"THE Edinburgh Dentist

 Your First Visit 

This page is designed for anyone who feels a little  apprehensive or worried before their first visit and answers the questions we are most commonly asked. For more information feel free to contact us.

When you attend the practice for the first time, you will be greeted by a member of staff who will show you to the waiting room and ask you to fill out a questionnaire with your name address and some details about your medical history. It is important for the dentist to know about any allergies you have or medications that you take. This is for your safety whilst in our care.

What Will Happen When I Arrive?

What Will Happen Next?

We try to run on time so hopefully one of our nurses, will soon invite you to come through to the office to meet the dentist. We will then simply have a chat about why you have come to see us and about any points in the questionnaire that you filled in which require more detail. Please do not be shy or ashamed to tell the dentist that you are afraid or worried about the visit, it really helps us to know this....though usually we can guess! Once we have discussed your reasons for attending and you have told us what you would like done we will carry out an examination of your whole mouth.

We will ask you to wear a pair of protective glasses, then tip the chair back a little so that you are lying almost flat . Using just a mirror at first we will look round your lips, cheeks, tongue and gums. We will then count the number of teeth that you have present and make some notes on what fillings and treatment you already have. Once this is done we will look at each of the teeth in turn and check it for decay, wear and tear or any other problem. We may use an air jet to dry your teeth as we look at them. This simply puffs a tiny amount of air on to your tooth to dry the saliva a little.

What Does an Examination Involve?

And After The Examination, What Then?

Finally the dentist will sit you back up and discuss what he has seen in you mouth as well as what he or she would suggest as the next step. At this point, we may ask for your permission to take some x-rays of your teeth. An x-ray is simply a special photograph of your teeth which allows us to see what is happening in between your teeth, and under your fillings. When one is taken, all you will be aware of is a beeping noise from the x-ray machine.

If you require treatment, we will discuss this in advance with you and do our best to explain everything that will happen so that you are not faced with any surprises at your next visit. We always try to start treatment off with something really simple to help you gain confidence over time until you feel ready to progress further.

What About Treatment?