Don't Make These Mistakes When Choosing Your Dentist
Don't Make These Mistakes When Choosing Your Dentist
If you need a dentist, what should you look for? Obviously, if you have a toothache right now, you will be looking for the first available appointment, but slow down before you dial the first number you find.
One of the first things you should consider is the cost involved, and secondly look at the dentists reputation. You can do a lot of this research on the internet, and by checking out a number of different dentists websites, you will be able to get a good idea of what you are dealing with. If you need an NHS dentist, for example, it would be pointless to go to a dentist who only takes private patients. The difference in cost will give you more than a toothache afterwards!
All dentists are definitely not equal, so if you are looking to get your teeth whitened, or veneers or any non-emergency work done to your teeth, you should definitely shop around.
I read a story in the Guardian recently where a reporter needed emergency dental care, and this is what happened:
The first dentist, with whom he had been registered for years, told him that he had been taken off their NHS list because he had not been in three years. They would take him privately no surprise there!
The second dentist told him he needed a root canal specialist, who quoted 1700 for a root canal procedure and a crown.
The third dentist told him his teeth were in good condition, but he had gum disease. A course of antibiotics and a scale and polish, on the NHS, cost a mere 16.50. Great you may think, but no, the toothache came back.
He visited a fourth dentist who told him he did not have gum disease at all, he just needed some simple root canal work, plus the crown and on the NHS that would cost only 198.
This little saga could apply to anyone, look at the differences both in price and in diagnosis, its scary! If your car needs something doing to it, you dont take it to the first garage you find, do you?
Do not make these mistakes when shopping for your dentist, do your homework first. Many of these dentists have their own websites and give lots of information about what they do, and importantly, whether they take NHS patients or not. When I checked the first three sites, that fact was not even mentioned.
Does each dentist give the same care to an NHS patient as they would to a private patient? Thats something else to investigate if you can.
Another thing to consider is whether the dentist has up to date equipment, if he hasnt kept up with the times, then you are probably going to end up with the equivalent of a pair of pliers and a gas anesthetic. Dentistry has changed a lot in the past few years and there is no reason for you to suffer unnecessarily, even if you do need a tooth extraction.
It can be difficult if you have just moved to a new area and you dont know any of the local people well. It may be an idea to go somewhere the locals hang out and ask around.
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