There are over 18,061 dentists in the country. That’s a lot of people. If you have just started looking for one, you might be overwhelmed by the choice. Most dentists are competent and honest, but there is the occasional bad apple here and there. The issue is that a bad dentist could cost you a lot of money and complications can get serious, so this is not a choice that you can make on a whim.
Let’s take a look at a few signs that you can trust a dentist.
Your Friends and Family Love Them
The first people you should be talking to when looking for a dentist are the people close to you. This will give you much more insight into how good the rapport was, how long it took to get work done, the level of after-care service, etc. If you find that a few names of dentists or clinics keep coming up, then that’s usually a great sign.
You should also ask other healthcare professionals for recommendations. This is a tight-knit community, and we’re sure that your family doctor has a few names they can recommend. Most value their reputation, so it’s unlikely that they’ll direct you to a hack.
The Patient Experience is Great
According to Brisbane City Dentist, good clinics know how to make patients feel special. You should feel like royalty the minute you enter the door. Even the initial phone inquiry should give you a sense of how much they care about customer service. You should feel great from the first interaction up to follow-up care.
You should also come to them with any questions that you have about a specific procedure and see how they answer. If they seem enthusiastic about teaching you and present you with a wide variety of options without being solicited, this is a good sign.
They Have a Wide Array of Specialists
A clinic can present themselves as experts in many fields, but you’ll often be dealing with a jack of all trades. A good dental clinic will not only have a wide scope of service, but actual specialists are performing different procedures or working with specific clients.
Take a dental clinic like Pure Dentistry, for instance. They have dental specialists who work specifically on children, while others work on cosmetic dentistry. If you’re looking for a dentist in Brisbane for a tooth implant, smile makeover, or installing/removing crowns, you’ll get it all under one roof, and rest assured that someone qualified will handle the job.
Cleanliness
Another thing you have to do is inspect the clinic on your first visit there. Dental clinics have to be clean, and any sign of neglect should be viewed as a red flag.
The mouth is an easy pathway for bacteria, and the people working on you will need prodding and poking it with all sorts of instruments. The last thing you want is to come out of there with a major infection. So, you have to make sure that these are clean and properly stored.
If the equipment is stored in a nice clean drawer and all instruments sparkly clean and laid on a sanitised prep area, then you know that this is a dentist that takes their patients’ health very seriously.
You also have to make sure that they and their staff are wearing gloves at all times. And make sure that they don’t touch anything else like keyboards or even a pen when they work on you unless they replace their gloves every time.
They’re Proud of their Work
Dentists are not allowed to use testimonials to advertise their clinic in this country, so one of the only ways to tell the quality of their work is to check their portfolio. An experienced dentist will have lots of pictures of past clients to show and will proudly display them.
This is where a dentist with many years in the business will shine as they will have a much more extensive portfolio than someone who just got started. While there are probably some great new dentists out there, you don’t want to serve as their practice.
They’re Great at Explaining Procedures
Some dental procedures can be complex, but not to the point that they can’t be explained in simple English. A good dentist should also be a good communicator. They should be able to explain your condition and treatment clearly to you. Confused patients often end up unsatisfied with the results of their procedures or not getting the best one for them. So, make sure that you can understand everything they say, from how the procedure will go to the possible complications.
These are all clear signs that you may have found a great dentist. Make sure that you contact a few and see which ones you feel the most comfortable trusting your teeth with.
