How to find the best dentist in your area – if you move to a new location, pretty soon after you have settled you will be wanting to find a suitable dentist for yourself and your family. Or maybe you have not relocated but you are looking to change dentists either for your reasons or if your practice has closed or merged or simply if your dentist has retired. It is important to know that you are looking for more than someone who can check your teeth and do a clean. Your dental health is part of your overall health, and for this reason it is vital for everyone to have the best dental care possible. Being registered with your local dentist also provides a range of benefits including out of hours emergency care.
The first step is to decide on your personal and lifestyle needs, then to ask for recommendations. Perhaps friends, family, colleagues or neighbours have a dental practice they trust and would recommend. Choosing on track record and reputation is often the best strategy. You should also consider: Is the dental office easy to reach from home and work, what are their office hours, are they convenient and do they open on Saturdays. Do they have 24/7/365 emergency cover available via an out of hours phone number, if you have dental insurance or benefits, is your chosen practice in the same network. Does the practice offer any other patient services such as translation etc, or any other treatments you may be interested in for yourself or your family such as cosmetic dentistry or orthodontics, although this is not essential as patients are able to self refer to any practice of their choice for other treatments as desired. You should also ask if the dentist a member of their location dental association and organisations.
Finding your next dentist – when you are looking for a practice, you are likely to see adverts online and offline, and you can also read patient reviews. Here are some suggestions on finding your dentist: search online for the dental association for your location and use the provided search tool, search for local dental society which can provide a list of dentists in your area, ask friends, family, colleagues and neighbours, consider whether you are choosing private or health benefits based care.
Once you have found some potential dentists, view their websites and read their patient information sections to see the type of care they provide. Read about the treatments they offer and if they offer care for children – make sure that their provision meets the needs of you and your family. You can also read their reviews on sites such as Google, Bing, Trustpilot and Facebook. Look at their location and facilities such as parking and public transport links. Check their open hours and days and if they have same day emergency appointments available – click here to find out more family dentist.
Your first appointment – feel free to visit a practice to see if you feel it would be suitable for you and your family. You can meet the reception staff, dental team and dentist to see how you feel about joining their practice. See if the office feels welcoming and relaxing for you. You may want to ask about dental health advice, how dental emergencies are managed, their fee structure and payment terms, financial and insurance benefits, dental records and family dental care. Discuss any concerns you may have such as anxiety or nervousness. Once you are happy go ahead and choose your dentist. Ensure you attend all your appointments for optimal dental health and to maintain a healthy smile.