Choosing a toothbrush: soft, small and replaced often
What matters in a brush, and what does not (sample).
A dentist on Orchard Lane who shows you the chart
Orchard Lane Dental (sample) looks after adults and families in Springfield: check-ups, fillings, crowns and same-day help when something hurts. After every check-up we go through your chart with you, tooth by tooth.
Reception
Open today
8:00–18:00
Sample chart: an adult after a check-up
Teeth 1 to 32, as the dentist sees them
Your right
Your left
1: no tooth
2
3: filling, done
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12: to watch
13
14: crown, done
15
16: no tooth
32: no tooth
31
30: crown, planned
29: filling, done
28
27
26
25
24
23
22
21
20
19: filling, planned
18
17: no tooth
Blue filled square: a filling already in the tooth
Blue outline: a crown already on the tooth
Rose: work planned (here a filling and a crown)
Dashed ring: nothing to do yet, check it next time
Cross: no tooth (here all four wisdom teeth)
The plan that comes out of it
Visit 1
Tooth 19: a white filling
40 minutes, numbing gel and a local anaesthetic
Visit 2
Tooth 30: a crown, fitted
60 minutes to prepare the tooth, then 30 minutes two weeks later
Next check-up
In six months: look at tooth 12 again
30 minutes with the dentist, 30 with the hygienist
What happens at a check-up
About an hour every six to twelve months: thirty minutes with the dentist and thirty with the hygienist (sample). This is the order it goes in.
Tell us at the desk if you feel nervous: we explain each step before we do it, and you can stop at any time by raising a hand.
1
Questions first
How you have been, any changes to your health or medicines, and anything that hurts or bothers you.
2
A look at every tooth
The dentist checks each tooth, your gums and the soft parts of your mouth, and calls out what they see for the chart.
3
X-rays, when due
Usually every one to two years, to see between the teeth and under old fillings. It takes a few seconds.
4
A clean
The hygienist removes hard tartar, polishes, and shows you the places your brush misses.
5
Your chart and plan
We show you the chart on the screen, explain any marks, and give you the plan and its cost in writing.
Treatments, and the mark each one leaves
The square at the start of each row is how the treatment looks on your chart: rose while it is planned, blue once it is done.
An exam of your teeth, gums and mouth, X-rays when they are due, then a scale and polish with the hygienist.
On your chart: no mark, checked and fine
1 visit, 60 min
From $150
Decay taken out and the tooth rebuilt in tooth-coloured composite.
On your chart: filled square
1 visit, 30–60 min
From $140
A cap over a weak or broken tooth, made in the lab to match the teeth beside it.
On your chart: thick outline
2 visits, two weeks apart
From $950
The inflamed or infected nerve taken out and the canals cleaned and sealed, so the tooth can stay.
On your chart: filled square and a root line
1–2 visits, 60–90 min
From $780
Taking out a tooth that cannot be saved, under a local anaesthetic.
On your chart: cross
1 visit, 30 min
From $180
Ways to fill a gap, from a removable denture to an implant, and what each involves.
On your chart: striped tooth
2–6 visits over 3–6 months
From $650
Example prices, for adults without insurance. Your dentist gives you a written plan with the cost before any treatment.
Toothache, a broken or a knocked-out tooth
We keep appointments free every weekday for people in pain, whether you are registered with us or not.
Toothache, swelling or a broken tooth? Call (555) 014-2200 from 8:00: we keep same-day appointments every weekday (sample). Out of hours, the message gives the on-call number.
What to do now
Toothache
Take the painkiller you normally use, as the pack says. Do not put aspirin on the gum. Call us in the morning.
A knocked-out adult tooth
Hold it by the white top, not the root. Rinse it in milk, put it back in or keep it in milk, and come in within the hour.
A broken tooth or filling
Keep any pieces. Cover sharp edges with sugar-free gum and avoid chewing on that side.
Swelling in the face
Swelling that spreads to the eye or the neck, or makes it hard to swallow or breathe: call 911.
Fees, before you sit down
You get a written plan with the cost of every item before treatment starts. Nothing is added on the day without asking you first.
- Most dental insurance accepted; we send the claim for you (sample)
- Pay by card after each visit
- Spread the cost of crowns and implants over 6 or 12 months (sample)
New patient exam, with X-rays
$120
Check-up with the dentist
$65
Hygienist: scale and polish
$85
Same-day emergency appointment
$90
White filling, one surface
from $140
Crown
from $950
Example prices, for adults without insurance.
Two surgeries, four people
A small practice where you see the same dentist each time, and the hygienist knows your mouth.
Dr Leah Moreno
Dentist (sample)
Check-ups, fillings, crowns and root canals.
Dr Tom Achebe
Dentist (sample)
Check-ups, extractions, dentures and implants.
Ines Kowalski
Hygienist (sample)
Cleaning, gum care and advice.
Ruth Brennan
Practice manager (sample)
Bookings, fees and insurance claims.
Questions people ask at the desk
I have not been to a dentist for years. Is that a problem?
No. Many new patients have not been for a long time. The first visit is a look and a talk; nothing is done that day unless you want it.
I feel nervous. What can you do?
Tell us when you book. We give longer appointments, explain each step before we start, agree a stop signal, and you can bring someone with you.
Are dental X-rays safe?
The dose from a dental X-ray is very small, about the same as a few hours of natural background radiation. We only take them when they will change what we do.
How often should I have a check-up?
Between every six months and every two years, depending on your teeth and gums. Your dentist tells you after the first check-up.
Do you see children?
Yes, from their first tooth. Children’s check-ups are short and we keep them light (sample fees on the fees page).
Tips from the surgery
Why we take X-rays, and how often
What the dentist sees on an X-ray that cannot be seen in the mouth (sample).
Cleaning between your teeth: floss, picks or brushes
A toothbrush cleans three sides of a tooth. Here is how to reach the other two (sample).
Finding the practice
48 Orchard Lane, Springfield (sample)
On the corner of Mill Road, opposite the library
Monday to Thursday
8:00–18:00
Friday
8:00–16:00
Saturday
9:00–13:00
Sunday
Closed
Opening hours (sample).
- Step-free entrance and a ground-floor surgery
- Two parking spaces at the back, more on Mill Road (sample)
- Buses 4 and 11 stop outside the library
