Welcome to our practice

WELCOME TO OUR PRACTICE. We want to extend to you a very warm welcome to our dental practice. We are currently accepting new patients and look forward to meeting you and caring for your dental health. We want you to know we strive to make dentistry a pleasant experience for you in a comfortable environment.

On your first visit to the office, it would be beneficial if you could have the following information for our records:

• Please bring a list of current medications that you are taking or if you are allergic to any medication.

• If you have a medical condition such as a prosthetic joint or a heart condition requiring taking antibiotics before dental treatment, please make sure that you take the medication prior to your appointment as prescribed by your physician. If you are unsure if you need to premedicate, please contact your family doctor. If you arrive to our office and need it, it may mean that you may have to be reappointed and we certainly do not want to waste your time.

• Please be sure to bring all dental insurance information so we can assist you in filing your claims for you. If you would like to email or fax a copy of the front and back of your card to our office the day before your appointment, we could verify your benefits so you do not have to wait in the office as the front office staff makes the calls. Once again, this would save you time.

• If possible, please arrange for a copy of your old radiographs to be sent to our office prior to the appointment. Those records will enable us to check the last documented condition of your teeth.

At the time of your first appointment, we will listen closely to your dental concerns and perform a thorough comprehensive exam. The comprehensive exam includes evaluation for decay, an oral cancer screening, a TMJ (jaw joint) exam, occlusal (bite) exam, smile analysis, airway exam, periodontal (gum) evaluation, intraoral camera pictures, and digital x-rays. If your exam reveals healthy gums and supporting bone, we will proceed with a cleaning followed by a gum massage. If your periodontal screening reveals gum disease is present, you may need to be reappointed to have adequate time for your treatment or you may have to be referred to a gum specialist called a periodontist.
Before any treatment begins, we will sit down with you and advise you of your options so you can make an informed decision regarding the best course of treatment for your specific needs. We respect our patients and our goal is to provide you with an atmosphere of mutual trust. Please plan on at least one hour for your first visit.

For children, we like for them to have the time to meet us and get comfortable with the dental setting. We recommend that their first visit be around the age of two unless you have a concern earlier. The first visit we call a "happy visit" and it may mean that all they do is sitting in the chair. We will not push a child through any of the treatment and let the child dictate how much is accomplished. We will attempt a comprehensive exam, x-rays, cleaning, and a fluoride treatment and will go over brushing and flossing techniques. If they have a difficult time, we may have to postpone some of the treatment until the child's next visit. The most important part is your child has a happy, playful time with us and sees our office as a fun place to be in order to start a lifelong commitment to a healthy smile.

We recommend children and adults with healthy gums have a cleaning and exam every six months in order to catch any problems early. We take digital x-rays once a year to examine for decay between the teeth and to examine supporting bone structure. If you have gum disease, an appropriate treatment regime will be implemented along with closely monitored recall such as 3 or 4 month cleaning. Gum disease is a painless disease until severe problems occur so we want to keep a closer eye on our periodontal patients.

We ask that you arrive 15 minutes early to your first appointment to complete your new patient forms. These forms are available to you to download and print for your convenience of filling them out ahead of time.

Thank you for choosing our practice to serve your dental needs. We will be happy to answer any of your questions and help you overcome obstacles you may face in obtaining your goals.

Please feel free to call us at 706-754-7433.