Office Information Fees The smiles and hugs we receive after a completed case reflect the quality and dedication that our office provides to our guests. We use only the best materials and supplies for your treatment and are trained far beyond most general dentists in the art and science of cosmetic and neuromuscular dentistry. This allows us to help you achieve the beautiful, natural smile you desire. If you are looking to have a great healthy smile, don't hesitate and give us a call at 312-266-0044. Scheduling We are available for guest treatments on the following days and times: Monday              7:00 am to 4:00 pm Tuesday            Noon to 7:00 pm Wednesday     7:00 am to 4:00 pm Thursday           7:00 am to 4:00 pm At Halsted Dental Aesthetics, we run on time! This is one of the many features that makes our office unique! You will love the undivided attention you get during your visit. Dr. Widen remains with our guests until they are completed with their daily treatment. We will help you receive the insurance benefits you are entitled to and fill out all the necessary forms. We look forward to helping you achieve the smile you always wanted! Payments We offer the following methods of payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard and American Express. If the treatment is over $2000, we will give you a 5% courtesy, if the total fee is paid by cash or check prior to the start of treatment. You can finance your treatment using Dental Fee Plan which will allow you to have some or all of the necessary treatment done, while you make low monthly payments with a reasonable interest rate. Seniors (over 65) can enjoy a 5% courtesy when the total fee is paid for at time of service. Insurance Dr. Widen does not participate in any PPO insurance plans. We feel we can not provide the best and the highest quality service under the insurance companies restrictions. Dr. Widen will base your treatment plan on the condition and health of your mouth, not by what insurance will cover. We will help you fill out the neccessary forms to get you the benefit you are entitled to. (Think of it as a Rebate). Because there is such a discrepancy between the amounts insurance companies will pay for procedures, we would like that all services be paid for at the time services are performed.  We will help you get the most benefit due from your insurance company as quickly as possible. What you need to know about your Dental Insurance! Dental insurance is a contract between your employer and a dental insurance company.  The benefits that you will receive are based on the terms of the contract that were negotiated between your employer and the dental insurance company and not your dental office.  The goal of most dental insurance policies is to provide only basic care for specific dental services.  The services selected are based an the cost of the policy to your employer and the negotiated arrangements with the dental insurance company. Because the benefits you currently have are decided between your employer and the insurance company, many services are not covered.  The selection of non-covered services is not based on what you need or want, but is based strictly on the contract with the insurance company. Unfortunately, some of the services that you may need or want will not be covered by your dental insurer.  Our goal is to help you achieve and maintain optimal dental care, which is not necessarily the goal of your dental insurance company.  The goal of the insurance company is to provide only the negotiated benefits for the specifically selected services. The reimbursement mechanism from your dental insurance company is merely a mathematical formula as to which benefits you will receive and the percentage of the dentist's office fee that will be paid.  We do not want to compromise your care based on restraints placed by an insurance company. Another fact that most dental guests do not realize is that each dental insurance plan has a dollar amount limitation each year.  Once this limit is reached, no other services will be covered by your dental insurance company regardless how essential the service may be to your dental health. Our office will do everything possible to help you understand and make the most of your dental insurance benefits.  We realize that dental insurance is complex and that it is extremely difficult to understand how to make it work or even to work with certain dental insurance companies.  That is why we provide full assistance to you. Our office will complete and submit dental insurance forms to the company to achieve the maximum reimbursement to which you are entitled and will work diligently to make this happen as quickly as possible. Please be aware that some dental insurance companies take longer than others to complete payment.  If necessary, our office will contact the dental insurance company, or we may request your help in this matter. Many insurance companies try to control the amount of dentistry you receive by requiring authorization for procedures in advance.  Our office will do everything possible to help you maximize the insurance benefits to which you are entitled. In most cases, we can begin treatment prior to receiving an authorization from the dental insurance company.  However, guests need to understand that in the event the dental insurance company refuses to pay for treatment, you are responsible for all fees.  Naturally, we always provide you with the full fees in advance so that you know the exact cost of treatment. Like you, we recognize that the authorization process is often time consuming and unnecessary. Some services are typically not covered by dental insurance companies.  These include: cosmetic dentistry, implants, occlusion or bite redesign, and other services.  Although these are important dental services that can greatly enhance the quality of life of our guests, dental insurance companies do not feel that they should have to pay for these services.  That is why these services are rarely included in contracts with your employer. Any time you have a question about your dental insurance, please feel free to ask us.  We recognize that dental insurance is becoming more complex and more difficult to understand everyday.  This is often due to the quest by dental insurance companies to reduce costs through continual changes.  Keep in mind that the dental insurance companies are not concerned about coverage for optimal dental care, but provide coverage for only a limited number of basic services. Our office remains dedicated to providing optimal care for every guest and working with you to achieve that goal.  We pride ourselves on helping you in any way and in continuing to provide the quality of care to which you have become accustomed. Please let us know if you have any questions - it will be our pleasure to help you. Cancellations In order to be fair to all of our guests, if you need to reschedule your appointment it must be done at least 2 days before so we have time to fill the appointment time with another guest. Since Dr. Widen does not double-book appointments and hop around from room to room it is vital that you call our office no less than 48 hours before any appointment you can not make. This dedicated time reserved specifically for you is one of the many things that sets our office apart from the rest of the dental community. A $50.00 charge may be applied to your account if you miss an appointment or reschedule or cancel your appointment without sufficient time.