Dr. Rebecca Gecovich gladly welcomes new patients to Parma Ridge Family Dental. Our office provides comprehensive family dentistry for patients as young as age three and provides care all the way through the senior years.
Preparing for Your First Visit
We like to do as much as possible to prepare for your visit before you arrive, so you can meet with the doctor as quickly as possible upon your arrival.
Insurance
We ask that you provide us with your insurance information, if applicable, before you arrive, so we’ll have an opportunity to phone your insurance company and verify what benefits you’ll have available to apply to your visit.
Paperwork
In order to streamline the process, all our new patient paperwork is available here on the website. If possible, please fill out the Financial Policies and New Patient Forms in advance and bring them with you. If you’re unable to complete the paperwork, we can provide you with copies upon your arrival, though we ask that you come 15-20 minutes early to make sure you have time to complete it.
What to Expect on Your First Visit
When you arrive at our office, you’ll meet our Patient Coordinator first. She’ll help you with any remaining paperwork and handle the intake process. From there, your visit may vary somewhat depending on whether you’re having a dental emergency or are coming in for a regular checkup.
Regular Checkups
Before beginning the exam, Dr. Gecovich will meet with you to discuss your health history and any issues or concerns you have. In addition to referencing the x-rays and assessing gum health, she’ll manually check your teeth and gums for issues, perform a quick oral cancer screening, and make sure you’re not having any issues with your jaw, bite, or alignment.
Our office utilizes what’s known as a full-mouth series of x-rays, often called an FMX. Using a low-emitting, modern digital x-ray system, our assistant will take 18-20 snapshots of your teeth, which will allow Dr. Gecovich to see everything that’s going on, from the roots of your teeth all the way to the top of each one. We’ll also check the health of your gums through a process called perio charting, and may use our intra-oral camera to collect photos of any areas of concern. If the doctor happens to find any issues during your exam, she’ll discuss the findings with you and will work with you to determine the best course of action to correct them.
If your gums are in good health, we like to get your first cleaning done on the same visit, and you’ll meet with one of our hygienists for this. If you have what’s known as periodontal disease, or advanced gum disease, therapeutic treatment to help encourage healing is necessary, and it may require additional visits.
Emergency Visits
We leave time open on our schedule to accommodate dental emergencies on the same day. If you’re in pain or have another type of dental emergency, we’ll devote our time to diagnosing and treating that issue alone. Diagnostic tests usually include a single x-ray taken with our digital x-ray machine, sometimes photos with our intra-oral camera, and an examination with Dr. Gecovich. She’ll discuss the findings with you and will talk with you about what options are available to treat your immediate issue.
Treatment the day of the emergency visit is generally palliative in nature, which means Dr. Gecovich will help make sure you’re out of pain. However, because each situation is different, and the necessary treatment will vary, more intensive solutions such as root canals and crowns may require additional visits.
What to Bring to Your First Appointment
- Completed new patient forms
- Insurance information / Insurance card
- Allergy information
- List of any medications currently taking
- Payment: We accept cash, personal checks, money orders, Visa, MasterCard, Discover