Index / Dr. Nosti
Your first visit
An examination,
and a plan
you can read.
You will not be asked to agree to treatment at the first appointment. You will be examined, your records will be taken, and you will leave with — or shortly receive — a written plan that names every stage and every fee.
Why people come here
- He teaches occlusion and full-mouth rehabilitation to other dentists
- Fellowships in three academies — FAGD, FACE and FICOI
- The complex cases other practices refer out
- A written, itemized plan before anything is scheduled
The appointment
What happens, in order.
Your account of it
What brought you in, what has been done before, what worked and what did not, and what you actually want out of this. This part is not a formality.
15 minExamination
Teeth, gums, existing restorations, the joints, the muscles, the range of motion, the wear pattern, and a screening examination of the soft tissues.
20 minRecords
Radiographs or a 3D scan where indicated, digital scans of the teeth, standardized photographs, and bite measurements if the case calls for them.
20 minThe conversation
What was found, shown to you on the images and the scans, with the options — including doing nothing — and the honest trade-offs of each.
20 minThe written plan
An itemized plan: the stages, the order, the time, and the cost of each. Insurance is checked and what it is likely to cover is stated.
AfterPractical
What to bring, and what to expect.
Bring
- Your insurance card, if you have dental or relevant medical coverage
- A list of your medications, including supplements and anything for bone density
- Any recent radiographs or records from a previous dentist, if you can get them
- A sleep study report, if sleep apnea is part of why you are here
- Photographs of your smile from before, if what you want is to get something back
Expect
- Roughly ninety minutes for a comprehensive consultation
- No treatment at this appointment unless something is urgent and you ask for it
- To be shown what was found, rather than told about it
- To be told if what you came in asking for is not the right treatment
- A written plan with itemized fees, not a verbal estimate
If you are in pain
Say so when you call. An urgent appointment is a different appointment: the problem is diagnosed and made comfortable first, and the comprehensive examination happens afterward, once you are not trying to think through a toothache.
When you arrive
Harding Highway,
free parking,
and no waiting room theatre.
The practice is a neighborhood office on Route 40, not a surgical center. You check in at the desk, the paperwork is short because most of it was sent ahead, and the appointment starts near the time it was booked for.
If you have anxiety about dentistry — and a great many people who end up here do, usually for good reason — say so when you book. It changes how long the visit is scheduled for and what gets planned into it. Nobody will comment on how long it has been.
Questions
First visit, answered.
Do you charge for the consultation?
A comprehensive examination with records is a clinical appointment and carries a fee, which is often covered in part by dental insurance. You will be told the amount when you book, not when you arrive. There is no charge for the time spent discussing a plan you have already paid to have made.
Will I be pressured to decide?
No. The plan is written down precisely so you can take it away, think about it, compare it and come back with questions. Complex treatment that someone has been talked into tends to go badly for everybody involved.
I have not been to a dentist in years.
You are in a large and entirely unremarkable category, and nobody here will comment on it. The examination establishes where things actually stand, and the plan is sequenced so the urgent things are dealt with first and the rest can be staged over time and budget.
Can I bring someone with me?
Yes, and for a complex plan it is a good idea. A second set of ears picks up what you missed, and for treatment that will take months and cost real money, having someone else who heard the same explanation is useful.
Keep reading
Next step
Start with an examination and a straight answer.
A consultation includes an examination, the records the case needs and a written, itemized plan. If what you are asking for is not the right treatment, Dr. Nosti will say so and tell you what is.