First Visit

Your time is very valuable. We at Barkoff Dental pride ourselves on keeping on schedule and you can count on us to respect the time you have set aside to visit us. For your convenience all of our new patient registration forms are available online and should be completed from the comfort of your home prior to your arrival.

At your first visit you will experience a Comprehensive Oral Evaluation. Then based on our findings, our clinical team will develop a treatment plan designed especially for you that will help meet your dental health goals to achieve and maintain a healthy smile. Please know that your questions about treatment options are always welcomed, we want you to feel comfortable and confident about your choices.

In anticipation of your initial visit, please bring your completed paperwork along with a list of prescription and non-prescription medications you are presently taking. If you have been told by your physician that you must take an antibiotic prior to any dental care, contact your doctor for a prescription and take the medication before your visit as prescribed. We ask that you come to your appointment 10 - 15 minutes early so we may review your paperwork and be able to see you on time.

If you are fortunate enough to have Dental Insurance benefits available to you to offset some of the costs of your dental care, please present your dental insurance card to one of our business team members to copy so we can help in filing your claims.

Whether your needs are to maintain dental health through regular hygiene visits or if your desire is a brand-new smile, we are here to help. Great dental care doesn’t only make for a fantastic smile, it also helps promote overall health and wellness. Do you have a special occasion coming up or want to brighten your smile? Then ask us about teeth whitening or other cosmetic dental options. We want you to have the confidence to share your smile with the world!

There are many reasons why it’s important to see the dentist regularly. The first, of course, is for healthy teeth and gums—during your routine dental exams, we can identify potential problems before they become serious. Regular dental visits are also an important tool for detecting oral cancers. As part of your comprehensive dental exams, we check the soft tissues of the mouth, the tongue, lips, and neck for abnormal lesions that need further attention. Finally, your dental health is closely tied to your overall well-being. There is a growing body of evidence that demonstrates links between gum disease and inflammation, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even preterm birth. Infection in the teeth can easily spread to other parts of the body and without a strong bite, you can’t eat the healthy foods that nourish your body.

For most patients, we recommend scheduling comprehensive dental exams and cleanings every six months, no matter what your age. If you have gum disease, we may recommend more frequent visits, as regular dental cleanings are an important part of periodontal maintenance.

During your first dental visit, we perform a comprehensive exam and oral cancer screening in order to identify any areas of concern. We also perform a dental cleaning, which is critical to maintaining good oral health—plaque on your teeth eventually hardens into calculus (tartar), and the only way to remove this is with a professional dental cleaning. Once your teeth are cleaned, they are polished to create a smooth surface, which makes it harder for new plaque deposits to collect. 

Most importantly, at your first visit, we’ll get to know you and the concerns you have about the health and appearance of your smile. We’ll go over your dental history and any records you bring from your previous dental practice and, if needed, take dental x-rays in order to diagnose any issues that aren’t apparent upon visual exam.

We ask that you fill out all new patient forms prior to your visit and make a list of medications you’re currently taking. It’s helpful if you can also bring records from your previous dentist so we can understand the dental work you’ve had in the past.

Of course! You should brush and floss your teeth as you normally would before your appointment.

Patients with gum disease, frequent cavities, and other dental problems generally need more frequent dental x-rays than patients without this kind of history. You may need x-rays with every routine dental exam if you have gum disease in order for us to monitor the health of your teeth and jawbone.