For many of us, the anxiety of now knowing what to expect is enough to keep us from trying something new. For better or worse, going to the dentist can often times fall into this category and many people don’t schedule an appointment with a dentist because of this.

We wanted to talk about what you can expect from a visit to the dentist, so that, hopefully, you take the next step and schedule your appointment!

So, here's what you can expect on that first trip to the dentist:

We take your blood pressure! Why? this is a question we frequently get. The gist of it is that this is an easy baseline measurement that helps to inform us of your overall health. We want to make sure your heart and overall health are in good shape.
We do an oral cancer screening. This involves both a physical exam where our doctor will examine your neck and jaw tissue and also an oral exam using a VELscope light. This light will show any abnormalities in the tissue in your mouth. This is done for every new patient because if there is any abnormality, we want to catch it early.
We review your medical history. This includes going over past surgeries, your current medication list and any concerns you might have about your oral or overall health.
We will take a full mouth or panoramic x-ray. We do this to make sure we are seeing what your tooth structure looks like between your teeth and under your gum line. This is an area of your mouth that we simply cannot see with the naked eye and with X-rays we are able to evaluate the health of this area.
We create an individualized treatment plan for you! After this first visit, we are able to let you know what the next recommended steps are for you and help to get these appointments scheduled, even if your next step is simply a cleaning. We also will do a complimentary benefit check for you and do our best to get you an estimate on any treatment needed before your next scheduled appointment.

Don’t let fear of the unknown keep you from taking the next step toward optimal dental health. Call today!