First Visit
One of the philosophical tenets of our practice is that the current system of delivering healthcare in our country is very broken.
Much of this “brokenness” comes from the fact that we have lost sight of the value of a true doctor/patient relationship. In an effort to “be productive”, doctors literally run from one patient to another never having time to truly listen to their patient’s concerns and felt needs. Consequently, very little constructive dialogue takes place and, far too often, no real “trust based relationship” develops.
We believe that one of the most significant services we can provide for you is a practice culture that allows for a return to the traditional doctor/patient relationship. Consequently, your initial visit will most likely be different from what you have come to expect when visiting one of your doctors for the first time.
Your initial visit will consist first and foremost of time set aside on the Doctor’s schedule for a “non clinical” consultation. This is very simply a time for you and the Doctor to begin to get to know one another. It is a time for you to express anything relative to your dental history and experience that you feel may be significant. It is also a time to begin to discuss and explore areas of need that you may feel you have. For some patients this meeting is very brief, for others it is more extensive. The time and content of this initial consult is completely driven by the patient’s individual situation. Regardless of the length of time taken, there is no charge for this consultation.
After your time with our Doctor, based upon your unique dental history and needs, we will gather the pertinent clinical baseline information necessary for a proper diagnosis. This information may consist of any necessary x-rays, study models, and photographs, as well as a clinical evaluation of your dentition. You can expect the total time of your initial appointment to be one to one and one half hours. Depending on your availability you may or may not get your teeth cleaned at this appointment. If you choose to schedule a cleaning in conjunction with your initial visit you can plan on it taking another hour. At the end of your initial appointment another consultation will be scheduled with our Doctor to discuss his clinical findings and treatment recommendations. Again, there is no charge for this subsequent consultation.
While your initial visit represents a significant time commitment on both our parts, experience has shown us that this is definitely time well spent.