When you move to a new community, high on your list of priorities probably isn’t finding a new dentist. But it should be. Oral care is extremely important to one’s overall health and choosing a dentist isn’t as simple as just opening up a phone book and randomly picking a name. There’s a lot you should consider.
Insurance
Perhaps the most important thing you should consider when choosing a dentist is what insurance plans they accept. No surprise here: Dental care can be expensive, so you’re going to want to go with a dentist who accepts your dental insurance.
You can figure this out one of two ways: By calling the office of a prospective dentist and asking if they take your insurance, or you can approach your insurance carrier and ask for a list of providers in your area.
Wait times
There’s nothing worse than being at the dentist for a long time. So you definitely are going to want to research a dental office’s wait times. Thanks to the internet and review websites like Yelp, that’s much easier to do these days than ever before. Once you’ve identified a dental office, simply Google their name and “wait times.” You’ll be amazed at what you find.
Also consider how close the dentist office is to you. For example, if you live in the Bradford area, you may want to visit a Bradford dentist who you both trust and who is conveniently located to your home or office.
Services
Not all dentists are created equal. Some only offer a narrow range of services while others offer the full gamut of options. Depending on the oral health needs of you and your family, you may need to have wisdom teeth removed, crowns or implants put in, or you may have a whole range of orthodontic work that needs to be done. If you have young children, it would additionally be worth expanding your search to include pediatric dentists, as these specialist dentists can offer services tailored to their specific needs. You can find a reputable pediatric dentist here.
You’re going to want to check out ahead of time what a prospective dentist can and cannot do before you commit.
Clientele
Some dentists may specialize in a certain population, like children or the elderly. Other dentists may only focus on cosmetic issues. Those specialties are not going to be right if you’re looking for a well-rounded, family dentist.
Waiting rooms
This might sound weird, but you should check out your prospective dentist’s waiting room before you commit. Why? Well, even if your dentist has short wait times, it’s almost a given that emergencies and delays will occur in dentistry. As such, you’re going to want to find a dentist who has a nice, clean, comfortable waiting room – because there’s a good chance at least one of your visits is going to involve a fair amount of time spent there.
This is doubly important if you have little kids who can have difficulty entertaining themselves in a waiting room. A good family dentist waiting room might have games to play or cartoons running on a television.
Credentials
You should do this for any professional you hire: Check your state’s dental licensing board to see if your prospective dentist has any adverse cases against him or her. This is very easy to do: Simply Google dental board and your state’s name and you’ll find a website where you can look up licensed dentists in your state and see their licensing record.
Review their reviews
This was hinted at earlier, but you’re probably going to want to also check out the online reviews of a prospective dentist as well. Again, very easy to do: Google the dentist’s name and reviews.
