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Choosing a dental care provider for your family may not at the top of your list just after you move. However, you should become acquainted with a dentist near your new home in case of a dental emergency, not to mention those routine check-ups that everyone looks forward to.
“Finding a dentist quickly is important because you can establish a relationship with a dentist before an emergency situation arises and you find your self scrambling to find a dentist to take care of you that you never met,” said Dr. Dinah Vice of Dr. Dinah Vice and Associates, Sunrise Dental, with locations in Chapel Hill and Raleigh. “Also, continuous care prevents some emergencies; for instance, early detection of cavities preventing the tooth from abscessing.”
“I feel it’s very important for a newly relocated family to find new health care providers as soon as possible,” said Dr. Tim Sims, dentist and owner of Timothy D. Sims, DDS, PA. “It’s easy to procrastinate with this decision and then find yourself in a spot when you really need help. It also becomes easy to neglect your condition whether dental or otherwise if you put off choosing a provider.
“A good place to start in trying to find a dentist is word of mouth. Local realtors, pharmacists and physicians may point you in a good direction also.”
According to the American Dental Association (ADA), before selecting a family dentist, you may want to consider several. The ADA also suggests several ways you can locate qualified dentists in the area:
• Call or write the dental society.
• Speak to your family physician or local pharmacist.
• Ask friends, neighbors, co-workers, clergy, etc., to recommend a dentist.
• Speak to faculty members of dental schools in your area.
• Call or write a nearby hospital that has an accredited dental service.
• Check the ADA directory, which can be found in many public libraries and in all dental school libraries.
After completing your research, call a dentist for an appointment. At your first visit, you should be able to learn a lot about whether the dentist is right for you and your family. Keep in mind the following questions, as provided by the ADA.
• What is the general appearance of the office, the dentist and the staff? Is everything neat, clean and orderly? Keep in mind that every dental office must abide by the current OSHA (Occupational and Health Administration) guidelines for sterilization and disinfection.
• How available is the dentist? Is the appointment schedule convenient for you? Is the office easy to get to from your home or place of business?
• Does the office provide dental health instruction and education? You will want a dentist who is skilled both in the treatment and prevention of dental disorders.
• Does the dentist seem genuinely interested in your health? Your medical and dental history should be recorded and placed in a permanent file to assist in the evaluation of your future dental health needs.
• What arrangements does the dentist have for handling emergencies that occur outside of office hours? You will find that most dentists arrange for a colleague or a referral source to aid their patients when they themselves will be unavailable.
• Don’t be embarrassed to ask the dentist about fees. The dentist and his/her staff should be willing to discuss fess and or financial arrangements in advance of treatment.
By spending the small amount of time necessary to make an intelligent choice of a dentist, you will help create a doctor-patient relationship founded on trust and mutual respect.
For Dentist's links click here.