First Visit

When you come in for your first appointment, we’ll start with a thorough cleaning and then sit down to go over what we find. I like to take time during this consultation to explain what’s going on with your teeth and talk through the different ways we might address any issues.

Sometimes we can take care of things right away—depends on what we’re dealing with. But if you’ve got a more complicated situation or extensive treatment needs, we’ll usually schedule you to come back for the actual work. That way I can plan everything out properly and make sure we have enough time to do things right.

There are a few things that really help me give you the best care possible, so if you can bring these along, that’d be great:

• Any recent x-rays you might have—anything from the past year or so is useful. Your previous dentist can email them over to us at drkoumas@hvc.rr.com, or you can just grab copies and bring them with you, whichever works best for you.
• A current list of any medications you’re taking. Doesn’t matter if it seems dental-related or not—I need to know about everything.
• If you’ve got dental or medical insurance, bring whatever paperwork they gave you. We’ll help you figure out the claims process, but having those forms filled out ahead of time definitely speeds things up.

One thing that’s non-negotiable: if you’re under 18, mom, dad, or whoever’s your guardian needs to come with you to that first visit. No exceptions on this one—it’s just how we do things.

Also, please give us a heads up if you’ve got any medical conditions I should know about before we get started. Things like diabetes, blood pressure issues, heart problems, artificial joints or valves—basically anything your doctor keeps an eye on. Same goes for medications, especially if you take blood thinners, heart meds, or if you usually need antibiotics before dental work. Better to mention it and not need to worry about it than the other way around.

About those x-rays—if your last dentist took some within the past year, definitely try to get those. Saves you some radiation exposure and gives me a better picture of any changes since your last visit. If we can’t get them in time or if we need different views, no problem—we can take what we need right here.

Ready to get started? Just give us a call at (845) 562-1108 and we’ll get you scheduled.