New patients
What to expect as a new patient.
We're glad you're thinking about visiting us. Every new patient starts with a full examination, a clear explanation of what we found, and a conversation about the options before anything is scheduled. Here's how to prepare, what to bring, and what the first appointment involves. If you're in pain, please mention it when you call (559) 683-4694, or read what counts as a dental emergency.
Step one
Before you arrive
Your first appointment goes more smoothly when the paperwork is done ahead of time and your earlier records are on their way to us.
The new patient forms cover your contact details, your dental history and a full medical history. The patient forms page explains what each section asks for and why. If you'd like to complete the forms before your appointment, give us a call and ask how to get a copy. If you'd rather fill them out here, arrive about fifteen minutes early so there's time to do so before the examination.
If another dental office has treated you in the last few years, call that office and ask them to send your x-rays and chart to us. Recent images can reduce the number of new ones we need, and they show us what your teeth looked like before the current problem. Transfers can take a week or two, so it helps to request them soon after you schedule.
Some of our patients travel a good distance to see us, from Coarsegold, Bass Lake, Ahwahnee, North Fork and down Highway 49 from Mariposa County. If that's you, mention it when you schedule so we can keep the drive in mind when appointments are planned. See the communities we serve.
Step two
What to bring
Each of these items helps us care for you safely and answer cost questions accurately.
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Photo identification
A driver license or any current photo ID.
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Your dental plan card
If you carry benefits, bring the card along with the subscriber name, date of birth and group number. A photo of the card on your phone works fine.
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A current medication list
Every prescription with its dose, along with supplements and anything you take occasionally. Blood thinners, bisphosphonates and medications that reduce saliva are especially important for us to know about.
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Your physician's details
Your physician's name and number, along with the name of your previous dental office. Some treatment is safest when the offices can coordinate first.
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Your completed forms
If you've already completed the forms, bring the full packet. A parent or legal guardian must be present to sign for a patient under eighteen.
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A list of your questions
Write your questions down as you think of them and bring the list along. Notes on your phone are plenty, and we're happy to go through them with you.
Step three
What the first appointment involves
Plan for a longer appointment than a routine recall visit. What we learn at this exam guides any treatment that follows.
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Review of your history
We go through your forms with you and ask follow-up questions where they help: what's causing discomfort, what's been repaired before, and what you'd like changed. If dental visits make you nervous, please tell us at this stage.
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The examination
The examination covers the teeth, gums, bite, existing dental work and the soft tissue, and includes an oral cancer screening and a check of the lymph nodes in the neck. We record gum measurements so they can be compared at later visits. What an exam and cleaning covers .
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X-rays where they are needed
Decay between teeth, bone levels and infection at a root tip can be invisible to the naked eye. How many images you need depends on your history and your risk. If another office has sent recent x-rays, we use those.
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Cleaning
Whether a cleaning happens at the first visit depends on what the examination shows. If there's gum disease below the gumline, your gums need a deeper kind of care, and we'll explain what periodontal treatment involves before anything is scheduled.
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Review of the findings
Dr. Brosi explains what he found and shows you on the images it came from. Each item is sorted as urgent, worth watching, or optional, so the priorities of the plan are clear.
After the exam
The treatment plan and its cost
You'll hear what we found, what the options are and what each one involves, and the decision about how to proceed is yours.
For anything beyond a small filling, we go over the proposed treatment with you before it's scheduled: what it is, what it involves, what it costs and what the alternatives are. If we find something during treatment that the images didn't show, we'll talk through the options with you before the work continues.
A large treatment plan doesn't have to be completed at once. We sequence the work: infection, pain and active decay first, then structural work, then anything elective. The consequences of waiting vary a great deal from one tooth to the next, so we explain them for each item, and non-urgent work can be scheduled in stages. When a case is better suited to a specialist's training, Dr. Brosi will say so and help you get there.
The cost of treatment depends on the tooth and on how much sound structure remains, so a figure becomes meaningful once we've examined the tooth. Please ask about cost before agreeing to any treatment. See payment and financing and how dental benefits work.
Office information
Location and office hours
You'll find us on Road 426 in Oakhurst, off Highway 41.
We're open Monday through Thursday, and the full hours are listed here. If a problem develops, give us a call so we can look at it while it's small. Directions and a map are on the contact page, and you can read about the clinical team on the team page.
Privacy
Keeping your information private
Your health details are safest shared by phone or in person, since ordinary email and the forms on this site aren't encrypted. That includes your medical history, a description of your symptoms, photographs of a tooth, insurance identification numbers and payment card numbers.
The online form is a good place for your name, a phone number, and a short note about the kind of appointment you'd like. For anything else, including canceling or changing an appointment, the phone is the dependable way to reach us. Request an appointment, or read the Notice of Privacy Practices and the privacy policy for how we handle your information.
More information
Related pages
The rest of the practical detail is covered on four pages.
New patients are welcome.
Give us a call during business hours, or send an appointment request through the website. Once we receive your request, we'll call you to find a time that works for you.
Monday to Wednesday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Thursday 7:30 am to 4:00 pm. For a life-threatening emergency call 911 rather than the office.