First Visit / Scheduling
We fully realize and empathize that there is always anxiety and apprehension involved when a potential surgical procedure is a possibility in your future. To make your experience as smooth and stress free as possible, we will coordinate your first visit to make sure you are fully informed about your experience and to reduce any stress and anxiety for your procedure.
Please assist us by providing the following information at the time of your consultation. This will save time and allow us to help you process any claims.
- Your surgical referral slip and any x-rays if applicable.
- A list of medications you are presently taking.
- If you have medical or dental insurance, bring the necessary completed forms or insurance information.
Your first visit will consist of the following:
1. Pre-appointment telephone greeting
2. Radiographs, diagnostic models and data collection
3. Review of health history
4. Explanation of anesthesia options
5. Explanation of diagnosis and treatment option
6. Review of preoperative instructions and obtaining consent
7. Review and explanation of insurance benefits and fees
8. Scheduling
1. Preappointment telephone greeting
Prior to your first visit, our administrative team will gather most of your personal data, along with your information concerning your insurance and referral from your dentist. Our administrative team will set you up with an appointment time for your first visit and send you the appropriate paperwork to be completed prior to your visit. You may complete the form and email or mail it back to us prior to your first visit to save time or, alternatively, you can do it on your consultation date.
Please remember to bring your referral slip to the appointment, as this is an instruction for us by your dentist. Lastly, all patients under the age of 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at the consultation visit, since we will need consent for the procedure.
2. Radiographs, diagnostic models and data collection
If your dentist or physician has taken radiographs (x-rays), you may request that they forward them to our office. If your dentist has given you an x-ray, please bring it to your consultation visit. Frequently, smaller films will give extreme details about the tooth, but will only give a partial view of adjacent vital structures, such as nerves and sinuses. Therefore, we will often take another larger radiograph to visualize the entire upper and lower jaws in two or three dimensions. In most cases, we will take our own images to see a more recent view or to keep for our records. If the supplied x-ray is sufficient, our radiographs we take will be free of charge. Please keep in mind that all our x-rays are fully digital. Therefore, the amount of radiation exposure is minimal and only a fraction of the conventional dose.
CT Scans
Our practice utilizes state-of-the-art, cone-beam CT (computed tomography) technology that provides highly accurate 3-D radiographic images for the diagnosis, planning and treatment for oral surgery. In fact, our unit provides the highest resolution in the dental industry. The cone-beam provides medical grade CT images at a fraction of the radiation exposure, especially since it is a focused field of view. This technology provides comprehensive, highly accurate 3-D radiographic images for the diagnosis, planning and treatment of complicated extractions, impacted teeth, dental implantology, corrective jaw surgery and other dental procedures. Undistorted, anatomically correct views of the jaws, teeth and facial bones along with cross-sectional, multiplanar and panoramic views are easily generated. Three-dimensional images enable a level of anatomical accuracy and patient care not possible with 2-D technologies. Furthermore, having additional information prior to surgery will allow a much less invasive technique to be employed. This means a faster recovery and a more predictable result. With the addition of cone-beam CT technology in our office, our practice is fully committed to providing the latest innovative, high-quality, patient care.
For complex esthetically demanding or major reconstruction cases, additional diagnostic information might be needed. If any presurgical planning models are required, impressions and molds will be completed at this visit. Any photographs and further imaging will also be taken as needed to give the comprehensive workup that your case deserves. For such complex cases, additional consultation visits may be required, since supplementary correspondences with multiple specialists might be needed for their expertise.
3. Review of health history
With any surgical procedures, co-existing medical conditions can have a profound effect on the outcome of the surgery. We will review your past medical history and adjust our treatment accordingly. Please alert the office if you have a medical condition that may be of concern prior to surgery. In addition to your accurate health history, please inform us if you have any of the following conditions:
- Do you have artificial heart valves and joints that require antibiotic premedication
- Are you currently taking any blood thinners (e.g. Aspirin, Plavix, Coumadin, Warfarin) or diabetic medications (eg. Insulin, Metformin, Acarbose, Actos, Avandia, Diamicron, Glyburide, Glucophage) ?
