How to get your forms

There is no download on this page at the moment. Call the office at (559) 683-4694 and a copy of the new patient packet will be mailed to you, or arrive about fifteen minutes before your appointment and complete it at the front desk. Neither option costs you anything beyond a few minutes.

If you are already booked and would rather work through it at home, ask when you call. The office is open Monday through Wednesday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm and Thursday from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm.

Call (559) 683-4694 Request an appointment

What the paperwork is for

New patient paperwork looks like a formality and is not. It is the record of who you are, what you have had done, what you take, and what your body does under treatment. Every clinical decision made in this office starts from it, and a gap in it is a gap in your care.

It also settles the administrative side before anyone is in the chair: how to reach you, who is responsible for the account, and the fact that you have received the Notice of Privacy Practices. Getting that done in advance means your appointment is spent on your teeth.

What you will be asked for

Four kinds of information, each one there for a reason. Have them to hand before you start writing.

Patient and account details
Legal name, date of birth, address, the phone number you actually answer, and an emergency contact. If someone other than the patient is responsible for the account, that goes here too.
Dental history
When you were last seen, where, and what was done. Also what has gone wrong before: a tooth that never settled after a filling, a crown that came off twice, an extraction that was difficult. Past trouble predicts future trouble.
Medical history and medications
Conditions, surgeries, allergies, and every medication with its dose. Include supplements, anything over the counter, and anything you take only now and then. This is the section people skip and the one that matters most.
Benefit and payment information
Your dental plan card details if you carry benefits, and an acknowledgment of the payment policy. Payment is expected at the time services are performed. How payment works here.

Why the medical history matters more than people expect

Dentistry is surgery on a part of your body with a rich blood supply and a direct line to everything else. What is in your bloodstream changes what is safe to do and how it is done.

Blood thinners change how a site bleeds and how it is managed afterward. Bisphosphonates and some other bone medications change how the jaw heals after an extraction, sometimes years after the last dose. Uncontrolled diabetes changes how gums respond to treatment and how fast they heal. Heart valve history, joint replacements and immune suppression can call for antibiotic cover or a conversation with your physician first. Drugs that dry the mouth, and there are hundreds of them, raise decay risk quietly and quickly.

None of that is a reason to withhold anything. It is the reason to write all of it down, including the things that feel unrelated to teeth. If you are pregnant, or think you might be, say so before any images are taken.

Doing the paperwork in the office

Plenty of patients would rather fill the forms in at the front desk, and that is a perfectly good option. It just needs a little time built into your appointment.

  1. Arrive fifteen minutes early

    That is enough for most people to work through the packet without rushing. Come earlier if you take several medications and would rather copy the list carefully.

  2. Bring the source material

    Your medication bottles or a photo of the labels, your dental plan card, a photo ID, and your physician's name and number. Guessing at a dose helps nobody.

  3. Ask if a question is unclear

    Some of the medical questions use terms that only make sense if you have heard them before. Ask at the desk rather than leaving a line blank.

  4. Tell us if writing is difficult

    If handwriting is hard, your eyesight makes small print a problem, or English is not your first language, say so when you book. Someone will go through the questions with you.

A few situations need one extra step before treatment can go ahead.

  • Patients under eighteen. A parent or legal guardian has to be present at the first visit to complete the history and give consent. A grandparent, a stepparent or a family friend cannot sign in their place without legal authority.
  • Separated or divorced parents. Whoever brings the child needs to be able to consent to treatment and to settle the account on the day. Sort that out between yourselves before the appointment rather than at the desk.
  • Adults with a legal representative. If someone holds power of attorney or is a conservator, bring the documentation on the first visit so it can be recorded once.
  • Interpreters and companions. You are welcome to bring someone with you, and many patients do for a treatment discussion. Tell us in advance if you would like them in the room.

Records from your previous dental office

If you have been seen somewhere else in the last two or three years, call that office and ask them to send your x-rays and chart here. You are entitled to your records under both federal and California law, and most offices will send them on a signed request. It can take a week or two, so start early.

Recent images spare you from having new ones taken and, more usefully, give us a before picture. A tooth that looks unremarkable today tells a different story next to an image from two years ago. If nothing arrives in time we will take what we need, and the exam goes ahead either way. What the first visit involves.

After the first visit

Your history is not a one time exercise. At each recall visit you will be asked whether anything has changed, and the honest answer is usually yes at least once a year. New medication, a new diagnosis, a hospital stay, a pregnancy, a change of plan or a change of address all need to reach the chart before treatment, not after it.

It takes thirty seconds at the desk and it is the cheapest safety measure in the building. If something changes between visits and it affects treatment already scheduled, call the office rather than waiting for your appointment. Questions about anything on this page are answered on the common questions page or on the phone.