The First Appointment

Fill out the confidential "Patient Questionnaire and Medical History" form. If you previously pre-medicated with antibiotics for your dental appointments, please contact your physician's office at least 2 days ahead of your scheduled appointment. You may no longer need to pre-medicate for our visits. If you have had heart valve replacement, certain congenital heart defects, or have previously suffered a heart infection, you are likely to need to take the appropriate antibiotics. Also, if you have an artificial joint, you probably need to pre-medicate for a dental appointment. Please consult with your physician ahead of time so as to avoid any confusion and delays in your treatment.
Your first appointment with us will usually consist of the gathering of all the information from which a proper diagnosis can be made. Dr. Melnyk will review your medical history to discover or rule out any contributing factors to your problem and to make certain that our treatments cause you no harm. He will perform a thorough periodontal examination, evaluating the health of the gums, the teeth and the bite. Finally, in order to evaluate the amount of bone support present, to check for the presence of any diseases in the jaw bones and to properly diagnose your condition, a complete set of x-rays will be taken.

We share your concerns about unnecessary radiation exposure. Please be assured that we have taken many technical steps to reduce the amount of x-ray exposure our patients experience. If your dentist has taken a "full mouth series" of x-rays within the last year (a series of 16-18 small, individual films), please ask him or her to provide us with a copy.

Before your examination appointment, Dr. Melnyk can then determine if they are complete and if they show the information necessary for him to make his diagnosis. This will eliminate the need for you to return for an extra appointment to our office. If you have a specific medical reason for not having x-rays taken, please let us know in advance.

Your second appointment will be for your Review of Findings and Treatment Planning Consultation. This appointment is usually scheduled for one hour, during which Dr. Melnyk will discuss his findings with you and propose periodontal treatment consistent with your wants and needs. If you wish, you may invite your spouse, relative or friend to attend this appointment with you. Occasionally, when a patient is referred for a very localized problem, the treatment planning consultation may be given at the examination visit.