9 Signs of a Good Dentist

Choosing the right dentist can be difficult. However, knowing what to look for makes it easier to find the professional who is just perfect for you and your family. Although every dentist has their own unique blend of positive qualities, some matter more when it comes to dentistry and customer service. Does your dentist have the following nine signs?

1.He takes time to understand your goals

Every person has different goals when it comes to dental and orthodontic care. While some people want a bright Hollywood smile, others want healthy teeth and a more natural look. A good dentist will take the time to understand exactly what you want in dental care so they can help you to achieve just that. After all, if your dentist doesn’t know what you want, he or she is highly unlikely to deliver it.

2.He cares about your comfort

Many people are uncomfortable or even phobic about dental care because they had a dentist long ago who did not attend to their emotional and physical comfort. There was a good reason to be afraid of dentists back in the days of sparse pain relief and sterile-feeling offices. However, dentistry has changed in the past decade.

Helping patients to feel comfortable, both psychologically and in terms of pain, is an important part of the field in modern times. While dental work can get intense at times, there are many ways to help patients get through the process both physically and mentally unscathed.

3. His entire team treats you like gold

Your dentist is not the only person you interact with in a dental office. You likely talk to several professionals, including a receptionist and a dental assistant, before the dentist even enters the room. You will likely see just as many people on the way out. Because you see so many people in a dentist’s office, it is crucial that the dentist take the time to train employees in how to deal effectively and politely with patients.

They will be dealing with you at some of your most vulnerable moments, so it is very important to have only the best. Anyone can make a single hiring mistake, but a dentist who consistently has bad personnel is likely deficient in other ways.

4. He respects your time

Does a quick cleaning seem to take all day? Do you pencil out the entire day whenever you need a half-hour visit? If so, you should consider finding a dentist who respects your time. Everyone runs late or has an occasional stressful day, especially in the medical/dental field.

However, it shouldn’t be an everyday occurrence and shouldn’t lead to a consistently full waiting room with an angry patient in every chair. You should be able to get in and out in an expedient manner most of the time. If not, this might not be the right dentist for people who have busy lives and places to be.

5. He is well known in his field

Patients often are not the best judge of a dentist’s skill level. Instead, his colleagues are generally the best people to decide whether he is a leader in his field, a total dud, or somewhere in between. A high-quality dentist should be board-certified, which means he has taken tests developed by his peers to ensure that he has a good knowledge base. In addition, he should belong to professional organizations and help to contribute to the body of knowledge in his field.

6. He offers a variety of services

Specializing is great, but you also should be offered a reasonable range of options to choose from. An orthodontist practice that only does traditional braces just won’t offer you the same range of options as one that also does Invisalign or other types of orthodontia. It is important that your dentist or orthodontist offer the services that you are interested in and be able to guide you through the process of deciding which is the very best option for your needs.

7. He has the experience needed to provide consistent high quality

Do you want your dentist to have done 5 root canals or 500? Experience really can make a difference in a variety of ways, from the quality of the result to the amount of time that a procedure takes. A high quality dentist has put in their hours of training already by the time you walk into the office. However, this doesn’t mean that an older dentist is always the better choice. Young dentists are often better trained and have more experience in newer procedures and practices.

8. He follows up on your care

The days are over when patients went home with a mouth full of incisions and a bottle full of opiate pain pills. Modern dentists know how to manage patients even after the procedure is done. Whether they are scheduling routine follow up appointments or simply having a receptionist call to see how you are doing, a dentist who follows up will lower your chances of complications and ensure that you always have the care and concern that you need to heal.

9. He knows how to listen

What do a dentist and a therapist have in common? There is no punchline to this joke, but rather an observation that both professionals need to have excellent listening skills. A dentist should hear your hopes, your goals, and your fears in dental care so you can have the most positive possible experience. A dentist who does not listen to you is not going to meet any of the prior eight criteria. You simply cannot deliver quality service without listening to what the customer wants.

joelgluck

Dr. Joel Gluck has practiced orthodontics since 1983 when he opened his own office in Nashville. He earned his undergraduate degree at Washington University in St. Louis, and his dental degree at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Gluck then completed an orthodontic specialty residency at the University of Michigan, one of the top five orthodontic training residencies in the country. He also wrote an original thesis and received a Master of Science degree.