Your first visit
We're accepting new patients across Nanaimo and central Vancouver Island. Here's exactly what happens when you walk in.
Before anything else
If you're nervous about this appointment, you're in good company, and there's nothing here you need to brace for.
A first visit at Seven Sails is a conversation before it's a procedure. We'll ask what brought you in, what has bothered you in the past, and what you want from your teeth. We'll look, take images, and show you what we found on a screen where you can see it too. Then we'll talk about options, including the option of doing nothing for now.
Nothing is booked, started or decided without your agreement. If all you want on day one is a look and an honest answer, that's a complete appointment as far as we're concerned.
Before you arrive
Complete your forms online
When you book, you'll receive a link to our patient portal. Your medical history, dental history and insurance details can all be filled in at home, in your own time, with your insurance card in front of you. It takes about ten minutes, and means you can walk in and sit down rather than balancing a clipboard in the waiting room.
Arrive a few minutes early
Arriving five to ten minutes before your appointment gives us time to check you in properly and get you settled without eating into your treatment time. Our schedule is built to give every patient their full appointment, and arriving on time is what makes that possible for everyone.
What to bring
- Your insurance information, if you have coverage and didn't enter it in the portal
- A list of any medications you take
- The name of your previous dentist, if you'd like us to request your records
- Anything you've been meaning to ask about. Write it down; it's easy to forget in the chair.
What happens at your first appointment
We listen first
We start by asking, not by looking. What's bothering you, what you've experienced before, what you're worried about, and what you'd like to be different.
Comprehensive examination
A thorough assessment of your teeth, gums, bite, jaw joints and soft tissues, including an oral cancer screening.
Imaging
Digital radiographs and intraoral photography as needed. Substantially lower radiation than film, with immediate results we can put on the screen in front of you.
We show you what we found
Not a verbal summary: the actual images. If there's a problem, you should be able to see it for yourself.
A plan you agree to
We explain what we recommend, what your options are, what each will cost, and what happens if you wait. You'll leave with a written treatment plan. Whether and when to go ahead is entirely your call.
Cleaning
Depending on what we find and how long it's been, your cleaning may happen at this appointment or at a second visit shortly after. Where more extensive periodontal treatment is needed, we'll plan it properly rather than rush it.
A few practical things
Scheduling and cancellations
We reserve your appointment time specifically for you, so when an appointment is missed without notice, that time can't be offered to another patient who needed it. If you need to change or cancel, please give us as much notice as you can.
Life happens. If something genuinely unavoidable comes up, just call us. We'd far rather hear from you.
Our hours
We're open Monday to Thursday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM. Online booking is available any time, including evenings and weekends.
Direct billing
We bill your insurance directly. Most patients pay only their portion at the end of the appointment. How direct billing works
Patient portal
Book appointments, complete forms, view your treatment plan and pay online, whenever it suits you.
Questions people actually ask
You're far from alone, and there's nothing waiting for you here except help.
People stop going for all sorts of reasons: cost, a bad experience, fear, a stretch of life that got in the way, or simply time passing faster than expected. We're not interested in any of that. We're interested in where things stand today and what you'd like to do about it.
There's no lecture and no sighing. We've seen every version of this and we'll meet you exactly where you are. If all you can face on the first visit is a look and a conversation, that's genuinely fine, and it's often the hardest part done.
Dental anxiety is common, real, and something we plan around rather than try to talk you out of.
Tell us when you book and we'll build the appointment differently: more time, everything explained before it happens, a clear signal to stop that we'll always respect, and the least demanding thing on the list first.
It also helps that a great deal of our treatment is done with the Solea laser, which means most procedures involve no needle and no drill. For many patients, that removes the very thing they were afraid of.
Our whole practice is built on the idea that this should feel calm: the pace, the space, and the way we speak to you. That isn't a marketing line. It's written into our values.
Yes, always. No waitlist and no referral needed.
Yes, we see patients of every age.
Yes, to all major insurers.
Tell us. There's almost always a sequence: what needs doing now, what can reasonably wait, and what's elective. We'd much rather build a realistic plan with you than have you avoid the appointment entirely.
Yes, wherever the schedule allows.
Yes. Between us, our team speaks French, Mandarin, Tagalog and Bisaya, and one of our assistants knows some ASL. Let us know when you book and we'll do our best to match you.