Your first visit, start to finish
About 90 minutes, no surprises. Here is exactly what happens, what to bring and what it costs.
Guide 03 of 07
Your first visit, minute by minute
Ninety minutes, start to finish, with the clock running. If you would rather know exactly what is coming than be pleasantly surprised, this page is for you.
-48 h
Forms arrive by text
You, on your own phone
A secure link lands two days before. Eight minutes of typing at home saves a clipboard in a waiting room, and it lets us verify your benefits before you arrive.
0:00
You check in
Front desk
Arrive ten minutes early, park free in the Shadyside Garage on Walnut Street. Photo ID and your insurance card, then a seat for two or three minutes at most.
0:05
Health history, out loud
Your dental assistant
We go through medication, allergies, heart and blood pressure history, and anything that makes you anxious. This is the point to mention a bad past experience.
0:15
Digital x-rays and photographs
Assistant, then you at the screen
Low-dose digital images and intraoral photos, taken only where they are needed. They go up on the screen in front of you, not into a folder you never see.
0:30
Hygiene visit and gum charting
Your hygienist
Scaling and polishing, plus six measurements around every tooth. The numbers are read aloud and recorded, so next year we can compare rather than guess.
1:05
The dentist examines and explains
One of our four doctors
Teeth, gums, bite, joints and a soft tissue screening. Then the photographs on screen, in plain English, with what is urgent separated from what is optional.
1:20
The plan and the numbers
Treatment coordinator
Treatment ranked by urgency, with the insurance estimate beside each item and payment options if the total needs spreading. Nothing has to be decided today.
1:30
You leave with it in writing
You
A printed or emailed plan, your next recall date, and a direct number to ask the question you will think of in the car park.
The three forms, before the clock starts
All three arrive in one secure link, and all three save as you go. If the link expires or you would rather do it on paper, call (412) 555-0133 and we will have them ready at the desk.
- 1
Health history
Medical conditions, medication, allergies and your previous dentist's details. About six minutes.
- 2
Notice of privacy practices
How your record is stored and who may see it. A read and an acknowledgement, no typing.
- 3
Financial policy and consent
What we bill, what your plan is billed for, and when the balance is due. One page.
General information, not dental advice. Timings are typical for a comprehensive new patient visit; a focused emergency appointment or a visit that uncovers gum disease will run to a different clock.
Forms by text
We send a secure link two days before your visit. It takes about eight minutes on your phone.
What to bring
- 1Photo ID and your dental insurance card
- 2A list of current medications and supplements
- 3Recent x-rays from a previous dentist, if you have them
- 4Your completed intake forms (texted before the visit)
- 5Glasses for reading, if you use them
- 6Any questions or concerns written down
Patient portal and online forms
Skip the clipboard. Fill out your forms at home in about eight minutes, then manage visits and bills from your phone.
Inside the portal
- 1AppointmentsSee upcoming visits, confirm by text and request changes.
- 2Estimates and billingView treatment estimates, insurance claims and pay a balance.
- 3Secure messagesSend a question or a photo to your care team.
- 4Records and x-raysDownload x-rays and treatment notes to share with a specialist.
This is a demo site, so the portal sign-in is not connected. The live practice links to its secure portal here.
Referring a patient? We make it easy
For dentists and physicians referring implant, sleep apnea, TMJ or urgent cases to Northstar.
- 1Same-day acknowledgmentWe confirm receipt to your office by email within one business day.
- 2We call your patientOur coordinator schedules the patient and verifies their benefits.
- 3Report back to youYou receive exam findings, imaging and the treatment plan. Patients return to you for routine care.
Prefer the phone? Our referral coordinator answers at (412) 555-0133, option 3. Please do not include full medical records in this demo form.
New patient questions
Plan on about 90 minutes for a comprehensive exam, full x-rays and cleaning. If your gums need deeper cleaning, we may schedule that as a separate visit.
Yes. Give us your previous dentist's name and we will request records with your permission. Recent x-rays can save you a repeat set.
You are not alone and you will not be lectured. We start where you are, fix urgent problems first and build a plan at a pace and budget that works.
Nitrous oxide is available for most visits and oral sedation for longer procedures after a medical review.
Northstar care guides
The rest of the series
Seven guides, written by our doctors and kept free of sales talk. Each one stands on its own.
- TfGuide 01Treatment finderTell us what you notice and see which treatment usually answers it.Open
- EgGuide 02Dental emergency guideWhat to do in the first ten minutes, by symptom, and today's same-day chairs.Open
- CmGuide 04Comfort menuEverything an anxious patient can ask for, written down so nobody has to explain twice.Open
- IcGuide 05Insurance checkerRead your plan in five fields, then call your insurer with our script.Open
- FaGuide 06Family care by ageWhat the mouth needs at every stage, from the first tooth to a set of dentures.Open
- OcGuide 07Daily oral careThe habits that change outcomes, ranked, plus the ones that barely matter.Open
Ready for your first visit?
Tell us what you need and when you are free. Our front desk confirms within one business day.
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