How to find a Good Dentist

8 Sure-Fire Signs You’re Dealing With a Good Dentist

Are you on the hunt for a good dentist? If so, this article provides some sterling advice. Click here for more info!

Imagine if you need to have an open heart surgery or a hip replacement, would you try to find the cheapest doctor? Or would you find the most experienced and the absolute best doctor you can find? So why is it any different when it comes to finding a dentist? It’s your health that is at stake here after all.

Dental health plays a big part in your general health so you shouldn’t trust your teeth to just anybody. Your teeth is important to you for the rest of your life so you really want to find a good dentist who can look after all your dental needs. Plus, great teeth not only make you look good but also make you feel more confident with yourself. Luckily, there are many tell-tale signs of a good dentist. Read on to find out how to find a good dentist.

They Come Highly Recommended by Friends & Family

Before you even go online to search for a dentist, perhaps the first thing you should do is ask for referrals from your close friends and family (from the ones with great smile of course) or from people you trust. Reputation is everything to a dentist. Word of mouth referral can shed a clearer light on a situation than a dentist’s self-promotion. I know a lot of people these days make their purchasing decisions by doing their research online and reading online reviews. People value third-party endorsement and there are many sites such as Google, Facebook, Bing and Yelp, where people can leave their feedback and reviews of a business. However, with so many fake news (just ask Donald Trump) and fake reviews online, who can you really trust on the internet? That’s why word of mouth referral is such a biggie for me.

Your friends, family, doctor or specialist would not recommend a dentist to you unless they know with full confidence that it’s a dentist who will take great care of you, solve your problems and at the same time provide you with an amazing experience. To the referees, it’s just too risky and surely no one wants to jeopardise the relationship they have with someone important to them. So if someone starts raving about their dentist, you can feel very confident about their recommendation.

They Provide An Amazing Patient Experience

A good dentist cares a lot about providing great customer service experience to the patient. From the initial contact all the way to the post treatment follow-up care, every detail is provided with great customer service in mind. Your patient journey actually begins before you even set foot into the dental clinic. During the initial phone enquiry, you should be able to get a good vibe about what the dental practice is like and the level of customer service you can expect. When you step into the dental clinic, the staff should be friendly and helpful and you should feel welcomed.

Your first appointment should not be too rushed. You should be able to take your time to discuss what work has been done on your teeth in the past, such as fillings, removals, and orthodontic work like braces or retainers, and what issues you currently have. Think of it as a friendly chat and an assessment of whether this will be a “good fit”. A good dentist will spend extensive time at consultation and take all necessary records for comprehensive care and professional advice. These details are essential for a good dentist to give you the best, most personalised care and treatment plan based on your unique situation.

They’re Clean

All dental clinics need to be very clean and have staff that practise safe procedures at all times. When you lean back in that dentist chair and open your mouth wide, you’ll have fingers and instruments poking and prodding inside. The mouth is one of the easiest ways germs can enter your body, so it’s important that anything working inside it is clean and sterilised properly according to dental industry standards.

Equipment stored in a dirty drawer is a bad sign. All tools like mirrors, scrapers, and scrubbers should be clean and spread out on a sanitised prep area. Dentists and dental assistants should be wearing gloves while working in your mouth. They should also take care not to touch anything else like a keyboard or pen while wearing those same gloves.

Cleanliness is one of the most important things to look for at the dentist!

They Display Their Work

In Australia, dentists are not allowed to use patients’ testimonials for marketing purpose. Instead, some dentists will maintain a portfolio book to showcase some of the actual case work they’ve done in the past. The purpose of this is not to show off their work but to show patients the proven successes and good outcomes of their work. This is to help their patients visualise the end result and to feel reassured of the possibility. The pearly-white smiles and straight teeth of the patients act as the best testament to the quality of the dentist.

This is how an experienced dentist can really stand out from the crowd. The recent graduates and the less experienced dentists would not have much to show for in the early stage of their careers. On the other hand, an experienced dentist will be eager to display their good work and share the before and after photos of their patients’ transformations not just to impress you but to impress on you what is possible with modern dentistry.

They Explain Things Clearly

Most people complain about the high cost of seeing a dentist. Unfortunately, Australian dental fees are some of the highest in the world due to Australia’s strict health regulations and high cost base for staffing, dental-grade materials and specialised dental equipment.

Good dentists not only are good with their hands, they should also be good with their mouths, meaning they are effective communicators too. A good dentist should be able to explain clearly to you the issues you have after thorough diagnosis and examination, the treatments required, the options available and the pros and cons of each option. A good dentist should also be able to present the value proposition of the preferred treatment plan to you. In the end, you should not feel being pressured into any treatment but be able to feel at ease that all your questions have been answered before making an informed decision.

They Have Updated Technology

Dentistry is constantly evolving and always innovating. New dental technology and equipment are always being introduced. If a dentist utilises this new technology, it’s a sign that he or she is a good dentist who is still very passionate about dentistry and is actively monitoring new dentistry trends in order to stay at the top of his or her game.

One area where you can really see updated technology is in the X-rays machine. Digital X-rays are quicker, clearer and give off less radiation than traditional film X-rays. Updated technology can provide more accurate diagnosis and better efficiency. As an added bonus, if a dental clinic has spent the money and invested in an OPG machine on-site, this can really save its patient time and provide the convenience of not needing to visit another off-site specialised X-ray centre. At the same time, this can ensure the quality and definition of the X-rays being taken.

They Educate You

A good dentist won’t force you to rely on his or her services for healthy teeth.While occasional tune-ups at the dentist are great, the biggest part of dental care happens at home. A good dentist will tell you what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong. They’ll tell you about potential problem areas and how you can prevent them from getting worse yourself. Education is the greatest investment you can make in yourself.

Sharing knowledge and teaching you some oral tips might mean they make less money on expensive dental procedures, but a good dentist will always focus on looking after your oral health rather than on looking after his or her own wallet.

They Make You Feel Like Part of the Family

Dental practice shouldn’t be like a conveyor belt system. You are not only a patient but a very important client to the dentist. That’s why personal care is important. In order to give you the best care, a good dentist needs to really know you well. They need to know your history, know your lifestyle, and understand the unique issues and challenges you have with your teeth.

A good dentist will make you feel at ease in the dental clinic and make you feel like part of the family. The receptionist and dental assistants will be kind and caring. The dentist will greet you by name, ask you how you’re doing, and wish you well. Everyone will remember you from your last visit. Isn’t that what family is all about? So we all want to give our best to our family.

Good patient relationships with your dentist might not happen instantly, they’re built up over many years of trust. But if you can see the seeds of that relationship being planted, you know you’ve got a good dentist.

Finding a Good Dentist in Sydney, NSW

If you’re looking for a good dentist in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, you’ve come to the right place.

Chats Dental is a top dentistry in Chatswood and the north shore area. Contact us today to schedule an appointment for clean teeth and a great smile.