How to Check on a Dentist

Dental care is essential to good overall health. A highly-skilled and qualified dentist can not only help you to keep your teeth, mouth, and gums healthy, but can also detect a number of medical conditions in their early stages. It is important to choose a dentist with the skills, qualifications, and experience to provide the best possible care.

There is no specific formula to determine whether a dentist is right for you. When researching a dentist, consider referrals, credentials, history, and policies and procedures.

Instructions

• 1

  Begin by asking your friends, neighbors, and co-workers for recommendations. The best critiques of a dentist, or perhaps any other health service provider, come from their current and former patients. Most people are eager to give honest opinions about their experiences. Ask people what they like and dislike about the dentist. Does the dentist make them feel comfortable? Does he or she thoroughly explain treatment options? Were the dental assistants and office staff courteous and efficient? If a person is a former patient, ask them why they left that particular dental practice.

• 2

  Search the dentist on the American Association of Dental Examiners website (aade.org). The American Dental Association's Commission on Accreditation requires dentists to have earned either a D.D.S. (Doctor of Dental Surgery) or D.M.D. (Doctor of Medical Dentistry) degree from an accredited dental school. Dentists must also be licensed by the state in which they practice. It is important to verify that your dentist has attained the necessary education and licensing.

• 3

  Contact the County Clerk's Office in the county where your dentist practices to find out if there are any current or pending malpractice suits. The AADE website will allow you to search for complaints and disciplinary actions, but will not give specific information about the nature or resolution of the actions. Complaints, lawsuits, and disciplinary actions can be warning signs of an unreliable or unqualified dentist. You can also enter the dentist's name in a search engine to see if any news stories pop up.

• 4

  If you're considering a specific dental procedure, ask the dentist about the specific equipment and pain management techniques to be used. Be sure to ask about office policies on patient comforts such as nitrous oxide and amenities like headphones and heating pads. In addition, an organized, well-managed dental office should be able to give prices for all medical procedures, including insurance coverage and co-pays. A reputable dentist will be able to clearly explain treatment methods and office policies.

• 5

  Before making a decision about a dentist, ask yourself the following questions: Do the dentist, staff, and office environment make me feel comfortable? Have the dentist and staff been willing to provide information and answer my questions? Has my research raised any red flags? Though referrals, credentials, history, and policies and procedures can all be good measures of a dentist's skills and qualifications, your own impressions are most important.