Your First Visit | Hope Restorative & Cosmetic Dentistry
It’s always helpful to know what you can expect with your first visit to a new dentist. First of all, you’ll want to set aside a full hour for your first appointment with Dr. Cha. We run a very calm and happy practice, so when you first arrive, we’ll greet you and help you feel right at home. We’ll also offer you water or coffee.
We make our registration and health history forms available to you online, so you can complete them before you arrive. However, if you haven’t had a chance, we’ll get those completed with you. Then one of our assistants will get you seated comfortably in one of our chairs and offer a pillow or blanket if you would like.
Your Examination
The dentist will then come in and introduce himself and spend a few minutes getting to know you. He will complete a comprehensive exam that will include thorough cancer and periodontal screenings and a check for any problems with your temporomandibular joint, or TMJ. He also will take digital x-rays and photos of problem areas in your mouth with an intraoral camera. You can read more about our up-to-date technology below.
Once this exam is complete, we will help you find a convenient time to come in for your treatment consultation. This gives Dr. Cha plenty of time to evaluate the findings of his exam and create a treatment plan for you. He will meet with you personally during this treatment consultation. That way he can explain his findings and explore the treatment options that are available to you.
After you meet with him, our staff will also meet with you to explain the fees associated with specific procedures, so you will have a thorough understanding of your options.
Do You Have Dental Fear?
If you have any fear of dentistry, as so many of us do, don’t hesitate to let us know. We can discuss ways to help you alleviate that fear. If you are interested, we have a number of sedation dentistry options, including nitrous oxide gas, oral sedation, or IV sedation. If you need that, we can provide for you the care you need without any memory of your time in the dental chair.
Effective Technology
Drs. Cha incorporates the latest technology to make your treatment more easy and comfortable. Digital x-rays expose our patients to much less radiation than traditional dental x-rays, and the results are immediately available on a computer screen. They also use intraoral cameras to take detailed photographs of problematic areas in your mouth. This technology allows him to enlarge the photos by up to 50 times, and if you have never seen your teeth in this way, you will be amazed at how much these photos help you in understanding what your dentist is talking about.
We also employ CEREC technology that fabricates strong and beautiful ceramic crowns in the office, so you can enjoy the advantages of same-day crowns. In addition, we use laser technology to assist in some procedures. Laser dentistry is very precise and can allow shorter recovery times.
More significantly, we use the Carestream CT Scan system to assist with the diagnostic phase of dental implant restorations. The Carestream system uses three-dimensional digital radiography to show Dr. Cha exactly where to place your dental implant root form. Without this technology, it is not possible to see the exact location of your nerves, blood vessels, sinus cavities, and bony concavities. Accidents and dental implant failure can result when dentists try to place implants without a 3D CT scan.
Please call our office or click here to request an appointment using our online form. We will be happy to help you find a first appointment time that really works for you.
