New Patient Dental Exam in Overland Park, KS
A new patient dental exam is a comprehensive evaluation of your whole mouth: your teeth, gums, existing dental work, bite, jaw joints and muscles, airway, and the soft tissues checked in an oral cancer screening. It gives you a diagnosis and a record to measure every future visit against.
At Overland Park Dental Design, you see Dr. Patrick B. Lillis, DDS, at your first visit and every visit after it. He gathers the records, sits down with you to go through what he found, and gives you your options with written costs. The office is at 109th and Roe in Overland Park, on the Leawood line.
- You see Dr. Lillis, not a rotating associate
- Teeth, gums, bite, jaw joints, muscles and airway, examined together
- A digital scan of your mouth, stored so future visits can compare against it
- Your findings shown on screen and explained in plain terms
- Privately owned, one dentist, one location since 2004
What the new patient exam checks
Dr. Lillis looks at your whole mouth at once, because problems in one area usually start somewhere else.
| Area | What Dr. Lillis checks | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Teeth | Decay, cracks, wear, and the condition of fillings, crowns, and other work | Wear and cracks often point to a bite problem, not only a tooth problem |
| Gums and bone | Pocket depths around each tooth, bleeding, recession and bone levels on X-rays | Gum disease has no pain in its early stages |
| Bite | How your upper and lower teeth meet and move against each other | An unbalanced bite breaks teeth and dental work |
| Jaw joints and muscles | Clicking, pain, limited opening and tenderness in the chewing muscles | Joint and muscle strain shows up as headaches, jaw pain and worn teeth |
| Airway | Signs in the mouth and throat that point to breathing problems during sleep | Grinding and wear can relate to how you breathe at night |
| Soft tissues | An oral cancer screening of your tongue, cheeks, floor of the mouth, jaw and neck | Early changes are easiest to treat |
| Health history | Medical conditions, medications and supplements you take | Many health conditions and medications affect your mouth |
Why the diagnosis comes first
A treatment plan can only be as good as the diagnosis behind it, so the first visit focuses on finding out what's happening and why.
“We don't just look at one tooth. We look at the entire system. And that's their teeth. That's their airway. That's their jaw muscles. That's their joints.”
A tooth that keeps breaking, a crown that keeps coming loose, or a jaw that aches in the morning usually has a cause that one-tooth dentistry misses. Most of the failed work Dr. Lillis redoes for patients traces back to a missed diagnosis, which is why the exam looks at your bite, joints, and muscles along with your teeth.
Your first visit, step by step
Your first visit has three parts: the records, the exam, and a conversation about what Dr. Lillis found.
Your health history
You go over your medical history, the medications and supplements you take, and what brought you in. If something bothers you, such as a sore tooth, jaw pain, or dental work you don't like, you say so first, and the exam starts there.
Records
The team takes the X-rays your mouth needs, photographs, and a digital scan of your teeth and gums. The scan stays in your record, so every future visit can overlay the new scan on the old one and show what changed.
The gum exam
The team measures your gums around every tooth, a process called periodontal charting. The numbers show whether pockets are forming between the gums and teeth, which is how gum disease shows up while it still doesn't hurt.
The exam with Dr. Lillis
Dr. Lillis examines your teeth and existing dental work, checks how your bite comes together, feels the jaw joints and chewing muscles, looks for signs that affect your airway, and screens your mouth, jaw and neck for oral cancer.
Going through your findings
Dr. Lillis sits down with you and walks through the photos, scans, and X-rays on screen, so you see what he sees. He explains what's healthy, what needs attention now, and what can wait.
Your options and costs
If you need treatment, you get a few options, from the simplest fix to a complete plan, each with a written cost. You decide what to do and when.
Comprehensive exam vs routine checkup
A comprehensive exam is the full evaluation dentists do for new patients, while a routine checkup reviews what has changed since your last visit.
A comprehensive oral evaluation applies to new patients, patients with a significant change in health, and patients who have been away from care for three or more years.
A comprehensive periodontal evaluation adds full-mouth probing and charting of the gums. Your first visit here covers both.
The oral cancer screening
An oral cancer screening is a look-and-feel exam of your lips, tongue, cheeks, floor of the mouth, throat, jaw, and neck, and it's part of every comprehensive exam.
In 2026, the American Dental Association recommended that dentists perform a comprehensive extraoral and intraoral clinical exam on all adults to catch precancerous and cancerous changes early. If Dr. Lillis sees anything unusual, he tells you what he found and what the next step is.
