Welcome to 5th Avenue Dental Associates. We’re glad you’re here.
So today is our first adventure together.
What can we do for you today?
Otherwise know as the chief complaint, this could be as common as, “Just a check-up doc,” or as specific as, “I really hate the way this one particular tooth looks when I smile.” We will do everything to accommodate your desires today, understanding that there is a certain sequence we as healthcare professionals must follow to ensure your health, safety and long-term prognosis. You wouldn’t start laying down expensive hard wood floors before you looked at the pipes, would you? Ultimately, we will be sure to address any dental concerns and treat any pain you have but may ask you to come back to perfect our plan of action either through discussion or referral to one of our specialists.
Comprehensive Review
We will review your past medical and dental history. We know the time you spend filling out all those papers in the waiting room seems monotonous, but please do your best to be as comprehensive as possible. For example, that medication you forgot the name of so you’re just going to leave it out on the form could potentially potentiate an adverse reaction when mixed with some of our materials. Furthermore, if there isn’t a place or check box on the form that may address a particular problem you have, please write it in or alert us.
When you sit down with your general dentist or hygienist, please feel free to discuss your previous dental experiences. We’re always curious as to why one has left their previous provider, and we certainly don’t want to repeat the same mistakes. Often times the best way to avoid upset feelings is to discuss your concerns in the open, whether that means you hate the music being played in the operatory or you feel your previous cleanings were not very thorough.
Here at 5th Avenue Dental, we take great pride in doing right by you, the patient.
Photographic Analysis
If you are here for a check-up or cosmetic consultation, your hygienist or auxiliary staff may take both extra-oral and intra-oral photographs. The purpose of these is to begin a dialogue past the traditional, “You have three cavities and some mild gum disease.” Perhaps you’ll notice your bite is off or that broken tooth is actually a rather large cavity and a whole lot bigger that you thought. By being able to see from a completely different perspective, you will be better able to trust what we say because you’ll be able to see as well.
Oral Cancer Screening: The VELscope System
Your hygienist or general dentist will perform a traditional head and neck exam to screen for oral cancer where we look for mild swellings or soft tissue masses, pretty much anything that looks or feels unusual that could potentially require a closer look by our oral surgeons. In addition, 5th Avenue Dental take great pride in offering all our patients free of charge an intra-oral exam by the world’s #1 oral cancer screening device, The VELscope System*, the first adjunctive device cleared by the FDA to help clinicians see cancerous and precancerous lesions that might not be visible to the naked eye.
To learn more, please visit the VELscope System website.
Digital Radiography and Analysis
Your provider will prescribe the necessary radiographs needed to perform an adequate diagnosis. We don’t take radiographic exposure lightly which is why we have invested in a digital system. It reduces exposure by 70%, develops instantaneously, allows us to contrast or enlarge the image to diagnose otherwise small and previously missed lesions and eliminates caustic chemicals and therefore is safer on the environment. Now with a digital system, one’s exposure in undergoing a full mouth series of X-rays is equal to the exposure one normally would receive four days out in the sun.
Patients who do not consent to a reasonable amount of dental radiography run a greater risk of dental disease which, when left undiagnosed, may cause an even greater health hazard and medical expenses than the radiograph itself! Because of the low exposure with digital films, the benefit of using X-rays outweighs the fear.
Furthermore, please realize your insurance may not pay for a comprehensive radiographic exam if you had one in the past, sometimes as recently as three years ago. We will do our best to accommodate you if you want to bring a copy of your most recent X-rays (always obtain them yourself instead of having them sent to our office) understanding that depending on the clarity or how old they are, we still may need to supplement them with our own in order to make a comprehensive diagnosis.
Dental and Periodontal Exam
Your hygienist will then examine you, performing an initial charting of all your teeth, existing restorations, clinical caries and periodontal depths which your dentist will then review and amend as he performs his exam. At times, we may utilize our DIAGNOdent System*, which through the use of laser technology helps us detect previously undiagnosed cavities at the earliest possible stage, so much more conservative treatment can be performed. It may seem time consuming, but we assure you, we want to collect as much information and dedicate as much time as we can to give you the best care we can.
To learn more, please visit the DIAGNOdent System website.
Dental Consultation and Education
We can then begin our discussion into your dental needs and personal desires. Our Casey Patient Dental Education System can play videos to help your through the technical jargon and gain a better appreciation of your recommended procedures. We’re going to give you a lot of options, so be prepared to get involved.
Finally, we may want a few minutes to get to know you as an individual. Think of your first visit as a first date. We’re hoping you stay with us for a long time and we want to make your visits with us as tailored to your needs as possible; so obviously we are interested in your family, distance travelled, occupation, hobbies, etc. Everything has a place in the treatment planning stage. For example, your profession and how the time of a scheduled appointment may affect your work or when your children get out of school and if you may need to bring a loved one to watch them while you’re in the chair.
At 5th Avenue Dental, you’re more to us than just another patient.
Dental Prophylaxis
We try to accommodate all patients’ desire for a cleaning, but occasionally there is simply not enough time to adequately perform a thorough treatment if we want to do right by you. If you simply need a “clean-up” and there is only superficial plaque or mild calculus, we very well may be able to complete the task or at the very least start. However, if you have underlying gingival or periodontal disease and heavy extrinsic staining, we may need to have you come back. We do not provide sub-standard care based on time constraints, and when you get a cleaning with us, we want you to leave feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
Treatment Planning
We will then refer you to our treatment plan coordinator. We know many of our patients are undergoing financial hardships or are dependent upon their insurance as partial or full payment. We want you to know ahead of time of uncovered procedures, co-pays and deductibles associated with your chosen treatment. We will print you out a copy of your treatment plan which we will ask you to sign so there is no confusion. Considering the unpredictability of certain dental procedures, if during the course of your treatment something changes, we will be sure to amend it verbally and then in writing once you’ve completed the day’s treatment. We take great pride in being fair, and we ask our patients to extend us the same courtesy.
Finally, if you feel that we’ve missed anything during your first visit, or want to come back to simply talk one more time about your options, simply ask.
At 5th Avenue Dental, we’re here for you.