Choosing the right family dentist is important for a number of reasons. Not only do you want someone who has the right type of experience, but you want someone who will be around for the long run and with whom you feel comfortable. As you search for the right family dentist, ask them these essential questions to ensure you have found the right fit.
What is Your Background?
Many think that anyone with a license to practice dentistry has the right background, but what you’re looking for is a family dentist with a broad background. Specialists are important when you have a specific issue, but when you’re looking for a general family dentist, you want someone who can handle a wide range of general dentistry issues.
How Long Have You Been a Practicing Family Dentist?
There are a few things you can learn with this important question. First, you likely want someone who’s had at least a few years of experience. While someone right out of dental school will have all the training they need, they won’t have the years of experience that give a family dentist the ability to make quick, correct decisions.
On the other hand, you also want a dentist who will be around for several years to come. If you choose someone who’s within a year or two of retiring, you’ll likely be in the same position of searching for a new dentist in just a few years. Ideally you want someone who’s in the middle of their dental career.
What Methods Do You Have for Dealing With Painful Procedures?
Many people are under the impression that having dental work done has to be painful or uncomfortable. The reality is that there are many new ways to deal with these issues. For example, some dentists provide sleep dentistry, where the patient essentially sleeps through the procedure, is woken when it’s done, and has no recollection of the event. Others may have headphones, movies, or other methods of distracting a patient while they’re doing their work.
What Are Your Hours?
You likely have a busy schedule and you want a dentist who can work around it. Some are open during regular business hours, which works great for some families. Others have later hours on some week nights, or even weekend hours. Remember that finding the right family dentist is the most important factor, but if they have extra convenient hours then this should be part of the equation.
How Do You Keep Up With Changes in the Dental Field?
It’s truly an exciting time to be a dentist – or at least that’s how your dentist should look at it! There are constantly new ways to repair teeth with less intrusive means, and there are new methods for keeping teeth stronger and healthier. It’s essential that your family dentist keeps up on these trends. They may belong to an association or two, they may regularly read dental magazines with information on the latest advancements, or they may attend yearly conferences. The method isn’t as important as the fact that they’re keeping up on the latest changes.
These five questions are a great place to start as you seek out a family dentist, but remember that choosing someone you trust and feel comfortable with is important as well. There are many dentists out there and you deserve to find one that can give you the peace of mind that your smile is being expertly taken care of.
Author’s Bio:
Mariah Hart writes a series of guest posts & articles about Health. The business Your Smile Dental Care is a credible source of information for those who want to read more about dentists.