Not knowing what to expect at your first dental appointment with a clinic can add to your stress and uncertainty, especially if you are someone who is anxious about the dentist. At a time when all you want is an expert helping hand, why does it seem that finding the information you need is so difficult and time-consuming?
It’s understandable if you feel this way and there will be many others reading this who have experienced similar situations. Fortunately, we’re going to talk you through what to expect during your first appointment and what you can do to prepare yourself in the best possible way.
Now that you know we’re on your side, let’s start by considering how you can prepare for your appointment.
Once you book an appointment with your dentist, double-check your insurance details so everything runs smoothly at reception. There are also a couple of things to consider from an oral hygiene perspective:
You may wish to prepare some questions to ask your new dentist. Knowing how long do dentist appointments take will ensure you can leave yourself enough time in your schedule to ask them at the end of your appointment.
While the most notable thing you will undergo is the new patient dental exam, you may find that breaking things down helps reduce your stress. Here are the key features of your first visit to a dental clinic:
Your first dentist appointment at a clinic such as Nzedmd is all about making a good first impression. Before you get to the chair and are given a new patient dental cleaning treatment, you will be offered a warm welcome by experienced reception staff. Their job is to make sure you have all the background information you need and to help put you at ease before your appointment. They will also play a key role in following up with you after your appointment has finished.
It is common for your first dental appointment at a new clinic to start with a series of X-rays so that your teeth can be accurately and precisely imaged. Our in-house team uses the latest X-ray imaging systems to get a clear picture of any issues and complications with your roots that sit beneath your gums. Doing so enables us to reliably recommend a suitable course of action. We can also talk you through possible preventative or corrective measures that you may wish to consider in the near future.
The next stage of your first dentist visit to us involves an initial exam that we like to think of as us getting to know your smile. Making an appointment at dentist practices like ours is all about achieving peace of mind, and that means we make sure to check all of the fundamentals. Common issues such as fillings, crowns, gum disease, and plaque buildups will all be initially checked for.
Regardless of whether this is your first visit to a dentist in years or you have recently transferred to us, we proceed with a comprehensive exam. Our focus here is to provide everyone who is having a first-time dental visit to our clinic with the most detailed overview of their smile possible.
Key components of a comprehensive exam include:
A skilled dental professional will also be trained to spot and identify any abnormal lesions or tissue growths. They will know when it is appropriate to recommend an oral cancer screening.
You may have requested that your first dental appointment include in-depth dental cleaning, in which case a skilled professional will take care of your teeth in a variety of ways. If your appointment is with us here at Nzedmd, we follow a proven process that includes:
Our professional team also takes the time to offer advice and guidance on how to improve your overall oral health. The result is a comprehensive service that makes sure nothing is ever missed or overlooked.
Your treatment plan is always created once your teeth have been thoroughly checked and some initial work has been carried out, not before. The reason for this is that, in our experience, everyone who visits our clinic has a unique set of issues and requirements. The complex nature of things such as gum profiles and root structures means that a one-size-fits-all approach simply isn’t enough.
We will work with you to recommend a personalized treatment plan designed to improve every aspect of your oral health. Because we know that the complex language of a medical or dental setting can be overwhelming or confusing, we deliver everything in simple language. We also include a Q&A section where you can ask our experts anything you need to know without having to spend time searching for answers online.
Your first visit to the dentist in a long time may understandably be something you are dreading. If you find that you have been up all night searching things such as ‘How long does a dentist appointment take?’ and then worrying about every possible eventuality, please rest assured that you are in the best hands.
We believe that the role of a dental team is as much about putting you at ease as it to improving your oral hygiene. We work tirelessly to deliver uncompromising hygiene, the latest treatments, and a warm and welcoming atmosphere that will put you at ease from the moment you arrive.
If you are reading this and dreading your visit to your existing dentist, we can even offer a low-stress approach that will show you how to switch dentists without delay.
After your dentist appointment finishes, you will leave the chair and return to the reception area, at which point you will be guided through the next steps. Key things to expect at this stage are:
We actively follow up with all of our patients to make sure that they are happy with both the level of customer service and their oral health. Our goal is always to make sure that you can enjoy the quality of life that is all too easy to take for granted before you have issues with your teeth.
An active follow-up system and repeat bookings under a custom dental plan will ensure that you can always take a proactive approach to oral health. In our experience, regular check-ups and open communication are the best ways to make sure that small issues with your teeth and gums never have time to turn themselves into much bigger problems.
We want your first dental visit to us to be a relaxing, educational experience where you discover exactly what you need to do to optimize all aspects of your oral health. A warm welcome followed by expert treatments ensures that every patient leaves our clinic happy and fully aware of their options.
If you would like to make maintaining your oral hygiene as easy and stress-free as possible, our dental treatment membership plan is a popular option. Knowing that you are receiving tailored treatments that are designed to meet your specific individual needs can provide real peace of mind. Just what you want to hear when you want to make sure that you never end up experiencing toothache or discomfort as a result of substandard or incomplete dental care.
We completely understand that your first dental appointment with a new clinic can be a daunting or stressful experience, especially if you have not been to the dentist in a long time. Taking a moment to remind yourself that connecting with a trained team of dental experts is all about protecting your long-term health and well-being may help provide the reassurance you need. You may also find it helpful to work through our points above so that you can break down your appointment into smaller, less stressful steps.
If you have come to the end of our guide and feel you are ready to take the next step, please feel free to connect and book an appointment at your convenience. A member of our team will be only too happy to guide you through the appointment booking process and to talk you through what you can expect from the moment you arrive.