Your First Visit
What to expect during your first visit
We know that for some people a visit to the dentist can be worrying, so every effort is made to make the visit as relaxed as possible. We are always striving to keep you as healthy as possible so that you reduce your risks of future problems/treatment whilst looking and feeling great!
During your first visit we will focus on a 12 point dental health check to assess the overall health of your mouth and will cover the following areas:
- Ask you how healthy you feel your mouth is and discuss any concerns you may have
- Ask you about your general health to check if there are any medical conditions or any medicines you take that may influence your dental health or treatment. We also ask about your past dental experiences
- Ask questions that will help to identify factors likely to influence dental disease or your availability for treatment.
- Check outside of the mouth to include the jaw joint, any lymph nodes and abnormalities of the skin in the facial region
- Check your teeth, fillings and other restorations to ensure that they are still strong and healthy
- Assess the level of tooth wear that you may have from factors such as over-zealous brushing and lots of acid in your diet
- Check for the presence of soft and hard plaque as this is one factor that hugely increases your risk of dental disease and is preventable to preserve dental health
- Check your gum health as we now know that this is absolutely critical if you are to keep your teeth for life, but can also influence your risk of medical conditions such as heart disease
- Check the tongue, lips, cheeks and throat to ensure these areas look healthy and scan for oral cancer
- Take x-rays when appropriate to check areas such as inside, under and between the teeth for health as well as checking the level of bone that supports your teeth
- Discuss factors in your diet that may pre-dispose you to dental disease
- Check that you are happy with the appearance of your smile
