We’re moving across the country. We’ve had a fantastic dentist all of our lives. It’s sad to me that we have to leave the clinic. I’m pretty sure we’ve had the best dentist in our state. Is there an easy way to locate the best dentist in our new state?
Emily P.
Dear Emily,
I’ll give you some tips to narrow down your dentist choices. The first thing you need to do is decide what services are important to you. For instance, if you’ll want someone who focuses only on general dental services you’ll go one route. But, if you are interested in cosmetic dental services there will be additional things to look for.
I’m going to go on the assumption you’re looking for a good cosmetic dentist because those are harder to find. There is no recognized specialty for cosmetic dentistry so every cosmetic dentist is just a general dentist who offers cosmetic procedures. As with any art based skill, there are a large variety of skills among the artists.
Because it’s extremely difficult for patients to know ahead of time which dentists are skilled at creating beautiful smiles and which are really bad at it, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) developed an accreditation program. Those cosmetic dentists which reach accreditation are among the most skilled, artistic dentists in the world. If getting a smile makeover is important to you, you’ll want an AACD accredited dentist.
Now, you likely fell in love with your dentist because of his personality. He showed interest and care about your family. It won’t do you any good if your dentist is artistic, but a total jerk. So, once you’ve found an AACD accredited dentist in your area, look at their smile gallery to be certain you like the results they get. You’ll also want to make sure they have some form of beautiful smile guarantee. Then, go onto sites like Google Review or Yelp! and read reviews patients have given them. You want to make sure they’re good with patients.
If you take these steps, you’re very likely to find at least one of the best dentists in your new area. If cosmetic work isn’t important to you, then just look at reviews to make sure they’re friendly and do work that holds up.
This blog is brought to you by Dr. Randall Burba.