A new patient exam in Plano that shows you everything we see
If it has been a while since anyone looked closely at your teeth, your first visit is where that ends. In one appointment you get a full exam, the X‑rays you actually need, a digital scan you can watch on the screen and a plain-language plan that separates what matters now from what can wait. Nothing is scheduled on the spot. If treatment is recommended, it comes with a written, itemized quote you can take home and think about.
Overdue for a checkup and dreading the lecture?
A long gap is one of the most common reasons adults book a first visit. Something got busy, the old dentist retired, and a year became five. Nobody here will ask why.
The lecture you are bracing for does not happen. Our job is to tell you where things stand, not how you got here. The plan starts from today and is sorted by what matters most.
You can walk out with the plan, sleep on it and call when you are ready.
- “I know there is something wrong in there”Most surprises are smaller than people fear, and the ones that are not are easier to handle now than later.
- “I do not want to be talked into a mouthful of work”You get a written plan sorted into now, later and just watch, and you set the pace.
- “Honestly, I am nervous about dentists”Tell us when you book, and it changes how we pace everything that follows.
What is a new patient exam?
A new patient exam is a full first check of your teeth, gums, bite and jaw. At Custerpoint Family Dental in Plano it typically includes the X‑rays you need, gum measurements, an oral cancer screening and often an iTero digital scan, followed by a walk through the findings on the chairside screen. Most people are finished in about 60 to 90 minutes, and you leave with a written plan for anything that needs attention.
Your first visitYou see what the dentist sees, on the screen beside you, and hear it in plain words.
What should you bring to a first visit?
Every adult qualifies for this visit, so there is no candidacy test. A little preparation makes the appointment shorter and the benefits check more accurate.
Bring these
- A photo ID and your insurance card, or a photo of both sent ahead so your benefits are checked before you sit down.
- A list of the medications you take, including anything over the counter. Some change what we watch for.
- Recent X‑rays from another dentist, if you have them. Ask that office to send the files and we can often skip a repeat.
What happens at your first visit
- A full exam of teeth, gums, bite, jaw joints and soft tissue
- Only the X‑rays your mouth needs, usually a panoramic image plus a few close-ups
- A digital scan you can watch on the screen, with no impression putty
- A written plan, and a written, itemized quote for anything recommended
What makes this first visit different?
You see everything we see, nobody lectures you, and you leave with a plan you can read. Results vary from person to person.
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01
A scan you can watch
An iTero wand builds a 3D model of your teeth on the screen in minutes, with no impression trays, and becomes a baseline for later visits.
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02
X‑rays explained on the screen
Your images go up beside the chair, so the dentist can point to the exact crack or shadow instead of describing it.
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03
No lecture, whatever the gap
A long gap is one of the most common reasons adults book, and we start from today.
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04
A written plan, sorted three ways
What needs attention now, what can wait and what is only worth watching, yours to take home.
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05
Your benefits checked first
Send your insurance details ahead and your PPO benefits are checked before you sit down.
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06
The exit is always open
Nothing is scheduled on the spot; any recommended treatment comes with a written, itemized quote, and you decide when, or whether, to go ahead.
Comprehensive exam or a problem-focused visit: which should you book?
Most new patients book a comprehensive exam. If a single tooth is bothering you, a shorter problem-focused visit may come first, with the full exam once the tooth is settled.
| At a glance | Most asked aboutComprehensive new patient exam | Option 2Problem-focused visit |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Starting care, catching up after a gap, second opinions | One tooth or one symptom that needs a look soon |
| What is checked | All teeth, gums, bite, jaw joints and soft tissue | The area that hurts or has changed |
| X‑rays | A full set as needed, usually a panoramic plus close-ups | Only what that tooth needs |
| Digital scan | Often, as a baseline record | Only if it helps the decision |
| You leave with | A written plan for your whole mouth | A diagnosis and options for that tooth |
| Next step | Cleaning and any treatment, scheduled at your pace | Treatment, then a full exam when you are ready |
Not sure which to book? Call 972-265-9033 and the front desk will match the visit to what is going on. If something hurts today, see emergency dental care. | ||
Reviewed by our own patients
Custerpoint Family Dental averages 4.8 stars across 234 public Google reviews, as of September 8, 2026, so you can read them yourself before you call. Results vary from person to person, so your exam covers what is realistic for your mouth.
