New Patients

What To Expect

Your initial exam visit will be scheduled for about 90 minutes. At the beginning of this appointment the dentist will review your overall health history and discuss any relevant findings with you. Next, he will perform a brief head and neck examination. This includes feeling the upper neck and beneath the jaw for unusual lumps or tender areas. Before looking in your mouth we will also feel the temporomandibular joints (jaw joints) as you open and close your mouth. This is an evaluation for any joint dysfunctions. Then, we examine all of the soft tissues in your mouth looking for red or white areas, ulcers, or enlargements. As we closely examine every tooth in your mouth, we will map out in your computer file, all existing dental work and conditions that we observe. An important, but often overlooked part of the complete exam is an evaluation of the gingiva (gums). We will measure the depth of the pockets around your teeth, recession of gingival tissues, and mobility of your teeth so that we can determine the level of health or disease in the tissues that support your teeth. To help with diagnosis and treatment planning we may also take any of a variety of radiographs of your teeth and jaws and/or impressions of your teeth.In cases where there

are significant treatment needs we will make a separate consultation appointment so that we can review the exam findings and treatment options together to develop the best treatment plan for you. Our patients are always involved in creating their own treatment plan, so we want to give you all of the information you need to make and informed decision. Please feel free to ask questions at any time, but especially during this consultation appointment as we map out the path to your complete dental health.