Before you arrive
When you book online or by phone, we email you a secure link to your new-patient forms. Filling them out at home takes about ten minutes and means there is no clipboard waiting for you in the reception area. Have your insurance card handy, along with a list of any medications you take.
If you have X-rays from a previous dentist taken in the last year, ask that office to send them to us. It can save you a set of images and a few minutes in the chair.
The exam
A first visit at Family Dental Center is longer than a routine checkup because we are starting from scratch. your dentist looks at every tooth, checks your gums for signs of periodontal disease, screens for oral cancer and looks at how your bite comes together. Digital X-rays show what the eye cannot: decay between teeth, bone levels, and anything developing below the surface.
Nothing here is rushed. If you are nervous about the dentist, say so when you arrive. We hear it often and we adjust.
The cleaning
Most first visits include a professional cleaning with our hygienist, who removes the plaque and tartar a toothbrush cannot reach and polishes your teeth. If the exam shows gum disease that has progressed beyond what a standard cleaning can address, we will explain that and schedule the right kind of cleaning instead of pretending otherwise.
The plan, in writing
Before you leave, your dentist walks you through the findings. Many patients need nothing more than a six-month recall. If treatment is recommended, you get a written estimate that shows what your insurance is expected to cover and what you would pay, and a clear sense of what is urgent and what can wait. There is no pressure to decide on the spot.
The whole visit usually takes 60 to 90 minutes. Plan to leave with clean teeth, a clear picture of your mouth and your next appointment on the calendar.
Have a question this guide did not answer? Call (302) 656-8266 (Wilmington) or (302) 838-8600 (Bear) and a person will answer, or book a visit online.