Practice policies

New patients

We warmly welcome new patients of all ages to our practice. Our friendly reception staff are always happy to help and the whole team enjoys meeting new patients, getting to know them and carving out what it is they would like to achieve. It is not necessary to have a referral to SOP from your family dentist, you can contact us directly for a Specialist Orthodontic Consultation.

Specialist Orthodontic Consultation

Our Specialist Orthodontic Consultation is arguably the most important appointment throughout your entire orthodontic treatment and up to an hour is reserved for this. It is a highly comprehensive analysis of who you are, what you would like to achieve, history and record taking, x-rays, diagnosis of the problem, impression taking and the proposal of treatment options tailor-made to your individual case.

You will be given a detailed set of photographs, diagnoses and treatment options to take with you following the consultation. Without a thorough Specialist Orthodontic Consultation, it would not be possible to propose an optimal treatment for you and as a result there might need to be adjustments or changes made during treatment. Integrity is something we hold in high esteem and we want you to trust that we do what we say and promise.

Due to the comprehensive nature and importance of this consultation, it is a chargeable appointment. The fee for the Specialist Orthodontic Consultation will be deducted from the overall treatment cost.

Appointments

Everyone at SOP understands that your time is valuable and we will make every effort to see each patient at the scheduled time. In return, we ask that our patients arrive on time for their appointments.

Orthodontic appliances must be adjusted and monitored on a regular basis so that treatment can proceed as planned. Some appointments may be shorter than others, but they are all equally important to the success of your treatment. The frequency of your appointments will vary during the course of your treatment depending on what stage you are at, the type of appliance you have and how treatment is progressing.

In order to maximise the use of your time, we may schedule your longer appointments during the less popular times of the day – this eliminates long waiting times for minor adjustments. This scheduling system allows us to accommodate the greatest number of patients during the more popular times (before and after school/work) whilst still running on time. We kindly ask you to work with us in helping to make this system work.

Cancellations

We appreciate that your time is extremely valuable; we hope you understand that our time is valuable too! If you need to cancel or change your appointment, please give us as much notice as possible, preferably at least 24 hours. This allows us to rearrange our patients to accommodate your scheduling change.

We appreciate that situations arise unexpectedly where this isn’t possible, but we hope that you will work with us to maintain the integrity of our booking system in order to provide efficient and effective orthodontic care.