A great place to start would be to identify what characteristics you are looking for in a dentist.
I would think all of your greatest desires would be fulfilled by a caring and competent dentist.
Pretty much everything else will fall into place.
This dentist would care enough to hear your thoughts and questions about your teeth and your plans for them. A great dentist should take the time to explain everything to you and let you know what ALL of your options are for your teeth and your goals.
I can’t tell you how many patients we have that come into our Dillon Family Dentistry Rosemont office. Tell us that not only did the dentist listen to them and find out what they wanted, but rather spent all of their time selling them on what they thought the patient should have done. Much more often than not, this was way more invasive and expensive dentistry than most of the patient’s options.
If you think you might be getting sold and overtreated, your instincts are probably right! Trust yourself here.
A caring dentist will also be compassionate and deliver painless dental care how you would like to have it done. Some people like shorter appointments or doing the work slowly over a period of time. However, most seem to get it done as quickly and efficiently as possible.
You have the correct answer to this and only you!
As far as finding a competent local dentist, you are relegated to testimonials.
Usually, the best referrals are from people you know and trust who have used the dentist. This is a no-brainer.
Quite often, people don’t have this option. Many people appreciate their privacy and autonomy and prefer another option for finding a dentist.
There are some tremendous advantages for all of the downsides of social media. Our Facebook groups like Lower Merion Community Network are a great local asset. The moderators make sure that only appropriate content is kept posted. Although anyone’s post is not necessarily a thorough vetting process, repeated testimonials and recommendations can be a good path. Perhaps, when the person posting not only is relating a personal experience with the dental office but more explicitly when they speak directly to your needs in a dentist.
Other groups like Main Line Parents on Facebook and the Next door communities are good but not always moderated very effectively.
Then, of course, some reviews can be found on Google and other online sites. Read them all. Use your judgment when reading them and determine if they speak to your needs and excite the attributes you look for in a dentist and their staff.
This is another important distinction. It can take just one iffy staff member to spoil an office and dental experience.
On a larger scale, all of this isn’t going to be quite enough to instill the confidence that a dentist and their office can deliver the dentistry and experience they are looking for.
The best way to screen for the RIGHT dentist is to visit the office for many people. We offer complimentary consultations where our guests can ‘kick our tires’ and see if the approach to meeting their optimal goals aligns with their hopes.
Another option would be to start with something simple like cleaning and check-up.
We enjoy this since it’s an opportunity to see how the office functions. We are always respectful of our patient’s time and needs. We get our patients promptly and are always on time.
These considerations seem important to many of our patients who don’t receive the same experience from their other doctors.
I hope this helps establish some criteria you may consider when looking for the RIGHT private dentist near you and their dental office.
We’re always here to meet you, listen, and share what we can.
Call Joanne at 610-525-5497 if you want to find out how we can meet all of your needs.