Finding a great family dentist can be such a relief: you can finally relax, knowing that your family’s oral health will be totally taken care of. You know that you’ll have years of good advice and top-quality dental care ahead; there’ll be no hassles or stresses, and that your kids will actually look forward to each dental appointment.
Getting to this point can take some time, however. Many of us spend years switching between practices before we find a dentist that we’re totally happy with. Lots of dentists have particular qualities or areas of specialism, but finding a practice that can cater to the whole family’s oral care concerns can be quite difficult.
Meanwhile, you might be worrying whether you’re getting the best care, struggling to get a suitable appointment, or battling with children who’ve begun to dread dental visits.
So, where do you start?
Most of us don’t have too much time to spare to look for a dentist. Many of us, for example, need to find a new dental practice after moving homes, when the to-do list is long, and spare time is non-existent.
Whatever your situation, you’ll be keen to get it right straight away. Nobody wants to have to change dentists over and over, and you’ll want to avoid the searching, and the paperwork, that comes with changing dental clinics.
Here are the answers to 7 questions that will get you onto the fast track to finding the best family dental practice:
1. What do I need from a family dental practice?
A list of must-haves is the place to start. All families are distinctly different, and people are all unique in their needs.
Examples of things to think about include whether there is anything unique in your family’s dental history that would require a dentist to have a certain area of expertise. Are you limited to a certain geographical area for practical reasons? Do you have a strong preference for practice with female dentists in the team, perhaps? Does your family have any physical needs, such as easy wheelchair access?
2. Whom can I ask for recommendations?
Asking around for recommendations is the perfect place to start your search. A great dentist will always have plenty of happy patients and will probably have built up a great reputation in the area or neighborhood.
Ask as many people as you can, as this may reveal some smaller or newer practices to look into. Cast your net wide, as the expression goes, and you’ll get a more accurate picture of your best options to explore further.
Stuck on whom to ask? Start with trusted friends, family, and neighbors, especially those with similar-age kids. Even if you’re new to an area, it’s usually pretty easy to find somebody to ask for help. You could try asking other parents at the school drop off, colleagues, or new neighbors.
Another place to turn to is the Internet. Lots of neighborhoods have social media groups that can be a goldmine for useful, local knowledge. It is usually straightforward to join a group and post a request for recommendations. It may be harder to work out who’s giving you the recommendation, however, and whether they can be trusted.
3. Where can I get some trustworthy reviews?
Social media pages and Google can be useful for getting an idea of how happy the patients are with the services of a specific practice. The dental clinic’s own website may have some reviews and/or testimonials, too.
Remember that online reviews are just a snapshot, however. Smaller or newer dental practices may only have 1 or 2 reviews, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that they are any less suitable for your family than a larger, established practice with pages of reviews.
It can be really hard to decipher the identity and motivation of online reviewers, too. Face-to-face recommendations or personal referrals are generally a lot more useful and reliable.
4. What do I need to know about a potential family dentist?
Always check how experienced and how qualified each dental practitioner is. How long have they been practicing for? There may be a very talented but more newly-qualified dentist in the practice. Do they have support from more experienced colleagues?
You need to know if a dentist has any special areas of expertise or specific training that may be useful to you and your family. If you are likely to need some unusual treatments, you’ll need to know that they have dealt with the same issues before.
It should also be very clear that the dental practice regularly updates its training and knowledge. There should be lots of evidence available that they are still regularly attending courses and professional development programs. You want to be sure that you are receiving the best and most modern treatments after all.
5. What are some practical considerations?
If you have unusual working hours, you’ll need to check if the clinic’s opening hours work for you. Are there plenty of chances for your children to attend outside of school hours so they don’t miss lesson time?
How about in cases of emergency? Don’t forget to ask how easy it would be to get an emergency appointment if needed. Nobody can foresee a dental emergency but, if you have young kids, or anyone in the family cycles or plays contact sports, for instance, your chances of needing to attend to a knocked-out tooth may be higher than average.
Finally, a dental practice without ample parking space or great public transport links is a real hassle, particularly if you have small children. Definitely check this aspect out.
6. Should I call to discuss my family’s specific needs?
You definitely need to know that any visit to the dental office is going to be calm, relaxed, and pleasant for everyone. You may have family members that have additional needs that may make dental appointments harder, such as anxiety or behavioral difficulties.
Any good dentist will be able to take your call and explain how they can make your visit more comfortable.
You may want to chat about how they work with small children. Are children given a reward for attending? Is there plenty to keep them busy in the waiting room? Remember that first and foremost, however, you need a dentist that will have heaps of kindness and patience for your kids.
7. Do I need to personally check out the practice?
Definitely yes! Looking online and calling on the phone can only tell you so much. Getting a feel for the atmosphere from visiting during clinic hours is the best way to be sure your family will feel welcome and be well looked after.
Follow these steps, and you should find the right family dentist the first time. This means you can look forward to great teeth and healthy gums for all the family, and no dental worries for many years to come.
