It’s one thing to choose the best dentist for you, it’s another to try and choose the best dentist
for your family as well. When you have both children and adults that need dental care, finding
everything you need in one dentist can be challenging.
Fortunately, there are many brilliant dentists out there who offer services for the entire family
to receive their dental care in just one location. Here’s how you can begin the process of
choosing the right dentist for you and your family.
Ask About Insurance and Payment Plans
An important first step is determining if practice accepts your dental insurance. If they do
accept your insurance, this is great. If not, you’ll need to evaluate whether or not you want to
pursue this dentist or find one who does accept your insurance.
In the event that you don’t have dental insurance, ask your potential family dentist if they’ll
accept payment plans or whether or not they accept a dental discount plan or credit from a
third party such as CareCredit. Having flexibility in the event that your insurance carrier changes
is helpful even if they initially accept your insurance.
Consider Their Location and Hours
Before you consider the dentist and the practice, you’ll want to consider location and hours
first. This is because both the location and their hours of operation will tell you how likely you
are to be able to make appointments.
For example, do they offer weekend hours and time after traditional business hours to
accommodate your busy schedule? Are they located nearby, and not in an area where traffic
would be an issue?
When you take into account the practice’s convenience based on your schedule, you’re better
able to evaluate the likelihood that you’ll be able to keep appointments.
Talk to the Dentist and the Staff
Once you’re able to verify that a location and hours of operation will work for you as well as
whether or not they take your insurance, it’s time to actually visit the practice. You can even
bring along the kids to see how comfortable everyone is there when talking to the dentists as
well as the staff members.
You want to choose a dentist that you feel comfortable talking to, asking questions, and calling
when you need advice. Your family should feel good about communicating with them too, so
don’t hesitate to make an appointment to simply visit and see what everyone thinks!
Don’t Forget Emergencies
Emergencies are unfortunately a part of life. Ask the dentist about their emergency policy—will
they come in after hours to treat you or your child, will they have the flexibility to get you in for
an emergency, or if they can’t, do they provide a referral to another dentist or just advise you
to go to the emergency room?
You may also consider their memberships to professional organizations, what type of
continuing education they do and how often, and their experience with up-and-coming dental
tools such as laser dentistry. Don’t be afraid to ask questions during your visit!
When it comes to finding the right dentist, don’t underestimate the importance of having a
great fit for the entire family, even if you need to visit a few dentists before you find the one
that feels right. You can have the best dental care and convenience with your dentist of choice!