After your first visit
Your first visit sets the baseline for everything after it. From there, you move into regular hygiene visits, and treatment if you need it.
- Hygiene visits. Your cleanings run a full hour with the same hygienist every time, and each one includes a new scan to compare against your baseline. See preventive dentistry.
- Gum treatment. If the charting shows gum disease, you start with gum disease treatment and maintenance visits set by your risk.
- Wellness. Saliva testing and supplements from Thorne are part of the practice's approach to how your mouth affects the rest of your health. See longevity dentistry.
- Treatment. If you need work done, it follows the plan you chose, from a single crown to full mouth rehabilitation.
“You have better things to do than live your life in a dental office. I want to get you out of the cycle of perpetual dentistry.”
Coming in for a second opinion
Many new patients come in because a treatment plan elsewhere didn't sit right with them, or because work they had done keeps failing. The first visit works the same way: new records, a new diagnosis, and your options.
Who you'll see at our Overland Park dental clinic
You see Dr. Lillis and the same hygienist at every visit, because this is a private practice with one dentist and one location.
Dr. Patrick B. Lillis completed a two-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency at the UMKC School of Dentistry, treating complex restorative, implant, and reconstructive cases under attending faculty. He opened Overland Park Dental Design in July 2004 and lectures to other dentists through Seattle Study Club.
Shanda Overbeck, RDH, has worked in this office for more than twenty years and worked with Dr. Bernie Williams, who ran the practice earlier.
No corporate group or private equity firm owns the practice. Dr. Lillis owns it outright.
What patients say
5.0 on Google · 32 reviews
I look forward to going to OPDD! The staff is always friendly, professional, and ALWAYS on time...I have never had to wait.
My whole family has been seeing this dentist for years. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, great with kids. They don't recommend unnecessary work or try to sell you on anything. Just a good trustworthy dental practice.
Dr. Lillis and his staff are always so friendly and professional! My daughter had a dental emergency after 5 on a weeknight and Dr. Lillis met us at the office and made sure we were taken care of thru the whole process.
What a new patient exam costs in Overland Park, KS
The cost of your first visit depends on the X-rays and records you need and whether you have a cleaning at the same visit. The office gives you the cost when you book.
Most dental plans cover part of a comprehensive exam and X-rays. The office files with your plan on your behalf, and you get a written cost for any treatment.
What to bring to your first visit
- A list of your medications and supplements
- Your dental insurance information, if you have it
- Recent X-rays from your last dentist, if you can get them
- Any treatment plan you received elsewhere that you want a second look at
- Your questions, written down
Find us at 109th and Roe
Overland Park Dental Design is in the Foxhill Medical Building at 109th and Roe, just off I-435 at Roe Avenue, on the line between Overland Park and Leawood. Patients come from Leawood, Prairie Village, Mission Hills, Olathe, Lenexa, and across the Kansas City metro.
Overland Park Dental Design, Patrick B. Lillis, DDS4601 West 109th Street, Suite 318, Overland Park, KS 66211
(913) 451-7330
New patient questions
What happens at a new patient dental exam?
You go over your health history, the team takes X-rays, photos, and a digital scan; the team measures your gums, and Dr. Lillis examines your teeth, bite, jaw joints, muscles, airway, and soft tissues. Then he walks you through what he found and your options.
What is included in a comprehensive dental exam?
A comprehensive dental exam covers your teeth, existing dental work, gums and bone, bite, jaw joints and muscles, an oral cancer screening, and your medical history, with the X-rays and records needed to diagnose what's going on.
What is periodontal charting?
Periodontal charting records the depth of the space between your gums and each tooth, along with bleeding and recession. Deeper pockets are an early sign of gum disease.
Will I get a cleaning at my first visit?
Ask when you book. The office schedules your first cleaning based on what your gums need, since some patients need a deeper cleaning first.
Do you take new patients?
Yes. Call (913) 451-7330 or book online to schedule your first visit.
Do you take insurance?
The office files with your dental plan on your behalf for the exam, X-rays, and covered treatment.
Is the practice corporate-owned?
No. Dr. Lillis owns the practice outright, and it has one location.
Book your first visit in Overland Park
If you're looking for a new dentist, want a second opinion, or haven't been to the dentist in a while, your first visit gives you a clear picture of your mouth and a plan you understand.