Your First Dental Appointment
Getting Started
Not knowing what to expect when you go to the dentist is a large part of why some patients experience dental anxiety or dental phobia. Getting ready for your first appointment at The Healthy Smile dental center in Bay Village, OH, doesn’t have to be nerve-racking. Instead, consider that our dental office mission is to ensure patients are comfortable in our calm environment, cared for by dentists who employ the latest technology to detect and treat dental conditions. The treatment plans we develop only include those services you most require, without the hard-sell other offices might employ to perform unnecessary procedures.
Preparing for Your First Visit
Prepare for your first visit to our dental office by scheduling an appointment time that both accommodates your schedule and allows our dentists to perform all of your necessary procedures without your needing to run out to your next commitment.
Next, download our new patient registration forms from the buttons below and fill them out ahead of time to save spending extra time in our office. Once done with those forms, you can fax or mail them to our office or simply bring them along to your appointment. You can also bring prior dental records and imaging for your first visit.
Finally, explore your payment options with our expert staff so you aren’t caught off-guard during your appointment. We accept many different dental plans, cash, credit or debit cards, as well as CareCredit accounts. We can also work to set you up with a payment plan you can truly afford.
What to Expect During Your First Visit
As a new patient of The Healthy Smile in Bay Village, some of the experiences you’ll have during your first visit will include an overall inspection of your teeth, teeth cleaning, imaging and creation of a treatment plan to address any deficiencies. Our staff members will help you with answers to your various questions during your time in our office, ensuring you understand what is being done and why certain treatments are suggested. You’ll likely encounter our office staff, a dental hygienist, an X-ray technologist, and the dentist.
The Procedure of Your First Appointment
Your first appointment at our dental center will be a thorough examination of your current oral health including your mouth, gums and teeth. Between measurements, X-rays and visual checks, we’ll be able to spot dental issues at the earliest stages.
You can expect:
- A comprehensive interview with Dr. Gross
- A thorough medical and dental history to be taken
- A visual examination of all teeth & gums to be conducted
- A measuring of the spaces between your teeth and gums to be completed
- X-rays (if necessary)
- An assessment of your bite & a check for TMJ & of your associated muscles
- An assessment of your tooth wear will be performed
- An oral cancer examination
- A tooth decay check will be performed
Financial Considerations
We will be more than happy to submit all insurance forms for you and help you recover the most from your benefits. To book an appointment or to see a comprehensive list of accepted insurances visit our ZocDoc profile. We know that sometimes dental procedures can get expensive. Therefore, we do everything we can to help you afford the treatment you need and want.
For patients who require major work, a complete payment plan is designed with an appropriate payment schedule. Forms of payment accepted by the office are check, cash, or any major credit card. Financing is available, so please make sure to ask our receptionist for details.
Cancellations
If you are unable to keep an appointment, we request that you kindly provide us with at least 24 hours notice. We ask for this advance notice so that we can offer this appointment to another patient. A fee may be charged if a patient does not show up for an appointment without sufficient notice.
The Offices of The Healthy Smile - Bay Village Dentist
Our offices have been specially designed to be calming and relaxing, making your visit to the Healthy Smile as pleasant and pain free as possible. From our comfortable waiting lounge with high-definition television and wireless internet, to our complimentary water bar, your comfort is our main concern. We are currently in the process of adding additional spa-like extras for your pleasure.
We utilize state-of-the-art equipment and techniques to diagnose, treat and get you on your way with a minimum of time and expense. Our staff is friendly, caring and always available to answer any questions or concerns you might have.
Covid-19 Practice Health Protocols Updates
As we move toward opening up our practice to serve and take care of our patients, we’ve instituted many new health protocols. I would like to take a few moments to outline our new way of life, so you know what we have done to ensure your safety as well as ours.
1. Interview/Questions:
Before we let you in the office, we interview you and ask for a brief history of events that may have compromised your health. We have an infrared no-touch thermometer for even more information.
2. Social distancing:
We are keeping everyone apart. I have reduced the patient flow. Fortunately, we have a large office, and maintaining patients apart is easy for us to do.
3. Empty reception room:
Our front area is very large, and we will have no more than two people in that room. Ideally, we will ask you to wait in your car, and we will call you in at the proper time.
4. Sanitizing:
Since we are a healthcare facility, we understand sterilization and cleanliness. As a matter of course, we clean all equipment, common areas, and instruments of bacteria, spores, and viruses. We do this routinely, and you would expect no less from us.
5. Protection:
Of course, we wash our hands frequently. Handwashing is not new for us. Since we work in the mouth where droplets which could carry danger are present, we cover our faces masks to protect both of us. The use of N95 masks makes our face coverings even more effective. I have added face shields, which is a challenge with my surgical glasses and headlamp. I am involved with a local manufacturer to test these shields in a dental office.
6. Keeping up with new research:
As science learns more about this pandemic, I will update and implement safety measures and health protocols into our practice. Keeping up with the latest research is fundamentally important for everyone’s safety.
Arrange Your First Visit Today
New patients can contact The Healthy Smile dental center in Bay Village by dialing 440-892-1810 or completing our online form to request an appointment.
In order to accommodate your scheduling needs, we offer many different hours of availability, including during the workday, early morning and early evening times.
We are located at 27239 Wolf Road in Bay Village, near the Subway and Walgreens.