Back After a Long Gap
Booking again after a long time away is often the toughest step. This explains what happens at the first appointment, what we commonly find, the cost, and how we take the pressure off.
It's Been Years Since I Saw a Dentist. What Happens at a First Visit in Lanark?
A first examination at our Lanark practice, X-rays and all, is £70, and it opens with a conversation while you sit upright, not with you lying back in the chair. Once you're comfortable, your dentist examines your teeth, gums and the inside of your cheeks and tongue, takes X-rays only where they'll help, and puts every option in writing with a price beside it. Nothing is done unless you ask for it, and no one will lecture you.
Why People Put It Off
There is nearly always a good reason, and it's seldom laziness. A bad experience in childhood. A dentist who left you feeling belittled. Fear of injections or of gagging. A few years when money was short. Or simple embarrassment, which builds the longer you leave it, until picking up the phone seems out of the question.
The problem is that time away reinforces itself. Every year makes the call harder to make, while minor issues that could have been fixed quickly gradually get bigger. Whatever your reason, you're far from the only one. We welcome people from Lanark, Carluke, Lesmahagow and right across Clydesdale who haven't been near a dental chair in ten years or more. Our role is to help from where you are today, and nobody here will ask why you waited.
Before Your Appointment
- Contact us in whatever way is easiest. A WhatsApp message to 07904 195925 is fine, and someone close to you can send it on your behalf.
- Tell us what you're anxious about. That way your dentist knows beforehand and you won't need to explain once you're sitting down.
- Fill in your forms at home. A secure text link lets you complete your medical history on your phone in a few minutes.
- Pick a time that works for you. Our opening hours are Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5.30pm, and Friday, 9am to 5pm. Closed at weekends.
- Bring a list of your medicines. Photos of the packets are just as good.
- Have something to eat first. And go easy on extra coffee, as it can make anxiety worse.
Begin with a Message
A single line will do. Just say it's been some time, and we'll handle the rest.
What Happens During the Visit
Your new patient examination is never rushed. It begins with a conversation while you're sitting up: why you've come in, whether anything hurts, what you'd like your teeth to be like, and any health issues we should know about. We only move on to looking in your mouth when you're ready:
- Your teeth and any fillings, checked with a small mirror, along with how your teeth bite together
- Your gums, gently measured for pockets
- The soft tissues, including tongue, lips, cheeks and palate, screened for signs of mouth cancer as a matter of routine
- X-rays where necessary, to see between the teeth and beneath old fillings
- Photographs, so we can show you on screen exactly what we mean
Afterwards we explain what we've found in everyday language. If you'd prefer to stop after the conversation and come back another day for the examination, that's completely fine.
What We Often Find
After several years away, the findings tend to follow a familiar pattern. Built-up tartar and inflamed gums. Some decay, or old fillings that have cracked or worn. A chipped or broken tooth. Occasionally, a tooth that is too badly damaged to save.
Listed like that it can sound a lot, but it's seldom as bad as people expect, and every one of these can be treated. Staged deep cleaning settles most gum disease, advanced cases included. Decay is repaired with a filling, or with an onlay or crown where much of the tooth has been lost. An infected tooth can often be kept with root canal treatment. And if a tooth does need to be taken out, there's no rush to fill the gap; we can talk about an implant, bridge or denture further down the line. We'll group everything into what should be done soon, what's important, and what's optional.
What Makes It Easier
- We explain every step beforehand and warn you before anything noisy
- A stop signal, such as lifting your hand, which we always respect
- Numbing gel on the gum before any injection, followed by a slow, gentle injection
- Short first appointments that get longer as your confidence builds
- Headphones of your own, if music helps you relax
- A consultation that's purely a conversation, if an examination feels like too much for now
- IV sedation for treatment, at £500 a session, if your anxiety is severe or there's a lot of work to do
Our dental anxiety guide covers each of these in more depth.
What It Costs
A new patient examination, X-rays included, costs £70. 1 Any treatment after that is costed in your written plan before it starts.
As for the NHS: We're taking on new NHS patients, adults and children, as well as private patients. NHS dentistry at our practice comes under NHS Lanarkshire. Many patients combine the two, using the NHS for routine care and private treatment for extras. You'll find the complete price list on our fees page.
After Your First Appointment
You'll go home with a written plan setting out each option, what each costs, and the order we'd suggest. You won't be pushed to book anything on the spot, so take it away, read it through and think about it. The quoted fee for each item stays the same once you've made up your mind.
You can set the pace, too. Sort out anything urgent first, then plan the rest over several months if a slower pace suits you better. Some people choose to begin with a visit to Fiona Dyer, our hygienist, as it's a gentle way back and makes later treatment easier to assess and plan. Once you're back in a routine, a dental plan from £24.10 a month keeps your dental examinations and hygiene visits regular, with your next appointment booked before you go.
Finding Us
You'll find us at 72 High Street, Lanark ML11 7ES, in the centre of the town. Directions are on our getting here page. To make an appointment, phone 01555 662441 or send a WhatsApp to 07904 195925. If you're not sure what to say, "I haven't been in years and I'm anxious" tells us everything we need.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.