New patients
Ninety minutes, and you leave with something written down.
The first visit is an examination and a conversation. No treatment is carried out unless you ask for it, and nothing is quoted before it has been looked at.
What the ninety minutes actually contains
- 01
Ten minutes talking first
What brought you in, what you have had done before, what you would change if you could change one thing, and what you are worried about. Sitting upright, before anything goes near your mouth.
- 02
Medical and dental history
Medications, conditions, allergies, previous problems with anaesthetic. Several common medications change how we plan surgery and how gums behave, so this is not a formality.
- 03
Full examination
Every tooth, every existing restoration, the bite, the joints and the muscles, plus a soft-tissue and oral cancer screen. We check for wear facets because grinding changes almost every cosmetic plan.
- 04
Six-point periodontal chart
Six measurements per tooth, bleeding points, recession and mobility, recorded so this year can be compared with next year. This is the single most useful thing we do at a first visit.
- 05
Photographs and radiographs
A standard photographic series, and whatever radiographs are clinically indicated. A digital scan if a plan looks likely, so we can show you rather than describe.
- 06
The plan, in writing
Itemised fees, the number of visits, the sequence, the alternatives and the risks. You take it away. Nothing is booked in that appointment unless you want it booked.
Comfort and sedation
Three options, and candidacy assessed individually.
Nitrous oxide is inhaled, takes effect in minutes, wears off in minutes and lets you drive yourself home — it suits mild anxiety and gagging. Oral sedation, usually a benzodiazepine taken beforehand, goes deeper, requires an escort and a clear day afterwards, and is not suitable with certain medications or in pregnancy. IV sedation is referred to a dentist anaesthetist. Candidacy depends on your medical history, your airway and your medication list, and it is assessed individually at a consultation, never booked sight unseen.
- Nitrous oxide — inhaled, effective within minutes, gone within minutes. You can drive yourself home. Suits mild anxiety and a strong gag reflex.
- Oral sedation — a benzodiazepine taken beforehand. Deeper, but it needs an escort, a clear day afterwards, and a medication review first. Not suitable with some medications, or in pregnancy.
- IV sedation — referred to a dentist anaesthetist who attends here. Requires a full medical and airway assessment.
Nitrous oxide $95 per visit · oral sedation from $310. Sedation carries risks that depend on your health, your medications and your airway. They are discussed with you individually, and no sedation is confirmed over the phone.
Before you come
Four things worth doing.
- Write down your medications. Names and doses, including anything over-the-counter you take regularly and any supplements. Antiresorptive drugs, blood thinners and immunosuppressants all change surgical planning.
- Ask your previous practice for your radiographs. Recent images mean we take fewer new ones. Sign a release at your first visit and we will request them.
- Think about the one thing you would change. Not the clinical answer — just what bothers you. It is a better starting point than a list of procedure names.
- Tell us if you are anxious. At booking, not on arrival. It changes how long we allow and what time of day we put you in.
Questions
Before a first visit
A list of your current medications and doses, the name of your physician, and any recent radiographs if you have them or can have them sent. If you have a dental plan, bring the card — not because we will bill it, but because knowing what it is helps us tell you whether claiming is worth your time.
Tell us at booking and we will schedule you first thing, allow extra time, and start with a conversation in a chair that is upright rather than reclined. Nothing is done at the first visit beyond an examination and photographs unless you ask for it. Nitrous oxide is available from the second visit onwards, and if you would rather bring somebody with you, bring them.
Usually. Bitewings show decay between teeth and bone levels; a panoramic gives an overview if you have not had one recently. We take what is clinically indicated and no more, and if you have recent images from another practice we will request them rather than repeat them.
No. Every plan lists the alternatives including doing nothing, and you are welcome to take the written plan away, get a second opinion, or come back in a year. We will tell you which items are urgent and which can reasonably wait.
We hold slots each weekday for patients in pain. Call rather than email. If we cannot help quickly enough we will tell you who can.