Your First Dental Appointment​

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What Should I Expect at My First Visit?

At your first dentist appointment, you will get to know your Kaiser Permanente dental team and have your first dental exam. The dental exam will include:
  • Review of medical and dental history
  • Diagnostic exam, including dental X-rays
  • Gum disease evaluation
  • Tooth decay assessment
  • Head and neck cancer screening
  • Blood pressure check
  • Review medical care gaps (when applicable)
To ensure you’re as comfortable as possible during your visit, our Comfort Menu offers a list of items to help you relax:
  • Pillow
  • Earplugs
  • Headphones/earbuds
  • Squeeze ball
  • Blanket (heated based on your preferences)
  • Lip moisturizer
  • Moist towelette

After your exam, your dentist will share your dental results. Your dentist will also talk with you about treatment and hygiene needs. Each time you return for routine care, we encourage you to see your personal dentist.

When you call to make your first appointment, please let us know if you would like to share dental X-rays from your previous dentist with us. Depending on factors such as image quality and how recently the X-rays were taken, we may be able to use them for your first dentist appointment with us. Dental X-rays are proven safe and are necessary for us to do a comprehensive assessment of your oral health.