Currently, you will have received a health history form from us in the mail prior to your first appointment unless your appointment was scheduled within 5 business days. Please complete this in advance and bring it with you to your new patient exam. (If you didn't receive these forms or forgot them, don't worry, you can fill them out when you get here. Just come a few minutes earlier than your scheduled appointment). You will also be asked to complete other necessary forms such as HIPPA compliance and assignment of benefits forms. We ask that you bring any current dental insurance information such as a card or insurance form. We will be glad to contact your insurance carrier to verify any available orthodontic benefits.

Soon these forms will be available for on-line completion through a secure connection.

At your first visit you will be greeted by a member of our TEAM who will assist you in our computerized "check-in" process, review your health history/HIPAA forms and give you a brief overview of our office.

Dr. Sousa will sit with you to review your history and listen to what your chief concerns and expectations are. Your questions/concerns regarding orthodontic treatment will also be addressed as fully as possible. A thorough clinical exam will be completed and an explanation of your clinical findings will follow. Read more about the First Visit.

Diagnostic records consist of impressions of the mouth, a recording of the existing bite relative to the jaw joints, photographs, and a 3-D dental CT scan. The CT scan will be taken at Advanced Digital Imaging. Visit www.adi-diagnostics.com to learn more about this amazing technology. Any adult or older teen interested in invisalign^® will also have special impressions taken to develop a virtual treatment plan for review at the review of findings appointment.

After the doctor assesses the diagnostic records, an explanation of their findings will be presented to you at a consultation appointment. During the consultation, Dr. Sousa will review your clinical findings as well as what the diagnostic records reveal. He will discuss treatment options, explain the treatment process in detail, what you can expect and what is the risk/benefit to the proposed treatment plan. This is another great opportunity for all of your questions to be answered. We want you to feel comfortable and to completely understand the treatment plan prior to making any decision to proceed.

After meeting with Dr. Sousa, you will meet privately with a member of our administrative team to review the fee for treatment and discuss the several convenient financing plans available to you. Read more about our Financial Flexibility.

With everything else in order, and all of your questions answered, it's time to truly get started by scheduling your 'banding' appointment, the time during which you'll actually get your braces on. A member of our administrative team will assist you in making these arrangements too. Read more about the Banding Appointment.

Adults and Teens who will be treated with invisalign^® will be scheduled for a delivery appointment once aligners have been received. Read more about invisalign here.

Your journey will surely be a smooth one if you'll give us your best effort at compliance and follow all the guidelines given to you. You were given a lot of this information during your first two visits, but we've also included it on our Braces & You page.