Payment Policies
Equipping, maintaining, and running a dental office properly has become very
expensive in recent times. The Ontario Dental Association has developed a suggested
fee guide which is updated annually, and which attempts to reflect those costs
in the average dental practice in Ontario. Our fees are charged based on the
time we spend with you, the "difficulty" or "routineness"
of the service being provided, the costs of the technology required to provide
the service, the costs of materials and personnel required, and time spent in
diagnosing and developing a treatment plan for your unique situation.
Our fees are generally based on the suggested
O.D.A. fee guide, but may vary up or down depending on your particular treatment.
We will inform you of any costs before treatment is commenced so there are no
"surprises".
If you have any concerns, please discuss them with us before we begin treatment.
Many of you have dental insurance plans which may cover some or all of the fees charged for your dental work. These plans have usually been negotiated between your employer and your employee representative, or simply purchased on your behalf. In many cases, the fees will be entirely paid for by your insurance. However, many plans have deductibles, pay only a percentage of the fee charged, pay based on the fee guide from a previous year, or for certain procedures, pay nothing at all. In all of these instances, you will have to pay any differences yourself. Where this amount may be substantial, you should arrange with us ahead of time how you would like to pay for it. If you have dental insurance, you can expect to be reimbursed by them in anywhere from 4 days to 4 weeks time. Most insurers that we deal with are now online electronically, and those plans will usually reimburse you within 5 days. If you have not made any prior special arrangement with us, payment is due the day of your appointment.
We accept cheques, post-dated cheques, Visa, or cash. If this is not possible, you can also arrange payment plans with us, using a series of post-dated cheques. We do not like having to send out statements. Any accounts outstanding more than 60 days will have interest added at the same rates as Visa. In certain cases of comprehensive treatment, where the estimated commercial laboratory fee is substantial, you may be asked to make a deposit equal to this amount before work is started.
We are not a walk-in clinic.We run our office on an appointment basis, and we try to stay on schedule. Occasionally emergencies arise, or a procedure takes longer than anticipated. However, over the years, it has been our experience that when we keep our patients waiting beyond their appointed time, it is usually because a previous patient has shown up late for their appointment. If this happens we can either see them and keep everyone after them waiting that amount of time, rush through their appointment (which we will not do), or reschedule their appointment for another time. If you are late for an appointment, we will see you if our schedule permits and if it does not inconvenience anyone else. If we feel that seeing you late will cause an inconvenience for others, then we will ask you to reschedule your appointment in consideration of the people who follow you. We have, on occasion, had patients who habitually show up late for their appointments, and in these cases, have sometimes suggested that perhaps another dental office might better suit their unique personal schedules.
If you are unable to keep an appointment, we would ask you to give us 48 hours notice. This is in consideration of our staff who have scheduled their time around your expected visit, and in consideration of other patients who may be waiting to see us at the earliest opportunity in their schedules. Because of the inconvenience to everyone involved with a broken appointment, you may be charged a fee for failure to show up at a time that you have scheduled with us. We call all of our patients a day or two before to confirm their appointments. Again, with habitual failure to keep appointments, we may suggest seeking treatment at another office with a schedule more suited to such a unique lifestyle.
All of our instruments and hand pieces are heat sterilized for your safety and peace of mind. Our equipment has been purchased with consideration for cleanliness and prevention of disease transmission. Ask to see our sterilization facilities should you have any questions or concerns.
we are currently updating this section
We welcome your comments, both positive and negative. If something we have done upsets you, please let us know, and we will try to accommodate you. If you are happy with our practice, please tell your friends. We have found over the years that our best patients have usually been referred to us by other "best patients". We welcome new patients, and would enjoy seeing your family and friends.
For your convenience, we have added a currency convertor. Click here.