Becoming a New Patient

How do we create a lifetime plan
for a healthy, beautiful smile?

Our "New Patient Experience":
The examination and development
of your dental health roadmap

Your initial visit is so important because it provides the roadmap for achieving your best smile. The focus is on making you comfortable in our office, openings lines of communication, making a thorough assessment of your dental health. A digital x-rays assessment is made, and a "cleaning" can be done at this visit, if you request it.

• Welcome! When you arrive at the office, we will greet you and give you several worksheets to fill in. We'll enter your contact information into our computer system, and you can make yourself comfortable with a hot or cold drink from our beverage bar. Take a tour of our office and meet our team, who will be happy to answer many of your questions about our office and how we help our patients.
  
  
• Dr. Keller will review your medical and dental history, and then conduct a detailed assessment of your mouth. You will actually participate in this examination—Dr. Keller uses a miniature camera so that she can share and explain her findings as they arise. During the examination:
  • Individual teeth are examined for cavities and damaged dental work
  • Your bite is checked to assess how teeth and jaws work together to avoid unnecessary wear and stress
  • Soft tissues are screened and examined for potential oral cancer
  • Gum and bone are evaluated for periodontal disease
  • Teeth and jaws are examined to determine how well they work and fit together
  
  
  
• We will review any x-rays you may have brought with you and determine any additional x-rays that may be required. If you do not have your x-rays with you, we will take a new series so that Dr. Keller has the most updated information to diagnose your needs. We employ digital x-ray technology that takes almost instantaneous images with eighty percent less radiation than conventional dental x-rays. These images allow Dr. Keller to check for cavities, bone loss, and other abnormalities instantly with no developing chemicals—and share this information with you as it arises.
  
  
• If yours is a particularly complicated situation, we may need to take digital photographs of your smile and the inside of your mouth. Digital photos provide for communication with you, laboratories, and specialists, as well as allow a “before and after” comparison. Finally, we may make impressions of your teeth to create stone models for study and develop special records of your jaw position. The need for this will be determined on an individual basis and may be done at a separate visit.
  
  
• Afterwards, Dr. Keller will study the information obtained and develop a plan based on your dental health and cosmetic goals. You will meet will her at a separate treatment planning visit, along with anyone else you'd like to bring to help you in your decision-making. You will discuss the overview of your dental health situation. She will discuss the treatment options available, always focusing on your goals for health. Together you will create a roadmap for achieving your best smile, and make a finalized treatment plan that meet your needs, wishes, and fits into your dental budget.
  
  
• At your separate treatment planning visit, you will also have a financial consultation with our office administrator. We’ll address the budget required to meet your dental goals. We are very up-front about costs and we want you to be comfortable discussing your financial and dental commitment with us. We know how uncomfortable unexpected surprises can be and it is our goal to fully inform you regarding all aspects of your treatment. You should always know exactly what your treatment will cost. It is important that anyone else who will help you make financial decisions be present to hear the details of the roadmap directly from the doctor. It is very difficult for patients to go home and try to explain what the doctor said after the fact. Hearing it first-hand, and understanding your concerns about the various options will allow you both to have a meaningful discussion at home when it comes time to make a decision on how to proceed.
  
  
• We recognize that our examination and roadmap development process is in-depth relative to other dental practices. This examination provides the foundation of your lifetime strategy for a healthy and beautiful smile—To skimp on this phase would be a disservice to you!

Treatment (It won’t feel like work!)

We often hear that it can take patients months just to schedule an appointment for a cleaning with their dentists. We want to get you healthy as quickly as possible. Once you have decided to move ahead, we reserve time in our schedule for people who are committed to proceeding rapidly with their treatment. We can often begin your treatment in one or two weeks. We will complete your treatment in as few visits as possible so as to least inconvenience your busy life and to get you healthy faster.

The treatment process itself will be unlike any other dental visit you have experienced. We offer an incredibly comfortable environment complete with massage chair, warm blankets and your own DVD video glasses. We also provide a full range of pain relief and sedation services for those who get anxious prior and during dental work.