What to Expect

Getting Ready for Your Appointment

A first visit at our office is unhurried on purpose. We want to hear what brought you in, what has gone well or badly at previous dental offices, and what you would like to be different. From there we examine your teeth, gums, bite, and the soft tissue of the mouth, and take digital images only where they add something useful.

Two practical things help the appointment run smoothly. Bring your dental insurance card and a current list of your medications, including supplements, and let us know about any medical conditions or recent changes in your health. If you have records or X-rays from another dentist, forwarding them ahead of time saves repeating work.

We look forward to meeting you and getting to know what matters to you about your teeth.

Once the examination is finished, Dr. Richard LaFauci, DMD sits down with you and goes through what he found. Nothing is decided for you. We describe the condition of each tooth, explain which issues need attention now and which can be watched, and lay out the options with their trade-offs so you can weigh them yourself. You are welcome to bring a family member into that conversation.

After you have settled on a plan and reviewed the financial side of it, we schedule the appointments needed to carry it out and give you a realistic sense of how long the whole course of treatment will take. Details about insurance and payment are outlined on our policies page.

If your paperwork has not been completed in advance, arriving ten or fifteen minutes early gives you time to finish it without feeling rushed. Please have your insurance card with you.

Good dental care does more than improve how a smile looks. Healthy gums and sound teeth make eating comfortable, they support clear speech, and they are tied to your general health in ways researchers continue to explore. If a wedding, reunion, or photograph is on the calendar, ask us about whitening or other cosmetic options while you are here.

No two mouths are alike, and neither are two patients. Our team builds each plan around the person in the chair, which is why the first visit involves as much conversation as examination.

A few reminders for your first visit:

• Bring your dental insurance card with you
• Send along any referral letter or X-rays your previous dentist provided
• Patients under 18 should come with a parent or legal guardian
• Tell us about medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, rheumatic fever, or artificial joints and heart valves

The appointment itself is a full examination and assessment, including a review of anything your previous dentist has sent over. Diagnostic X-rays are taken when they are needed to evaluate the situation properly. Your dentist then talks through the diagnosis, explains how each procedure works, and shapes a plan around what you actually want.

Please raise any concern you have, however small it seems. Caring for your teeth is a responsibility we take seriously, and the trust involved in handing that over is not something we take lightly.

Patients referred for root canal treatment are seen by Dr. Andrea Shah, DMD, the endodontist on our staff. Because she practices in the same office, there is no separate referral to chase and no second set of records to assemble.

An endodontic visit starts the same way: a thorough examination of the tooth in question and a review of whatever your dentist has sent. Digital images or a cone beam scan may be taken so the root anatomy can be studied closely. Modern endodontic technique has come a long way, and being treated for a root canal now feels much like any other routine dental procedure. Dr. Shah will explain what she finds and outline the choices in front of you. More detail is available on our endodontic procedures page.

Reminders for an endodontic appointment:

• Bring your dental insurance card along with any referral or X-rays from your dentist
• Let us know beforehand about conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, rheumatic fever, or artificial joints and heart valves
• Patients under 18 need a parent or legal guardian with them

Treatment is carried out with local anesthetic, and we do everything we reasonably can to keep you comfortable from start to finish. Our team is glad to answer questions at any point during the appointment. More than anything, we want the time you spend in this office to be easier than you expected.

Patients who need gum treatment see Dr. Robert Solomon, DMD, our periodontist, and here again the care happens under the same roof as the rest of your dentistry. Every case is different, and the plan follows from what the examination shows rather than from a template.

Reminders for a periodontal appointment:

• Bring your dental insurance card to the visit
• Include any referral or X-rays your general dentist has provided
• A parent or legal guardian should accompany patients under 18
• Tell us about medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, rheumatic fever, or artificial joints and heart valves

A periodontal evaluation includes measuring the depth of the pockets around each tooth, checking for bone loss, and reviewing your history of gum treatment. X-rays are taken where they help. Dr. Solomon then explains what stage the disease has reached and which periodontal procedures make sense for you.

Speak up about anything that worries you, whether it concerns the treatment, the cost, or a past experience that left you uneasy. We consider it a privilege to look after your dental health and appreciate the trust that comes with it.