If you’re coming to our practice as a new patient, you may want to know what to expect. Many of our patients come to Kuzma Advanced Dentistry to establish care and to have a general dentist for twice-yearly dental exams and teeth cleanings. Other people contact us when they break a tooth, have bleeding gums, have a toothache, or have symptoms of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ/TMD). Others come for expert Obstructive Sleep Apnea treatment because they have struggled with poor-quality sleep for too long, and their general health and emotional well-being are impacted by this sleep-related breathing disorder that affects millions of Americans.
Regardless of what brings you to our Wilmington, NC, practice, we are thrilled you’re here and hope to meet you in person soon. Our amazing dental team will get you started on the new patient process by gathering information about your medical history, dental concerns, and goals. If you have any questions about dental insurance and fees before your visit, our front desk staff will be happy to answer all of your questions and explain our insurance billing process.
New Patient Appointment
We will need X-rays for most new patients, especially if you’ve not visited a dentist in six months. Our digital X-rays offer a comprehensive view of your teeth, gums, jaw, and surrounding structures. We can even show you your x-rays on a big screen, as Dr. Kuzma points out any problematic areas. Digital X-rays are ready for viewing immediately, requiring less radiation—only about 10-20% of the radiation of traditional X-rays.
Dr. Kuzma will perform a thorough oral examination with his eyes and an intraoral camera. An intraoral camera lets you see what we see; seeing problem areas will help you decide your treatment plan. Dr. Kuzma will thoroughly explain which areas need to be addressed soon and which need future attention.
If a teeth cleaning is indicated for your first visit, our dental hygienist will perform a thorough evaluation of your gum health and clean your teeth using the most innovative dental tools available today.
What to Expect if You Have Symptoms of TMJ
You may have only one or two of the painful symptoms of TMJ, or you may have several symptoms. We don’t want you to continue to suffer from any symptoms of TMJ, so we can offer a diagnostic tool to discover problems in your bite that may be causing Temporomandibular Joint Disorder.
Our Wilmington TMJ dentist, Dr. Michael Kuzma, has the best technology today to diagnose TMJ. The K-7 diagnostic system has three tools that help us to get a clearer picture of what’s wrong with your TMJs.
- Electrosonography allows Dr. Kuzma to listen to the sounds of your jaw joints to determine if they’re functioning correctly or if grinding is occurring.
- Electronic jaw tracking lets us determine the exact course of your jaw’s motion. It also enables us to detect slight irregularities that can lead to bigger problems.
- Electromyography allows us to determine just how hard your muscles are working so that we can discover areas of tension or stress. Putting your jaw in its optimal position allows the surrounding structures to function without being overworked.
Dental Anxiety or Dental Phobia?
Once you’re an established patient, we may be able to offer you sedation dentistry without dangerous medications or nitrous oxide (laughing gas). NuCalm® is an exciting new approach to sedation dentistry that doesn’t use drugs to reduce your anxiety. NuCalm® uses neuroscience to control your body’s stress response.
Your autonomic nervous system controls your stress response and many other involuntary body functions, and NuCalm® works by allowing us to control the involuntary nervous system, defusing the stress response so that you can relax while having dental work performed.
NuCalm® involves a combination of neuroscience, music, and biochemistry to put you in a deeply relaxed state within five minutes of beginning the NuCalm® process. If you suffer from dental anxiety, please be sure to ask about NuCalm® at your first appointment.
Call Today for a New Patient Appointment
Please call our team to schedule your new patient appointment at (910) 392-6060. You may also fill out our online contact form, and one of our dental team members will reach out soon to assist with scheduling and answer any questions you may have regarding what to expect at your first visit.
