4 Things to Know Before Picking Your Dentist
If you need a dentist then there are a few things that you want to think about. The easiest way to find general dental care if to get a referral from a friend who has been somewhere that they like. However, if no one can refer you or their dentist doesn’t take your insurance then here are some other things you can do to determine whether or not a particular dentist office is right for you. These tips are helpful for general dental care, cosmetic dentistry and pediatric dentists as well. Keep in mind that there may be things that you think of that are not in this list as well.
Insurance Acceptance
The first one is obvious. Before anything, call up your dental insurance provider and find out which dental offices you can go to where they accept your insurance. This will help you to narrow down your options immensely. Once you have that list you can then move on from there. You should be able to just get names over the phone or they might be willing to mail you or email you a complete list of dental offices where you can go and have your insurance accepted.
Distance From You
This should be a bigger factor than you realize. When you need a dentist it is easy to get desperate and pick whoever. However, if you do that and end up at a dentist office across town, you are going to be less motivated to go for check ups when you do not desperately need a dentist. Finding a dentist that you are happy with close to you will be much easier to get to. This is especially true if you have a family. Every person in the family needs to get a dentist check up every 6 months. It’s almost impossible to get everyone in at one time so you do not want to be driving across town to take individual members of your family every couple of months. You will end up procrastinating too long.
Reviews and Referrals
Getting referrals from friends is fine but do not let that be your determining factor. Look into the dentists yourself. If you do not need a dentist’s attention immediately then it will be easier to take your time and find the right one. Once you have narrowed down your options to two or three, take a look at their online reviews. This does not include their reviews on their own website. Of course they are only going to post satisfied reviews. Take a peek at some third party review sites and see what you can find out. Remember that not everyone can be pleased so there are bound to be a good negative reviews for everything but the majority should be positive.
First Impression
When you think you have found your dentist, call to find out if they are taking new patients and then make your appointment. You may need to wait a little while but too long of a wait list is a bad first impression. When you go in for your appointment, notice the walls and the decorations and everything about the place. This will help you to make an informed decision later. Note the customer service of the receptionists and the surrounding staff. Finally, trust your gut when you meet the dentist. If things feel awkward or strained or if he or she is just plain rude, it may be time to move on to your next choice of dentist on the list.
No one can tell you which dentist to pick. This is really something that you have to go with your gut on. It is fine to get help from different places and people but if you are going to be committing to a particular dentist for a long period of time then you want to make sure that you pick them yourself. This way you do not have anyone to blame if something goes wrong. Also, the person will not feel offended if you decide that you want to leave the practice that they told you to go to. The most important thing is that you find a dentist that you can trust to have your best interests at heart.
