our rotating office hours are:
Mondays 8:30-5 or 9-4
Tuesdays & Wednesdays 9:00-6:00
Thursdays 7:30 to 4 PM or 9:00-6:00
Fridays 9:00 to 1PM or 7:30-12:30
Selected Saturdays 8:00-12:00 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 your visit since most appointments are made 4 to 8 weeks in advance.
To be fair to our school age patients we alternate appointments for late afternoon and mornings or early afternoons to minimize the time your child will need to miss school.
The cost of treatment depends on the severity of your specific situation and the amount of time involved to complete the treatment. We cannot and will not quote the cost of your treatment over the phone. You will be able to discuss fees and payment options before treatment begins. We have payment plans to suit most budgets. We also accept assignment from most insurance plans, and file the necessary papers to the insurance company. We will work with you to make orthodontics as affordable as possible.
In an effort to keep orthodontic fees down while maintaining the highest level of professional care, we have established the following policy:
- If full payment is made at the onset of treatment, we will offer a fee discount. (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.
- We have gone green and prefer to not send out statements. For your convenience, we accept payment by Automatic Debit (via Vanco), all major credit cards and will make in office financial arrangements. We also accept all PPO insurances and are providers for Metlife, Cigna and Delta Dental.
- In cases of serious delinquency, treatment will be discontinued, although we will make every effort to accommodate patients with temporary difficulties.
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 to reduce your monthly installments. 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.

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Irvine Orthodontics

What to Expect