The first thing you’ll notice when you walk through our doors is the peaceful and home-like ambiance of our office.
Nikki will warmly welcome you to our dental practice, provide you with a tablet to complete your documentation on, and explain the next steps. If you’ve already filled out our new patient forms, you can give them to her.
We keep soft music playing to help you relax. Our treatment rooms feature TVs on the ceilings that play soothing videos. We even have a massage dental chair that can help you deeply unwind before your procedure. For your comfort and convenience, we can provide you with a warm towel after teeth cleaning procedures, which can get a little messy.
Your Initial Consultation
Plan on spending an hour and a half in our office for your initial examination. You’ll learn from this experience that Dr. Marion is very thorough. Our dental assistant, Tracy, will accompany him during this exam. She takes notes while Dr. Marion chats with you. You’ll start by discussing things like your medical and dental history, your past dental experiences, and any concerns or questions you may have about your oral health or the appearance of your smile.
Next, Dr. Marion and Tracy will take photos of your teeth with an intraoral camera. Tracy will then take any necessary digital x-rays of your teeth. Dr. Marion will review the images with you and point out areas of interest or concern. Many of our current patients have commented that they found this part of the exam fascinating since they learned things about their oral health that they’d never been told about before.
After this comes the oral health evaluation. This part includes the following:
- Oral cancer screening
- Bite assessment
- TMJ function evaluation
- Periodontal exam
- Dental exam
If necessary, Dr. Marion will scan your teeth to create study models that help him to better assess the function of your smile and identify areas that need treatment.
Dr. Marion will carefully evaluate all of the information collected during your dental exam. Hopefully there will be no major concerns, and your follow-up appointment will be for a cleaning and for him to explain to you what he has found about the health of your mouth. If there are some major treatment needs, he will want to take time go over those with you and your cleaning will be a separate appointment.
Smile Makeover Consultations
Are you interested in a cosmetic dental procedure or even a total smile makeover? Dr. Marion is happy to meet with you to discuss your smile goals. If you aren’t yet ready to commit to the entire comprehensive dental exam, however, you can call us to schedule a brief complimentary visit with Dr. Marion to find out if you are a candidate for cosmetic dentistry.
Dental Hygiene
Once you’ve had your comprehensive dental exam, we’ll get you set up for a professional dental cleaning with our hygienist and co-diagnostician, Kim. If Dr. Marion detects signs of gum disease or heavy dental calculus accumulation during your initial exam, then he may recommend you have a more intensive cleaning procedure. Kim is also qualified to provide this treatment which is called scaling and root planing (SRP).
A Carestream 9600 CBCT, with a computer screen showing one of the views it can generate.
We’re a High-Tech Dental Practice
In January 2023 we brought a Carestream 9600 cone beam computed tomography machine into our practice. This is a sophisticated x-ray device that renders a three-dimensional view of oral structures. It enables Dr. Marion to diagnose complex root canal morphology, bone adequacy for implants, and many other things. The picture shows one of the views of the jaw it can create.
We also feature almost entirely digital dentistry. Besides digital x-rays, we use digital impression scanning. We have replaced impressions using messy pastes with optical scanning of your teeth.
We also have a remarkably accurate MoonRay 3D printer for dental appliances. This is advanced technology that isn’t used in the vast majority of dental offices.
We welcome patients who may be nervous about dental treatment or who haven’t been to a dentist in a long time. If dentistry makes you anxious, Dr. Marion can prescribe a small dose of oral sedation to calm you down. Our practice has helped many patients conquer their fear of the dentist.
If you would like us to help you begin your journey to a healthier smile, just call the number below, or you can use our online appointment request form and we will call you.