How to choose a dentist?

Quite often question comes up on how to find a good dentist. It is a fact that there are lots of professionals in various areas in the society that their job is so specialized that only the person doing the job knows about the quality of the performance. Doctors, accountants, lawyers and so many professionals in different area of industries are to name a few.

So with all of the obscure facts there is about dentistry how do we pick a good dentist. I hope to help how to identify a right dentist for you. Following is a list of clues on how to find the right dentist.

  1. For all of the labor and executers time is the most valuable asset. Dentists are no exception. So, a dentist who spend ample time with her/his patients carries a positive factor. Dentists in busy offices who are under pressure to do more procedures per hour by their corporations are not able to pay close attention to details of what they are doing.
  2. A wise person said “It doesn’t matter how much a doctor knows as long as the doctor doesn’t care. Well how much the dentist cares is an integral factor. I would suggest that a dentist be an attentive listener. If  the dentist is paying attention to what you say there is a good sign there.  Also caring doctors follows up with the operation that he or she performs. A doctor asking how the patient is doing is a sign of caring.
  3. Knowledge, skills and experience of a dentist play a major roll on overall outcome of the operations that dentist does. A caring dentist who loves what she or he is doing is up to date with science, new information and modern procedures that are performed.  Also the range of the operations the dentist does is a sign of how progressive the dentist is. Practitioners who stay in a narrow path or have a limited scope of their practice are more reliable to outsourcing their care. At the same time that referring operations out is a professional thing to do, wouldn’t be more convenient for the patient not to go so many different places for every treatment. Cost increases with outsourcing as well as specialty care fees are much more costly than general dentistry care fees.
  4. Doctors/ dentist must be patient’s number one advocate. Patients are in no position to know what their best interest is. Third party payers (insurances) do not necessarily care as they sell one type of insurance plan to a group of employees without regards to what a patient may need. Governing bodies are not able to have a close one on one supervision. So dentist must have the best interest of the patient and only the patient’s best interest in mind. What is right for the patient must be presented to patient. Alternative treatment options, risks and benefits of each approach must also be discussed. Timing of the treatment is also important. When is the right time and sequence of the procedures being done also matters.  Dentist’s/ corporate’s interest and convenience must never be a deciding factor of the care.
  5. Honesty and integrity of the dentist is a must.  Operations may not develop as they have been fore sought. Details of the procedures out to be reviewed with patients. What has actually been done must be reported. Fees must be based upon fair and customary values.  Patients’ confidentiality must be maintained. Dentist has to be a critical thinker who is willing to improve new ways of doing treatments.

I hope we have been able shed some light on how to pick your next dentist.