Maintaining strong oral care is incredibly important for our overall health. Evidence has shown that good oral health doesn’t just impact your teeth but your whole body. Bacteria in the mouth, when left unaddressed, can result in a host of serious and long-term problems including heart disease and respiratory conditions. Therefore, it couldn’t be more important to ensure that you’ve paid close attention to your oral well-being. A part of achieving this objective is ensuring we choose a dentist that practices at a high standard as it relates to the quality of care and experience. Not all dentists have the same level of skill and most offices have varying experiences for their patients.
Whether you’re looking for a dentist to care for you or a family dentist who can care for the teeth of every member of your family from the oldest to the youngest, you need to ensure that you’ve done your research well. Although all dentists should be equally well trained, not all can offer the same level of expertise, especially when treating complex dental problems. Some offices also offer a significantly better patient experience than others, with a higher level of personal care, friendlier staff, and a more accommodating approach.
With all of this in mind, here are five tips to help you to pick a new dentist.
1. Ask For Referrals
One of the best things that you can do is to ask your friends and colleagues for referrals. The chances are that your friends have had good and bad experiences with local dental offices. Ask them about their total experience, from the convenience of booking appointments to the in-office décor and experience. When someone you trust recommends a reliable dentist with whom they’ve enjoyed a positive experience, you can be confident that you can depend on them too.
Remember, word-of-mouth referrals or recommendations are powerful social proof. Hence, paying attention to what your loved ones have to say about some prospective dentists is essential. Take their referrals seriously to ensure you find the best dental professional.
2. Read Online Reviews
Although online reviews aren’t as reliable a source of information as your friends and family, they can still be helpful when it comes to choosing a new dentist. Read reviews online – Yelp and Google reviews provide great insight into the quality of the dental practice and team.
Also, you can check your prospects’ websites to learn more about their dental practices. Open the ‘client review’ page to read reviews from their previous clients. Do your best to ensure the reviews are thoughtful and credible. Remember that, in general, customers are more likely to leave a negative review than a positive one, but paying close attention to what exactly is said and how the practice in question has responded to it can give you great insight into whether they’re the type of dental office you’d like to visit.
3. Find Out About The Team’s Ongoing Training
Dentists don’t finish their education once they’ve qualified. They must continue to undergo professional development and attend courses to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the dental industry. You, therefore, need to take the time to understand what ongoing education the doctor and the team are participating in. Techniques, materials, and technology all evolve at rapid rates in the dental industry. Rezwan Manji, who has been in the dental education space for 15 years, explains, “though dental professionals are mandated to do varying degrees of education on a state-by-state basis, the minimum amount is just not enough. All members of the practice should be participating in high-quality online and on-premise education regularly.” It is only by undertaking regular and comprehensive ongoing training that dentists and their support staff can stay on top of changes and learn how to improve the outcomes for their patients.
Also, with proper dental training, you can ensure that the entire dental staff is prepared to handle all dental situations. You can also guarantee that their dental practices and services remain competitive, reliable, and top-notch. Consequently, you can know that the dentist you choose can care for your dental needs.
4. Investigate The Practice’s Technology
The best dental practices will always be investing in the latest industry technology to ensure that their patients are benefiting from the most up-to-date and effective treatments. You need to find out if the practice that you are considering registering with is investing in and utilizing technology. Good technology in dental practice is designed to make patient visits more comfortable and procedures more effective and efficient. A perfect example is CAD/CAM technology that is now regularly utilized in practices that embrace evolution in the industry. CAD/CAM enables a doctor to mill crowns in-office in a single visit versus having to wait weeks for a laboratory to fabricate them.
Aside from that, tooth bleaching, dental implants, and dental surgery are other technological advancements used by reputable dental centre today. These dental innovations are used to improve dental health. So, it’s best to visit your prospect’s dental office to get familiar with the dental tools and equipment and the technological advancements they use when performing various dental services to their clients.
Remember, good technology indicates that practice is willing to invest in itself and its patients to create great outcomes. If you’re still looking for a reputable dentist, always factor in the kinds of innovative dental treatments and techniques they offer before making a decision.
5. Meet The Team
Once you’ve narrowed down your options, it’s time to take the final step. Interview the dentist and meet the team at your first visit. After all, these are healthcare providers who will be working on your body. You want to be comfortable with the team that is going to be caring for you. Hence, it’s essential to prepare your potential questions before meeting the team. For example, you can ask them about their experience, and what they like about what they do. You will be able to tell a lot from simply talking to the front desk staff about whether the practice is a friendly and caring one. In doing so, you can determine whether hiring them is the right decision to protect your dental health.
And that’s it! 5 simple things to do when picking a new dentist. Follow these steps and you shouldn’t have any difficulty in choosing an office that offers you the best possible level of care.
