How to Choose Your Dentist By Dr. Susan Wells At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

There are nearly 200,000 professionally active dentists in the United States, including more than 162,000 private practitioners. And more are on the way. This year, there were more than 17,000 students enrolled in pre-doctoral education programs; nearly 5,000 students in advanced education programs, and more than 19,000 enrolled in allied education programs. Unless you live in a remote or extremely rural area, what this means is that you have a choice of dentists. You many even have the opportunity to pick and choose among various dental specialists.

Unfortunately, as in any other profession, you'll find dentists who are sloppy or out to make a quick buck. You will also stumble upon dentists who either overtreat or undertreat, the latter being a phenomenon known in the trade as "supervised neglect".

There are a many tips you can employ to determine whether or not a dentist is looking out for the best interests of his or her patients. You may want to confer with several dentists, or dental offices, before making a decision. After all, you and your dentist are forming a partnership to maintain your oral health.

The following checklist can help you make sure your teeth are going to be cared for by the best professional for your particular condition. It can also help you to keep your costs down.

·Make sure the reception and waiting areas are clean, attractive and welcoming, with a friendly and helpful office staff. The administrative as well as technical staff have a great deal to do with how comfortable and aggravation-free your whole dental experience will be.

·Make sure a member of the dental team takes your medical and dental history. This, of course, will include any x-rays or medical reports you have brought with you from your previous dentist.

·If you notice the dental team does not use accepted "universal precautions" such as gloves and masks or they do not sterilize instruments and disinfect work areas between patients, leave immediately without an apology

·Make certain the dentist or other dental-team member discusses preventive techniques to avoid dental problems.

·Make sure all of your treatment options are discussed and the information about the fees, or a total out-of-pocket cost in case you have an insurance plan, is provided before the treatment is scheduled.

·Make certain the proposed work and respective fees are guaranteed in writing.

·If you require a large amount of treatment, ask if the treatment can be spread out over time, and if insurance can be used for different procedures over successive years.

·If you are not fully covered by insurance or have the cash available for immediate payment make certain your dental office accepts major credit cards for payment.

·Make sure your dentist stands behind his or her work.

·Check his or her credentials, ask for testimonials, look for "before" and "after" pictures of patients treated in the office.

·For major procedures it is always a good idea to get a second opinion.

If you follow these guidelines, you will be on your way to reducing your dental bills and creating optimal dental health.

Please note if a complicated treatment is needed, it might be worthwhile and less expensive in the long-term to have a specialist perform the treatment. Higher treatment costs initially might prevent a treatment failure later, and may certainly offer some peace of mind.

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