The first visit is extremely important. After all, this is when we get to know each other! We’ll gather information such as your medical history, then perform a thorough dental examination in order to design the best treatment and dental care plan for you. Your first visit as a new patient will last approximately a full hour to allow plenty of time for you to discuss your concerns and dental care plan with Dr. Tonkin.
- Please arrive fifteen minutes prior to your first appointment to complete our new patient electronic registration. If you have specific health conditions, a list of your medication should be brought, it is very important for us to know about them.
- If dental records from a previous dental office could be useful (such as radiographs), please ask that office to transfer those records ahead of time.
- Any dental insurance information (ID card) should be available for us to properly assess your coverage.
- Children under age 18 should be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
The first appointment usually includes:
- Complete head and neck examination
- Screening for oral cancer
- Full mouth x-ray series or panoramic radiograph as needed
- Intraoral photographs as needed
- Thorough evaluation of teeth and gum tissues to assess their health
Dental emergencies may necessitate immediate care and have us postpone the comprehensive or surgical specialty examination to a subsequent visit.