HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT DENTIST
FIVE STEPS TO CHOOSING
THE BEST DENTIST FOR YOU.
This book is dedicated to my entire family who has supported me throughout my journey of finally
pursuing my passion to do what I am good at.
THE 5 YEAR "PRACTICE" PART OF PRIVATE PRACTICE
How long has the dentist been practicing? Why would this be important? The length of practicing a certain skill is directly correlated with experience and technical skills. I have asked many of my professional colleagues (dentists, doctors, anesthesiologists, surgeons, chiropractors, Etc.) and they all would agree with my generalization.
CAN I, DO I WANT TO, OR WILL I AFFORD IT
Although I believe that some facets of dentistry are getting very expensive, I believe that it can still be affordable for most. When I say affordable, I don’t mean comfortable financially. I mean financially possible. We all have to decide how valuable a service or object is for us and will make it affordable based on importance. For example; if we were told that we had a rare and deadly disease where there was one cure serum available at an outrageously expensive price, believe me, most of us would try to beg, borrow or
steal even to raise money to purchase this serum for ourselves or a loved one.
WHAT'S A LOAF OF BREAD OR A GALLON OF MILK GOT TO DO WITH IT?
Another “trick” these offices use may be in the options given to a patient between two treatments. A simple example would be telling patients that the insurance will cover a simple silver (some label it as a black) filling, however, the office does not believe in a lower quality filling and thus will only do other types of fillings or a crown. Oh and by the way, coincidentally, the insurance company doesn’t cover this ideal type of treatment so you will be solely responsible to pay the entire amount.
MEET DR. GOODENOUGH (GOOD ENOUGH) AND DR. WANNABE (WANT TO BE)
Although they have been practicing for 10 or more years, did they just go to a course over one day or even a weekend and now are starting their first procedures on you? In Dental school, we would be graded on each step of a procedure and given grades such as R,S,T,L,V, the equivalent of A,B,C,D,E. I do not remember if the letters stand for anything specifically, however, I do know it was somewhat of a secret way of grading us for every step of a procedure without alarming patients that we may have screwed things up. For example, It was a joke on the clinic floor that if they overhead the instructor giving us a V (Equivalent of failing) on a step, we should then play it off and say “Yay, I got a V for very good!” and the patients would think it was very good or something other than a failure, inadequacy, poor work.
TECHNOLOGY VERSUS TECHNIQUE
Is the office High Tech? (technology) – Low Tech. (technique) Keep in mind that many of us are easily impressed by the technology and although technology can often help us with treatment, it will never replace the knowledge and experience as well as morals and ethics of the professional. Ask questions when an office tries to impress you with a new piece of equipment or says that they use the latest and greatest material. Some questions would be how often do you use the technology, what benefits and risks, long-term benefits or consequences as compared to conventional treatment, cost difference?
