YOUR FIRST VISIT
Your First Step to Clear Answers
Your first visit is designed to help us understand what brought you in, look closely at your oral and airway health, and explain what comes next.
We combine careful listening, a functional exam, and advanced diagnostic tools to build a clear picture of your breathing, sleep, growth, bite, and oral function. Every visit is shaped around your age, symptoms, history, and reason for coming in.
WHAT TO EXPECT
What Your First Visit Looks Like
01
Tell Us What’s Been Going On
We begin with your health history, sleep-focused screening, and a conversation about what brought you in. This helps us understand the patterns behind your concerns, and not only the symptoms you notice most.
02
A Closer Look at Structure and Function
Your doctor evaluates how your teeth, bite, jaws, tongue, and airway are working together. Digital scans or imaging are used when they provide information the exam alone cannot show.
03
We Connect the Findings
We explain what we’re seeing and how it relates to your breathing, sleep, growth, or oral function. The goal is to make our findings clear and understandable.
04
We Plan the Next Step
Your next step may include treatment within dentistry, additional testing, monitoring, or collaboration with another provider. You’ll leave knowing what comes next and why.
HOW TO PREPARE
Before You Arrive
What to bring to your first visit:
- Photo ID
- Insurance card, if applicable
- Current medication list
- Relevant medical or dental records
- Previous sleep-study results, if available
- Completed patient forms, if provided before your visit
It can also help to write down the symptoms, questions, or concerns you want to discuss so nothing gets missed.
How Visits Differ for Adults and Children
The focus of the evaluation changes with age, development, and the concerns that brought you in, so the process looks a little different for children and adults.
For Children
The visit focuses on growth, oral habits, jaw development, and breathing patterns. Because children are still developing, early evaluation gives us the opportunity to identify concerns while growth is active and determine whether support is needed.
In many pediatric cases, diagnosis and treatment planning can happen during the first visit.
For Adults
The visit focuses on sleep, snoring, jaw tension, bite, and long-standing structural patterns. When sleep-disordered breathing is part of the picture, home sleep testing or a physician-provided diagnosis helps guide the treatment plan.
Adults often need more diagnostic information before the full treatment path is finalized.
Every visit is built around what you need.
Your history, symptoms, and exam findings help us determine which diagnostic tools will provide the clearest picture. From digital scans to sleep testing, each tool gives us a different view of how your teeth, jaws, airway, and sleep are working together.
The goal is to gather the right information, explain what it means, and use it to guide your next step with confidence.
The Technology Behind the Evaluation
SleepImage Ring®
The SleepImage Ring is an at-home sleep monitor that records breathing and sleep data while you rest in your own bed. It measures patterns such as:
- Oxygen changes
- Heart-rate variability
- Sleep disruption
- Breathing patterns
- Sleep quality
The results help determine whether sleep-disordered breathing is present and whether physician-supported diagnosis or treatment planning is needed.
iTero Lumina™ 3D Scanner
The iTero Lumina creates a detailed digital model of your teeth, bite, and arch shape. The smaller scanning wand makes the process comfortable for adults, children, and patients with sensitive gag reflexes.
The scan helps us evaluate:
- Tooth position and crowding
- Bite relationships
- Arch width
- Available tongue space
- Changes over time
- Orthodontic and airway-focused treatment needs
You can see the scan on screen as we review it together.
MouthWatch Intraoral Camera
The intraoral camera provides a close-up view of your teeth, gums, tongue, and soft tissue. These images help us:
- Show you exactly what we see
- Explain findings clearly
- Document areas of concern
- Track changes over time
This makes the exam easier to understand and keeps you involved in the conversation.
CBCT Imaging
CBCT imaging gives us a three-dimensional view of the structures that influence breathing, sleep, bite, and oral function. The scan helps us examine:
- Jaw structure
- Tooth and root position
- Nasal passages
- Sinuses
- Arch width
- Airway dimensions
- Tonsil and soft-tissue relationships
The scan is completed quickly and is used when a more detailed structural view is needed for diagnosis or treatment planning.
COLLABORATIVE CARE
Airway concerns often involve both the mouth and the rest of the body. That is why collaboration is part of the process.
Depending on your findings, your care team can include:
- Sleep Physicians
- Primary Care Doctors
- Pediatricians
- ENTs
- Myofunctional Therapists
- Speech Therapists
We evaluate the dental and oral factors within our scope and coordinate with other professionals when medical diagnosis or additional support is needed.
ASK THE EXPERTS
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will my first visit take?
The length of your visit depends on the type of appointment and the diagnostic information needed. Airway consultations are designed to allow enough time for a detailed history, scan, exam, and conversation with the doctor.
Will I receive a diagnosis on my first visit?
Children often receive a diagnosis and treatment direction at the first visit. Adults frequently need home sleep testing or additional diagnostic information before the complete plan is presented.
Does every adult need a sleep test?
No. Home sleep testing is recommended when the history and exam point to sleep-disordered breathing or when a physician-supported diagnosis is needed before treatment.
Can treatment begin at the first visit?
In some pediatric cases, treatment can begin the same day. Adult treatment usually begins after the diagnostic process is complete and the doctor has reviewed all necessary information.
