A first visit is not treatment. It is a conversation.
If you have been putting this off for years, this page is written for you.
Most people who walk in for the first time are not there because something hurt yesterday. They are there because they have been thinking about it for a long time and did not know where to start.
I do not do anything to you at a first visit without telling you first what I am doing and why.
Four steps, in the order they happen. A first visit covers the first three.
How it goes.
- 01
The conversation
You tell me what bothers you, in your own words. No medical terms needed, and no need to know what you want. Knowing what you dislike is enough.
- 02
The examination
I look in detail: teeth, gums, occlusion, joint, the way you speak and the way you smile. I take photographs and, where it applies, radiographs and a scan. Without those, any plan is a guess.
- 03
The options
I show you what I found and I offer options, not one route. Each option comes with what it involves, how long it takes, and what happens if nothing is done.
- 04
Your decision
I begin only after you have said yes knowing what it means. From there the work goes in stages, and each stage is checked before the next one starts.
Nothing on this list is compulsory. Come without it.
What helps to have with you.
- Radiographs and scans taken at other practices, if you have them. Even old ones say something.
- The list of medication you take, including anything unrelated to teeth.
- The names of treatments you have already been through, if you know them. If not, I work them out with you.
- An older photograph in which you liked the way you smiled, if one exists.
The cost estimate comes after the examination, in writing, on the options discussed.
What does not happen here.
- I do not quote a price for treatment I have not seen.
- I do not propose changing teeth that have nothing wrong with them.
- I do not ask you to decide on the day.
- I do not promise a result I cannot show you in advance.
Let's set up that first conversation.
Tell me what bothers you and when you have time. I will come back with appointment options.