Oral health is associated with the quality and longevity of one’s life. According to WHO, oral diseases, while largely preventable, affect nearly 3.5 billion people worldwide, causing pain, discomfort, and disfigurement. When people entrust their oral health to dental professionals who may not have the necessary experience or do not meet their needs, they give an invitation to complications and unnecessary procedures. So, here are 9 tips for finding the right dentist:
Seek recommendations and check online resources
The first step is to seek recommendations from one’s friends and family. One can ask friends, family, colleagues, and other healthcare professionals for a reference. Alternatively, One can check out online websites with local databases and social media platforms to find dentists in their neighborhood. Social media sites will have ample patient reviews that can give an idea about the dentists’ expertise, experience, and credibility. Shortlist the best health professionals based on their qualifications. Online tools like American Dental Association’s Find-A-Dentist can help one find dentists based on location and specialty or look up their details based on their name.
Call the dentist’s office
After shortlisting the names and contact information of dentists, one should call the dentists’ offices. This can help one understand if the professionals are easily accessible and available so one can easily schedule an appointment. One should also consider factors like whether the office is close to their home, the working hours of the clinic are convenient for a visit, and the services are covered in one’s dental benefits. So, one should call the office and schedule a consultation with the dentist to interact and see if it’s a comfortable interaction.
Consider the dentist’s expertise
One should not hesitate to ask the dentist about his or her recent training, experience, and expertise in the treatment procedure one wants. Specializations like endodontics and orthodontics require additional training. It is important to know the dentist’s success rate, complications they face while treating patients, and personal health risks. It is best to clear all doubts beforehand.
Make a list of questions
To find the right dentist, one should ask a few questions that will offer some clarity. Some of the questions can be how the dentist and office staff manage emergencies after office hours, what strategies they use for patients with dental anxiety, what could be the potential complications for one’s specific condition and if the dentist has encountered them before, if they offer patients options for covering treatment costs, will the dentist discuss measures and alternative treatments to assist one in preventing oral health issues, and more. It is advisable to have one’s dental history on hand to ask questions more specific to one’s condition.
Visit the office personally
Visiting the office or clinic will help one to see if it is welcoming, comfortable, and clean. The staff’s communication style and support matter a lot in the long run. One should notice how the staff responds to questions. If the responses make one feel rushed, overwhelmed, confused, or scared about the upcoming process, it is best to reconsider the decision. It is important to ensure that the staff respects patients’ preferences and queries and takes their decisions into account.
Look up patient reviews
While not all online reviews are legitimate, one can learn a lot from people’s experience with scheduling appointments, office environment, billing, financing, and wait periods. This will help determine the quality of the dentist’s work and whether they offer complete support to help achieve optimal dental health. Whether a review is positive or negative, the dentist’s office should respond to most of them in a way that demonstrates their commitment to their patients.
Consider the technology used
The healthcare field is dynamic and subject to constant upgradation. Dental practitioners also put a lot of effort and time into adapting these technologies and educating themselves each year. So, ensure that the preferred dentist uses cutting-edge technology for all of their procedures. They will inevitably deliver better results than those who use outdated technology.
Check for the availability of telehealth services
Teledentistry or telehealth facility is a way of receiving dental healthcare services remotely through communication technology. The exchange can happen through two-way video, images, and emails. This virtual visit with the dentist helps patients report quick updates and follow-ups, and one spends less time traveling to the office. Patients should verify if their health/dental insurance covers the cost of these telehealth services.
Be involved
Good dentists accommodate their patients’ preferences and help them with their queries. But even if they provide one with all the details entailing the treatment, patients are advised to be actively involved and research the risks and process of each option on their own. This will bring them more clarity and help them make the right choices for their oral health.