Read the reviews on GoogleHow does your first visit run, from booking to plan?
Your first visit runs in five stages, and most people are finished in about 60 to 90 minutes. Each stage is explained before it starts.
- 01
Before you arrive
Book online or call 972-265-9033, and send your insurance details ahead so your benefits are checked before you sit down.
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Check-in on Custer Road
The office is in Suite 325 at 3000 Custer Road, with parking right outside. The front desk confirms your history and medications, then walks you back. If you are nervous, say so here.
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X‑rays and a digital scan
We take the X‑rays your mouth needs, usually a panoramic image plus a few close-ups. Many first visits also include an iTero scan, which builds a 3D model of your teeth on the screen with no impression trays.
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The exam itself
Dr. Tam or Dr. Chiem checks each tooth, measures the gum pockets, looks at your bite and jaw joints, and screens the tongue, cheeks, floor of the mouth and neck for oral cancer. Healthy pocket readings are generally 1 to 3 mm. Older fillings and crowns are checked edge by edge.
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Your plan, in writing
You leave with a plan sorted three ways: now, later and just watch. Any recommended treatment comes with a written, itemized quote, with no pressure to schedule it on the spot.
No surprisesNothing is booked until you have a written quote and you feel ready.
What does a new patient exam cost?
It depends mostly on your insurance and on which X‑rays your mouth needs. Many PPO plans treat a comprehensive exam and routine X‑rays as preventive care and cover them in full or close to it, though every plan sets its own limits. We check yours before the visit and tell you what to expect.
What moves the number
- Whether your plan covers preventive visits
- Which X‑rays you need, based on your history and how recent your last set was
- Whether a cleaning happens the same day, and which type your gums call for
- Whether a cone-beam CT scan is needed, which most first visits do not
Good to knowAny treatment is quoted separately, in writing, before it is scheduled. The exam does not commit you to any of it.
Before any treatment, you get a written, itemized quote showing what your plan is expected to pay and what is left for you.
Questions about a specific plan? Call 972-265-9033 with your plan name, or see insurance and financing.
Who does your exam, and what will you see?
Dr. Tam or Dr. Chiem does the exam, and three pieces of equipment shape the visit.
Dr. Larry TamGeneral dentist and ownerA Plano native and Texas A&M Baylor College of Dentistry graduate, caring for Dallas-area patients for more than ten years.
Dr. Johnny ChiemGeneral dentistYears of clinical experience and a gentle, compassionate approach; he walks you through your X‑rays on the screen before anything is decided.A first visit is mostly looking and talking, and nothing about it should hurt. We go at your pace, explain each step first, and stop whenever you raise a hand.
- 01
iTero digital scanner
A small wand builds a 3D model of your teeth on the screen in minutes, with no impression putty, and the scan becomes a baseline for later visits.
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Low-radiation cone-beam CT
A 3D X‑ray used when a flat image is not enough, such as checking the position of a wisdom tooth or the bone where an implant might go. Most first visits do not need one.
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Chairside screens
Your X‑rays, scan and photos go up on the screen beside the chair, so the dentist can point to exactly what they mean instead of describing it.
First-visit questions Plano patients ask us
Have one we have not covered? Call 972-265-9033 during office hours and you will reach the front desk.
Emergency DentistryConsider it if something hurts today and cannot wait for a full exam.
Cleanings & Preventive CareConsider it if you had a full exam recently and only need your cleaning.
Drill Free DentistryTreating small cavities without the drill, when the tooth allows it.
Periodontal CareDeep cleanings and ongoing care that keep gum disease in check.