When It Comes to Your Health, There Are Times When Price Shouldn’t Be A Factor

It’s becoming more and more popular for dental practices to offer free or hugely discounted new patient exams, and while we recognize that this is a great way to get new patients in the door, at Lakeshore Family Dentistry, we can’t bring ourselves to offer such a thing. At our dental practice, we believe in providing each and every one of our dental patients—new and old—with the highest quality dental service in the White Bear Lake area, which means that we have to forfeit the good deals, and possibly the new patients they attract, for the utmost quality service and care. And the patients we do see are always impressed by the quality of our new patient exam, and by the care and time we take during each aspect of it.

What Does a New Patient Exam Entail?

Every dental office’s new patient exam is different, but every new patient exam should include:

·     A thorough cleaning

·     An examination of your gums

·     An evaluation of your risk for tooth decay and other oral health problems

·     A check of your face, neck and mouth for abnormalities

·     X-rays

This is the BARE MINIMUM of what a dentist should do during a new patient exam.

The Lakeshore Family Difference

At Lakeshore Family Dentistry, we believe in going above and beyond for our patients. In order to perform the best possible dentistry, and in order to get the best possible results, we delve deep into your oral and health history, talk with you in depth about your smile goals, discuss your fears concerning dentistry and address any questions or concerns you might have. In short, we use the new patient exam as a time to really get to know you, and to build a trusting relationship with you. This, we believe, is the best way to work together to get the results you want and deserve.

Below is a list of everything an oral health exam includes at our White Bear Lake Dental practice:

·     Review of your medical and dental history

·     Conversation about your wants and expectations

·     Time to address your questions and concerns

·     A series of diagnostic x-rays that will help us look for decay and other oral health problems that typically go undetected during a routine clinical exam. Our x-rays also allow us to detect major issues—such as bone loss—that might change the way we go about achieving your smile goals.

·     A complete periodontal screening, which includes checking the gums and supportive structures of the teeth. This will help us determine whether or not you have periodontal disease, or if you’re at risk for it.

·     A thorough examination of your head and neck, which is done to check for Temperomandibular (jaw) joint disorder, which can cause headaches, neck pain, jaw pain and continued discomfort.

We’ll also check your salivary glands and lymph nodes to ensure that there is no infection or disease.

We will look at your face, neck and lips to ensure that there is no unusual swelling, dryness, bleeding or other abnormalities that need to be looked at further.

·     We will exam the soft tissues in your mouth, including the tongue, lips, cheeks and the floor and roof of your mouth, for spots, cuts, swellings, growths or other abnormalities that might require further attention.

·     We will check to see how well your bite comes together, which can affect both the appearance of your smile and your comfort levels for things like chewing, talking and smiling.

·     Depending on our findings, we may or may not perform a cleaning during that initial visit. However, this depends on your schedule. Also, because it is considered an entirely separate procedure, there will be an additional cost.

Whether or not we do a cleaning, we always end our new patient exam the same way: by discussing our findings with you and coming up with a treatment plan together. When we can sit down with you and not only discuss what we think should be done, but also show you where existing and potential problems are, we can work more effectively toward one common goal.

Give Us A Call

We may not offer a free initial consultation, or hugely discounted services, but we know – and our patients can attest to this – that the service and care we do provide go well beyond patient expectations. If you are interested in receiving outstanding dental care, creating a personalized treatment plan that will achieve every single one of your dental goals and needs in the most comfortable way possible, and forming a trusting relationship with your oral health provider, then free isn’t what you want or need. Visit us at http://www.lakeshorefamilydentist.com/patients.html or give us a call today at (651) 429-3348 to see why we’re the dental team that’s right for you.

If you have been a patient with us for some time, and if you enjoy working with our team, then refer your friends or family members and receive a personalized, in-office gift for each referral. Or just write a review on any of the review sites we pop up on for a free gift certificate! We appreciate your help, and look forward to working with you more in the coming year!