What to Expect at Your First Visit

Most people arrive at a new dental practice expecting the worst part to happen immediately. It does not. Your first visit with us is diagnostic and conversational — we are working out what is going on and what you want, not starting treatment.

Before you arrive

Bring three things and you will not have to fill anything in at the desk:

• Your insurance card, if you have one, so we can verify coverage before we quote you anything.
• A list of medications you take, including supplements — several affect bleeding and healing.
• Any questions you have been meaning to ask. Write them down; people forget them in the chair.

The appointment itself

Plan for about an hour. We start by talking through your history and what brought you in. Then we take a full set of images, examine your teeth, gums, and bite, and screen for oral cancer — a two-minute check that is easy to skip and worth never skipping.

If you are nervous, say so at the start rather than partway through. It genuinely changes how we pace the appointment, and it is the single most useful thing an anxious patient can tell us.

Leaving with a plan

You leave with a written plan that lists what we recommend, what it costs, what your insurance is likely to cover, and what is urgent versus what can wait. Nothing gets scheduled until you have read it. If a treatment can reasonably be delayed or done a cheaper way, the plan says so.