Questions to Ask to Choose a New Dentist
Have you moved to a new area? Has your old dental practice closed? If so, finding a new dentist before you reach your 3–4-month dental deep clean appointment is essential. Skipping dental work means bead breath, potential gum disease, and tooth decay. These questions to ask a new dentist will help separate the good from the bad and the ugly.
Hunting for a new dentist is no straightforward process. Dental practices only take on new patients when their client lists are running low. A good dentist can therefore be an exclusive addition to your lifestyle. Similarly, we don’t want to settle for a bad dentist. Those with a poor bedside manner or who don’t listen can cause dentaphobia in the young. This will lead to a lifetime of battling their fears just to have a dental checkup. Choosing a good dentist is one of the healthiest ways to protect your children from the horrors of bad dentistry.
The Questions to Ask to Secure a Great Dentist
If you would like to secure yourself a great dentist, not merely a good one, then ask these questions before you agree to join their practice.
Question 1 – What sort of qualifications do your dentists have?
Make things easier on yourself by eliminating the competition quickly. Choose a professional dental clinic where each dentist has accreditations from expert institutions. Otherwise, look for top named institutions in the dentistry world, such as Harvard University, The University of California San Francisco and Los Angeles, or the Universities of Washington or Pennsylvania. Your new dentist should also have licensure from the American Dental Association.
Question 2 – How full are your client books?
Ideally, you want to see your dentist every 3-4 months. They should perform a checkup and a de-scaling of your teeth. This is a deep cleaning process which helps save your teeth from gum disease and tooth decay. A dentist who cannot fit you in as often as every 4 months, is a dentist you ought to bypass. You don’t need their full attention, but you need enough of it to protect your mouth.
Question 3 – Malpractice Suits
Medical malpractice happens far more often than you might think. A dentist may be the subject of such an investigation. Failing to spot or treat issues that lead to tooth loss or further harm can constitute malpractice. Ask the potential dentist if they have ever had any suits. They don’t need to tell you, of course, but you can gauge from their reaction what the answer is.
Question 4 – Do you have patient reviews?
A great dentist will place their testimonials and reviews right there on their website for all to see. Browse through the reviews and make an informed decision based on what they say. A good dentist will not hesitate to point you towards their reviews.
Question 5 – What if I fear the dentist?
If you have a touch of dental phobia, mentioning this when you first meet your new dentist helps them form an appropriate treatment plan for you. On the other hand, if they vow to treat you like any other patient, you should probably look elsewhere.
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Questions to Ask to Choose a New Dentist
