I love coming to work every day in downtown Cincinnati.  Our patients, many of whom have been with our practice for many years, are like part of an extended family.  And our experienced dental care team is exceptionally caring and focused on your comfort.

In my experience, most of us care about fresh breath, we want to eat the foods we like without pain, and we want to have an attractive smile.  It’s also true that many of us have been trained to think that the occasional dental cleaning is all that is needed to maintain optimal oral health.

While the reality is more complex and each of us is different, it is likely that you want to:

• Be understood for your unique, individual situation
• Understand the condition of your oral health
• Have a healthy mouth that positively contributes to a healthy body
• Be in the care of a competent, caring team of dental professionals

Attention to these needs shapes the core aspects of our approach to patient care.

To address the first goal of being understood, we reserve 90 minutes of time to devote to each new patient, so that I have plenty of time to listen.  We start with a pre-clinical conference in a private office – no white clinic jacket for me and no dental chair for you.  We’ll discuss the goals your have regarding your oral health and any concerns you may have regarding dentistry.  This allows me to learn about your relevant medical and dental history, which may offer opportunities to prevent dental problems in the future.  Most importantly, we start with good communication and a shared understanding of your goals.

To accomplish our second goal of helping you to understand your oral condition, I will need to conduct a thorough examination. If the findings show little or no problem, we will review your condition during the first visit.  If there are issues that require further study on my part, I will review all of the available data to develop a treatment plan.  We will have a follow-up conference in about a week to review your oral condition and I will recommend treatment options in a thoughtful and organized fashion.

For example, several years ago I invested in technology that allows us to take digital X-rays and intraoral photos, which we can view together on a computer monitor.  You will be able to see the images for yourself to better understand what your oral condition is.  We reserve plenty of time so we can have an unrushed discussion to answer all your questions.

Our third goal, having a healthy mouth that positively contributes to a healthy body, is achieved as we support you all the way through your treatment plan.  What this means is that we will work with you to develop a home care program that is tailored to your needs, and to make sure you are on track with regular preventative care visits.  For example, we provide a text messaging reminder service to your phone, so that you don’t miss a scheduled exam.  And from time to time, we also share new medical research that affirms the role that a healthy mouth plays as part of a healthy body on our Facebook page.

And as for the fourth goal – my service to members of our patient family extends nearly 30 years.  Over that time, it has been a great honor each time that a patient expresses gratitude for what our team has accomplished with them.  I invite you to read our patient comments and watch our videos to hear our patients speak about their experience in their own words.

These are the things that guide my work as a dentist and our practice, and that we offer to each and every patient.  We’d like the opportunity to do the same for you – so I hope you’ll give us a call.

Walter E. Gay, Jr., DDS, FAGD