What to Expect at Your First Dental Visit
As a New Patient to any dental clinic in Collingwood, it’s important to understand what to expect at your first appointment. Understanding the New Patient process at any new dental office helps to calm anxieties and gives the patient time to prepare for the appointment both mentally and physically!
Although the process may vary from practice to practice, many Dental Clinics have the same onboarding process for New Patients. This process typically involves a New Patient Exam, which allows all New Patients to establish a baseline of records under the care of their new dentist. Records and radiographs are also brought over from any previous dentists to have on file at the new office.
Here is a general outline of the New Patient process and what to expect at your first dental visit:
Scheduling the Appointment
Of course, the first step is to schedule your appointment! Make sure to find a dentist near you that meets all your current and future dental care needs. To help navigate this task, here is a link to our blog about Finding a Dentist in Collingwood.
Completing New Patient Forms
Once you find a dentist in Collingwood that works for you, the next step is to complete the new patient forms that are sent to you. Often, these forms are completed online, but some offices may have you do these in-office on paper. At Collingwood Family Dental, we offer Online New Patient Forms which are sent to you by email in advance of your appointment.
Retrieving Previous Records and Radiographs (x-rays)
As part of the New Patient Forms, a Record Request will be completed, allowing our team at Collingwood Family Dental to request any previous records or x-rays from your previous dental clinic. As each patient ‘owns’ their dental records, this is standard practice within the industry to send patient records and x-rays to their new dental clinic.
New Patient Exam & X-Rays
At your first appointment, our team will conduct a New Patient Exam, which is a very thorough examination and includes a variety of measurements and screenings. The majority of the examination will be performed by our hygienist, but you will also meet the Dentist for a portion of the examination as well. Depending on which radiographs are brought over from a previous dentist, additional x-rays may be prescribed by the Dentist to update as necessary.
Diagnosis and Treatment Planning
As part of the New Patient Exam, the Dentist will review all the examination’s findings and analyze your x-rays. At this time, you’re also welcome to voice any concerns about your oral health, ask any questions you may have, or inquire about treatment you may be interested in. Depending on the findings, the Dentist will put together any necessary treatment plans and present treatment options for you. If no treatment is necessary, the Dentist and Hygienist will recommend a specific cleaning/examination interval (usually 3-9 months).
Teeth Cleaning
Once the Examination portion has been completed, the rest of the appointment can now be dedicated to cleaning your teeth! Performed by our professional team of Hygienists, this will typically involve a series of scaling (cleaning), as well as polishing, fluoride, and any other hygiene treatment as recommended or requested. If your cleaning is not completed, or more is recommended, our team will recommend scheduling another appointment to continue your teeth cleaning.
Scheduling Next Appointment
After your appointment has been completed, our team will go over any necessary findings, provide recommendations for oral hygiene routines, and confirm your next appointments. Our Front Desk team will help you to find the best time for your next appointments, get you settled for your first appointment, and help to answer any questions you may have about the process!
Your First Dental Visit at Collingwood Family Dental
Your first dental visit is meant to be very welcoming, extremely thorough, and informative. Our team does their best to help ease any nerves or anxieties about your appointment by explaining the process as best as possible before your arrival. This way, you know what to expect at your first dental appointment at our Collingwood dental clinic.
If you have any questions about the process, please do not hesitate to reach out to our team. We are more than happy to answer questions over the phone or by email!
If you’d like to schedule an appointment, here’s the best way to get started:
- Call us at 705-532-9930
- Email us at [email protected]
- Book Online on our website