Office Policies & Mission

We are open to serve you, answer questions or schedule an appointment during the following hours:

Monday – Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
(Please call our Ashland office to schedule an appointment.)

Appointments

We would like you to understand the goals we seek to achieve by our appointment system. Orthodontic force systems must be adjusted and monitored at consistent intervals for treatment to proceed as planned. Many of the office visits will inevitably conflict with work or school. In order to balance the need for regular appointments with the need to minimize missed school and work hours, we have designed our office schedule to accomplish the following:

  1. We want to see each patient at the time of his or her scheduled appointment. Your time is valuable; it should not be wasted sitting in our reception area.
  2. We want to have enough time at each appointment to do the necessary adjustment, plan the next visit, discuss treatment progress and answer questions. Orthodontic treatment proceeds in stages. At some times, what is needed is a simple change, requiring a relatively short appointment. At other times, major changes are required in the appliance, requiring a long appointment. With this in mind:
  3. We will schedule longer appointments during school and work hours and shorter appointments at more convenient times. In this way, we do not reserve an entire afternoon for a few patients, but rather see as many patients as possible with short appointments. One consequence of a schedule arranged in this fashion is that the office is quieter during midday hours and busier in the early morning and in the late afternoon.
  4. If you are seen in a satellite office, there will be a few appointments scheduled in our Ashland (home) office.

Because the schedule is carefully crafted, arriving late or missing your appointment can pose a problem. We ask you to remember that the broken appointment hurts three people…you, another patient and Dr. Lovlien. In fairness to the other scheduled patients, we will usually not insert a very late arrival into the schedule. We will probably have to reschedule the appointment unless there is an opening in the schedule that we had not expected.

All failed or late appointments should be rescheduled as soon as possible. Since the after-school and work hour appointments are scheduled several weeks in advance, it will be necessary to reschedule the missed appointment during the middle of the day.

Transfer Policies

What happens if we move during care?

Changing orthodontists during treatment requires additional planning. We will help you make the transition go as smoothly as possible. With the help of a national directory, we can give you a recommendation for an orthodontist in the town or city to which you are moving. At times, we will know the person we recommend personally.

Will a move prolong orthodontic treatment time?

The estimated treatment time will generally take longer when a transfer is made during active treatment. Treatment takes longer because a new orthodontist must do a complete evaluation with recent models and X-rays. Additionally, it may take a couple of months for a new orthodontist to become familiar with the patient’s response to treatment.

What effect will a move have on the overall treatment costs?

Treatment costs will generally be increased when there is a transfer of care. The additional expense is related to updating the treatment plan, progress records, possible added length in treatment time and appliance changes. Our office will adjust the fee to reflect the work we completed. The new orthodontist will quote you a fee to complete treatment.

What should I do after arriving at our new residence?

When you have completed your move, make contact with the new orthodontist as soon as possible to avoid any additional delay in treatment. When you check in with the new orthodontist, decide if you are happy with the referral or if you wish to contact a second office. The new orthodontic office will request a transfer report from our office, which will include sending copies of your treatment records.

Insurance

Our office is committed to helping you maximize your insurance benefits. Because insurance policies vary, we can only estimate your coverage in good faith but cannot guarantee coverage due to the complexities of insurance contracts. If you have any questions, our courteous staff is always available to answer them.