What to Expect at Your First Dental Appointment
Walking into a new dental office is easier when you know the shape of the day. Here is how a first appointment works at our Inglewood practice, step by step, from the first phone call to the moment you head home.
Booking, Paperwork, and Insurance Before You Arrive
The first step is simple: call us at (310) 412-8013. Our office is open Monday through Friday from 9 to 6 and Saturday from 9 to 4, and we are closed on Sunday. You can also use the Book a visit option on our website. Spanish-speaking staff are on duty every day, so bienvenidos a todos. For non-urgent questions you are welcome to email us, and we reply within one business day. We do ask that you keep medical and health details off the website contact form; if you need to discuss anything about your health, please call the office instead and a team member will help you directly.
When you book, let us know whether you have dental insurance. We welcome most PPO plans and file claims directly, which keeps the billing paperwork off your plate. Coverage varies from plan to plan, so the surest way to understand your benefits is to call ahead and have us verify your coverage before the visit. If you do not carry insurance, ask about our in-house payment plans and the discount we offer for cash payment. Whatever your situation, you will receive a clear, itemized estimate before any treatment begins. We have been quoting fair prices this way in Inglewood since 1993, and that has not changed.
Our office is at 10823 Hawthorne Blvd, Suite A, in Inglewood, on Hawthorne Boulevard just south of Imperial Highway. There is free parking on site, and we are a short drive from Inglewood, El Segundo, Hawthorne, and LAX. Plan to arrive a few minutes early for a first appointment so there is time for paperwork. It helps to bring a photo ID, your insurance card if you have one, and a list of any medications you take. New patients are always welcome, and we keep room in the schedule for same-day emergencies whenever we can.
What Happens Once You Are in the Chair
At a first appointment you will meet Dr. John Cohen, DDS, and the team who have cared for South Bay families for three decades. Dr. Cohen opened the practice in 1993 and still sees every patient, from a child's first cleaning to complex restorative work, all under one roof. The front desk will confirm your details, then a team member will walk you back to the treatment area and get you settled before anything begins.
A first visit commonly includes a cleaning, an exam, and X-rays. The team will talk you through each part as it happens, so nothing comes as a surprise. If you have specific concerns or questions about your teeth, this is the time to raise them; any decisions that follow are made together in conversation with the provider, not handed to you on a form. How long the visit takes depends on what you need, and the team will give you a sense of the timing once you are in the chair.
Families with young children often ask about the famous dinosaur chair. It is real, and it is a big part of why kids here tend to look forward to their visits rather than dread them. Pediatric appointments use kid-sized tools and an unhurried pace, so a first visit can be something a child actually remembers fondly rather than something to negotiate over every six months.
Before you leave, the front desk will go over any recommended next steps and give you that itemized estimate, so you can make choices with the full picture in front of you. If follow-up care makes sense, we will help you schedule it around your week. And if something urgent comes up later, such as a broken tooth, a lost crown, or sudden pain, call us first thing in the morning and we will make space the same day whenever possible.
Three decades in, the goal has not changed: treat people the way we would want our own family treated, explain things honestly, and make the chair feel a little less like a chair. Whether you are booking for yourself, a parent, or a kid, we are glad to meet you and happy to answer questions before you ever sit down.
This article is informational and is not medical advice. Treatment decisions should always be made in consultation with a qualified dentist.