What to expect on your first visit:
On your first visit to our office you will initially be welcomed by our front desk staff. Since so much of your dental health is affected by your general health - and visa versa - we ask that you fill out a fairly comprehensive form detailing your dental and health history. You will find a copy of this form on the new Patient Forms page on the right, and we encourage you to print it out and complete it at your leisure, prior to to your appointment. Included on that form are a number of questions regarding your employment information and any insurance you may have. All of that information is important as often the insurance companies will not process your claim without all of the pertinent information being completed. While we are more than happy to submit your claim for you electronically, our hands are tied if we do not have all of the necessary information. Also, please be sure to bring your insurance card along with you so that we may photocopy it for our files.
If your initial visit is for hygiene, you may be surprised at the comprehensive approach we use in our practice. It is our belief that good oral care can eliminate many future dental problems and towards that end we not only do a thorough exam to check for any dental or oral problems or irregularities, but we instruct all of our patients on the best way for them to properly continue their oral hygiene at home. Another important part of your hygiene visit is the x-rays we take. Generally, just few films are necessary to give a good idea of any important changes to your teeth, and to that end we recommend having bitewing x-rays done once a year. If you have not had a set of full mouth x-rays done recently, this might be done on your initial visit, and we recommend doing them about every five years thereafter. These views of your entire mouth allow us to inspect for any subtler changes that might need attention.
The hygiene portion of your visit will include a careful scaling to remove any built up plaque, especially along the gumline and between teeth. This removes a major breeding ground for tooth decay. During this time we are also inspecting your teeth for any cavities or problems that need attention. This, in addition to any x-rays that we have taken, allow us to plan the best course to keep your teeth and guns healthy. And finally, we polish your clean teeth to help restore their natural sheen, and apply any flouride treatments recommended. This initial visit is probably a little more lengthy than it will be in the future, but this allows us to get to know your mouth well enough to accurately assess the status of your dental health. This is an important part of our job of keeping your smile a bright one!
New Patient Referrals
We truly appreciate that our existing patients have chosen us to handle their dental needs and as a token of our appreciation, for every new patient you refer to us, we would like to offer you the choice of either a free cleaning or an in-office whitening treatment. We value these new additions to our dental family. Thanks for thinking of us!