Patient Guidelines
Stability of Treatment:
During treatment, we do our very best to ensure your symptoms do not return. There are 4 types of stress factors influenced by your lifestyle that you can control:
- Dental Stress
- Structural Stress
- Nutritional Stress
- External Stress
If symptoms reoccur, we will be happy to provide further treatment. Additional fees will be incurred for the services we provide.
Recall After Treatment:
In most cases, we will want to see you periodically after the completion of your treatment, especially if you recently received a correction to your bite. We will usually see you after 6 months and then once a year thereafter. You should also see your family dentist on a regular basis.
Additional Charges:
Please be advised that there are additional fees for requested special services, such as copies of reports, letters, documentation, files, radiographs, etc. Fees begin at $25 and are determined by the nature of the service.
Telephone Calls:
During regular business hours, office personnel handle all appointment changes and take messages for Dr. Alpher. Please let them know if Dr. Alpher has requested that you call to report on your condition. As a rule, he does not take calls during business hours except in cases of emergency. Calls are returned if time permits during business hours; otherwise, calls are returned after hours.
Payments:
We accept cash, personal checks, Visa/MasterCard, and Discover. We are a fee-for-service based office and do not accept any insurance assignment. Should you require any assistance with payment, we offer CitiCard. It is available based upon your credit history and is interest-free for up to one year.
Tardiness:
If you are unable to arrive on time for your scheduled appointment, please call us as soon as possible. We will be happy to reschedule your appointment.
Cancellations:
We require 48-hours notice of cancellation.
Repeated Missed Appointments:
We will not schedule any patient for further treatment if he/she has missed two (2) appointments without 48-hours notice.
Referrals:
If you should need a referral from your primary care physician, please obtain all necessary forms. We are not responsible for obtaining them.
If the purpose of your appointment is to determine whether you are a candidate for an oral airway dilator to treat sleep apnea, please bring the results from your sleep study to your first appointment.
If you have had any diagnostic studies performed, such as an MRI or x-rays, please bring the reports as well as the films.
Please note that Dr. Alpher does not treat patients under the age of 18 without a parent or guardian present.