Continuing Education for Registered Dental Assistants
Dentists manage our oral health, from making recommendations for achieving the best oral hygiene to diagnosing and treating issues with our teeth and gums. If you want to take care of those pearly whites all the way through your senior adult years, then it's important to start seeing a good dentist from a very early age. That sounds simple enough, right? Unfortunately, some people — particularly children — experience irrational fear about those routine, semi-annual trips to the dentist.
For the most comfortable experience, you want to find a dentist who offers more than training and a set of degrees on the wall. You want a talented dentist with impressive skills, but you also want someone who will create a welcoming environment and put your family at ease while offering expert advice and treatment plans. A nearby location makes dental appointments convenient, but choosing the right dentist is about much more than how far you will have to drive. Start with these tips for choosing a new dentist.
Evaluate Your Immediate and Future Needs
Before you start looking for a new dentist, it's important to think about the specific dental care needs you have at that moment. For example, do you need a new dentist to set up routine dental checkups and teeth cleanings for your family, or do you already have a problem — like pain, swelling or bleeding — that requires immediate treatment? Emergency (or at least urgent) dental treatments aren't always immediately available for new patients. Some dental clinics don't ever handle emergency care, so that's something to watch out for as well.
Dental services come in many forms, from simple teeth cleanings and whitening treatments to fillings, root canals and crowns. If maximum convenience is important to you, then you want to make sure the dentist you choose offers a full range of dental services — from simple to complex — or works with other specialists right in the same (or maybe adjoining) office that do. After all, even if you just need basic checkups for your family right now, it's hard to predict what kind of care you may need in the future.
Do you use public transportation to get around the city or work at a job that won't give you time off for personal appointments? If so, then finding a dentist in a convenient location is a priority, but it shouldn't be the only thing you focus on when making your decision. It would be great if you could always schedule appointments near your workplace during a long lunch, but you should give up that dream and expand your search area if you can't find a reputable, highly-rated dentist close to your office.
As for working with patients with challenging schedules, some dentists offer appointments on Saturdays or in the evening on one night each week. Be sure to look for these options if you can't leave work to go to the dentist during typical office hours. If the staff offers to book these appointments for you far in advance to ensure you always get in, that's a bonus point.
Consider Dental Phobias
Do you have a fear of going to the dentist? Well, you certainly aren't alone. According to an article in Harvard Health Publishing, 13% to 24% of people are afraid of going to the dentist. Some dentists are much better than others at putting their patients at ease. If your blood pressure goes through the roof every time you sit down in a dental chair, then you need to do some research and put together a list of dentists who have experience handling dental phobias.
Even more importantly, if your children are scared every time you take them for a checkup, then you may want to consider a specially trained pediatric dentist to try to alleviate their fears. These experts are skilled at putting young patients at ease, but they also staff their offices with kid-friendly adults who all work together to make the experience less terrifying for little ones — or at least that's what the good ones do. Don't settle for less!
Read Lots of Reviews
You know how the customer is always right in retail? Well, the patient is the one in the know in the dental and medical fields. Once you establish a preliminary list of potential dentists based on factors like location, office hours and services offered, it's time to start looking for detailed reviews written by real patients. Various websites like Healthgrades and 1-800-Dentist give you access to reviews and ratings posted by real patients. Both are also great resources to help you search for dentists in your area if you haven't already searched using other methods.
Additionally, in our high-tech world, dental practices usually have their own social media pages and websites where customers can leave testimonials. They can technically control what appears on their website, but it's much harder to prevent social media posts from being seen. Patient postings can reveal details about everything from the quality of service to how well the staff responds to complaints. Business review pages like Yelp may also offer unbiased reviews from patients. Positive reviews aren't a guarantee of satisfaction, but they are a great starting point for finding a dentist you can trust.
Calculate the Cost
It's not a secret that the cost of dental care makes it difficult for some people to even pay for routine checkups and teeth cleanings. Dental insurance helps mitigate the cost — if you're lucky enough to have this coverage — but it's important to make sure the dentist you choose accepts your insurance plan. Beyond that, you also need to make sure you understand the portion of the cost you must pay out of pocket for different services, even when using your coverage. Very few dental services are fully covered, regardless of which insurance company you have. Specialty services like root canals and dental crowns can have particularly high co-payments.
Additionally, if you don't have insurance coverage at all, it's important to find out if a practice offers a discount program for patients who have to fully pay the cost themselves. In some cases, self-pay discounts come with the stipulation that the full bill be paid up front. Most dental practices no longer offer payment plans for services, unfortunately, but some do offer annual membership plans to help cover the cost of routine treatments. Make sure you fully understand the benefits of choosing such a plan before making that investment.
Ask About Equipment
The last thing you want is to start a brand new relationship with a dentist who doesn't believe in keeping up with all the latest techniques and technology. The old-fashioned approach is nice for patient interaction, but it should stop right there. Dental issues can cause long-term health concerns, and your dentist needs to use the most current equipment to diagnose and treat problems early. If the practice's website doesn't answer this question for you, call and ask the customer service team for more information. If they can't (or won't) answer your questions, then consider choosing another practice.
Finding the right dentist doesn't have to be painful. Do your research and get your priorities sorted out, and you will be well on your way to enjoying the dental care that you and your family deserve. The best dentists combine skill and technology with great patient interaction, low cost and convenience.
Source: https://www.bloglines.com/article/how-to-choose-a-new-dentist?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740010%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex&ueid=afde8262-2ea2-46ec-8373-ca1d97c1d8ef