Are you looking for a top-quality cosmetic dentist? Here are some helpful questions to ask yourself while you research the best dentist:
- What makes a dentist the best cosmetic dentist?
While there may not be one best dentist for every person, there are certain qualities that may make one cosmetic dentist better for you than another. The best dentists typically strive to deliver the highest quality they can.
This means they must continue their education, taking advanced courses in leading technology and procedures. These courses are expensive and time consuming, and only those committed to being the best will take the time and spend the money to continue their education year-in and year-out.
While dental schools teach a lot about basic dentistry, the best dentists continue to take advanced courses every year. These courses teach dentists how to get great-looking and also predictable results. Look for evidence that your dentist has accomplished a lot of continuing education -- and done so recently.
- What is more important: insurance or quality of dentistry?
In this economy, we responsibly rely on insurance dollars when selecting healthcare providers. However, it is possible that if you don’t get to choose your dentist – and you rely solely on insurance -- you may end up with a restoration - or a new smile - you’re just not happy with.
Here is a happy medium: find a dentist who you like and use out-of-network insurance dollars towards your appointments. This way you can optimize your insurance benefit and still get to choose the quality of care you receive.
- Where can you go and have a positive experience?
Maybe a bad dental experience in the past has you dreading your next dental visit. Most Americans hate going to the dentist. Some dentists understand this and have built patient-centered practices geared towards comfort and customer service. These practices (often called dental spas) understand what it takes to turn your dental appointments and/o your smile makeover into an enjoyable experience.
- Does technology matter?
It does if you want high quality and conservative options. Dentistry has changed in leaps and bounds over the last decade or two. The switch to digital x-rays reduces radiation exposure by over 90%.
Special lights and lasers are being used to detect cavities at very early stages – thus helping to prevent a tooth needing a lifetime of aggressive dental procedures. And the switch to digital charts has drastically reduced paper waste. In the cosmetic dentistry field, advances in technology have brought more beautiful results and more conservative options.
If your dentist is staying up to date, he or she will know how to use minimally invasive techniques to deliver your smile makeover. If your dentist is committed to delivering top quality dentistry (whether it’s cosmetic, general or family dentistry), it will be obvious when you walk into his or her practice. If you walk into your dentist’s office and you see old equipment or sense that the place is dated – it may be time for a change.
- What about experience, credentials, and training?
The achievement of fellowship or accreditation in one of the national dental academies usually means the dentist has gone through rigorous training and testing to achieve that status.
Oftentimes, this equates to better understanding and skill (and therefore a better result) when performing cosmetic or general procedures. The more recent the credentials, the more up-to-date the dentist had to be on knowledge of materials and procedures.
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