- Are you currently taking any medications for your bones or osteoporosis? (e.g. Actonel, Fosamax, Boniva, Zometa, Aredia)?
4. Explanation of anesthesia options
Any surgery is an experience that invokes anxiety to varying degrees. Everyone is unique in their anxiety levels and past traumatic experiences can further exacerbate the apprehension. The primary goal of our team is to make sure you have a smooth, safe, comfortable experience for your procedure. After your examination by your doctor, he will determine the degree of difficulty of your procedure and make recommendations of the type of anesthesia. These are only recommendations and the type of anesthesia for the surgery will ultimately be decided by you. The anesthesia options are:
- Awake and numb with “Novocaine” (Local Anesthesia)
- Sedated with relaxing tablets and numb with “Novocaine” (Oral Sedation)
- Asleep (Intravenous Sedation)
5. Explanation of diagnosis and treatment option
Your initial appointment will consist of a consultation with your doctor explaining your diagnosis and treatment options. For routine procedures, this should not take more than 15 minutes.
Occasionally, for special circumstances and if allowed by our schedule, surgery can be performed the same day as the consultation. However, a complex medical history or treatment plan will require an evaluation and a second appointment to provide treatment on another day.
For complex reconstruction cases requiring multiple implants and grafting, two or more visits might be required in order to coordinate and discuss the treatment plan with your restorative dentist and possibly other specialists. For such cases, the first visit will be utilized for gathering information, clinical examination, radiographs and models.
If you would prefer to be asleep during the procedure, it is always best to have a consultation visit first, then have the procedure performed during the following visit. Since there are precautions to take when undergoing general anesthesia, for your safety, it is generally not prudent to perform the surgery on the first visit. A preoperative consultation and physical examination is usually mandatory for patients undergoing IV sedation for surgery. You must have nothing to eat or drink eight hours prior to your surgery. You will also need an adult to drive you home.
For extenuating circumstances (for example, if you are traveling from far distances or have limited time on your schedule) we will gladly make exceptions and accommodate our schedule to have everything performed in one visit. However, your patience is appreciated since we will have to coordinate a large amount of information over the phone prior to the visit.
6. Review of preoperative instructions and obtaining informed consent
Our surgical team will discuss the things that you should and should not do on getting ready for the day of the surgery and answer any further questions about the procedure. Informed consent is a permission for us by you to have the proposed procedure performed at a future date. This consent cannot be signed by a patient under the age of 18 and must have a parent or guardian present to give written informed consent. If the guardian has a power of attorney, please be sure to bring it with you on the consultation visit.
7. Review and explanation of insurance benefits and fees
Our administrative team will present the costs, estimated insurance coverage and scheduling for the proposed treatment. The costs of the treatment will be given in writing that outlines the estimated insurance coverage and your portion prior to the surgery. Please note that the estimates are relayed information given to us by your insurance company. Sometimes we are given erroneous or inaccurate information concerning your coverage, which is reflected in your estimate. At the time service is rendered you will be responsible for paying our office the amount of the cost that is not covered by your insurance, the balance will be billed directly to your insurance company. If the insurance company does not cover the full amount after we submit the claim, we will invoice you accordingly. Payment is due upon receipt of the invoice.
8. Scheduling
Our offices are open Monday – Friday from 8 am until 5 pm and occasional Saturday mornings. We will schedule your appointment as promptly as possible. If you have pain or an emergency situation, every attempt will be made to see you the same day.
We try our best to stay on schedule to minimize your waiting. Due to the fact that we provide surgical services, various circumstances may lengthen the time allocated for a procedure. Emergency cases can also arise and cause delays. We appreciate your understanding and patience.