Questions to Help You Find a Top Dentist

When you are looking for a Top Dentist to take care of your teeth, you have every right to shop around. Finding the best dentist often requires you to learn a little more than you’ll find in a yellow pages ad. After you find out whether the dentist takes your insurance, has hours that work for you and offers financing options, start digging deeper.

Questions for a Potential Top Dentist

Here are questions you can use to help determine if a prospective provider is a Top Dentist or just average:

1. How many years have you been in practice?
2. How many years have you been at your current location?
3. Do you have any areas of specialization?
4. How many hours of continuing education do you take per year?
5. What professional dental associations do you belong to?
6. Are you participating in any dental research projects?
7. Are you associated with any teaching programs to train other dentists in new techniques?

Ask a Dentist About His Office Technology

To find out more about the quality of equipment and processes used at the dentist’s office, you might ask these questions:

1. What type of equipment do you use for radiography (taking x-rays)?
2. What’s the oldest piece of equipment you use in the office? What’s the newest?
3. What’s the next new piece of equipment you plan to acquire and why?
4. Do you perform any dental surgery procedures using laser technology?
5. What process do you use to ensure dental instruments are sterile? (Here are the CDC’s guidelines for monitoring the dental instrument sterilization process.)
6. When is the last date that your autoclave was inspected?

Questions About a Desired Dental Procedure

If you are looking into having a specific procedure (such as a dental implant or a smile makeover), you may ask these additional questions:

1. How many of these procedures do you do per year?
2. Can I speak with previous patients who have undergone this procedure recently? (Top Dentists tend to have loyal patients who are happy to share about their experiences.)
3. Do you have before and after pictures available (for cosmetic or reconstructive procedures)?
4. What types of complications have you seen with this procedure? How did you address those issues?
5. What software do you use to help visualize and plan the treatment?
6. Are there any steps you might take to minimize the number of visits required to complete treatment? (This might be done on a case-by-case basis as appropriate.)

Talk to a Top Dentist About Dental Anxiety

If you have concerns about visiting the dentist because of previous painful experiences or because you feel anxious, ask these questions:

1. What types of sedation do you have available?
2. Do you provide any form of sedation for simple procedures such as a cleaning?
3. How much choice do patients have about their sedation options?
4. What health conditions might prevent me from having the type of sedation I want?
5. Are you reachable to treat dental emergencies for existing patients after hours or on weekends?