Finding the right dentist is an important decision in one’s life and can often determine your future oral health and smile aesthetics. Whether you’re choosing a dentist for you alone or for your entire family, there are a number of factors to consider in order to find the right one.
Let us help you narrow down your search for choosing a dentist in Spokane Valley with our tips.
Dental Office Location
One of the most important factors people consider when choosing a dentist is the location of the dental office. Unless you have unlimited time on your hands, you will likely want to choose a dental office within close proximity to your home. To help narrow down your search, head over to Google maps and type in “dentist.” Only search within a 10-mile radius of your home. This will ensure any dental office you choose is less than a 20-minute drive away. On the flip side, if you’re more concerned about finding the right dentist versus finding one close to you, it might be a good idea to increase your distance a bit for a wider search.
Dental Office Hours
When do you plan to go to the dentist? If you have kids you probably want to find a dentist that has hours either before or after school or on weekends. The same is true if you would rather skip missing work to visit the dentist yourself. Whatever your schedule looks like, make sure you choose a dentist in Spokane Valley that offers hours that work with your schedule. You don’t want to feel stressed about rearranging your schedule just to visit the dentist. Now that we’re adding more factors to your list, you can start crossing some dentists off your list that don’t meet your needs.
Procedures Offered
Another important factor is finding a dentist that offers the procedures that you need. It can be difficult to know what types of procedures you might need down the line, but if there’s something you already have in mind, it might be helpful to find a dentist that offers that procedure. If you have children, we recommend finding a dentist that offers orthodontics. If you’re older in age, it’s probably wise to find a dentist that offers a full range of restorative dentistry treatments. Look for procedures like dental crowns, dentures, dental implants, and dental bridges. Lastly, if you know you want to improve the appearance of your smile at any point, it’s wise to find a dentist who offers different cosmetic dentistry treatments like teeth whitening and porcelain veneers.
Finding a dentist that offers all the treatments you could ever need is helpful for having to avoid finding a separate dental office for specific procedures in the future.
Patient Reviews
Another factor you should look into is whether other patients are happy with their experience at that specific dentist. Reading reviews or watching testimonial videos on a dentist’s website can give you an inside look at what visiting that dental office is like. Of course, every office is going to have one or two bad reviews. We recommend focusing on reviews as a whole or reviews about specific procedures you want to get done.
Dentist’s Education
If you’re looking for a dentist who’s dedicated to their profession, just take a look at their education history. Aside from attending dental school, they should also have a handful of continuing education courses listed. Most dentists will complete a certain number of hours of continuing education every year to stay up to date on the latest procedures and techniques. If a dentist has the Las Vegas Institute (LVI) listed on their continuing education, that’s a good sign of how dedicated they are to their profession. LVI offers some of the top courses in dentistry and some of the top dentists in the world have studied and taught there.
If you’re looking to get a specific procedure like dental implants, you can also look into the dentist’s education to see how much training they’ve had on the subject. The more training, the better.
Technology
Technology is always changing and it’s just as true in the dental world. Explore some of the dental technologies that your potential new dentist has listed on their website. If they invest in the latest dental technology, that’s a good sign that they care deeply about their patient’s comfort and results.
Social Media
Social media isn’t just a good way to see what your friends and family have been up to, but also to see what a certain business is like. We recommend checking out a potential dentist’s social media to see how they interact with their patients. It can help you get to know the practice on more of a personal level before coming in for a visit.
Insurance and Payment Plans
If you have dental insurance or don’t, you’ll definitely want to know what a dental practice’s payment plans or accepted insurances include. Make sure you’re able to pay with your preferred method at your new dentist’s office.
Consider Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics
If you’re looking for a dental practice that offers a wide range of procedures, two highly qualified and well-educated dentists, and dozens of glowing reviews, consider Collins Dentistry & Aesthetics as your new dentist. We would love to meet with you to find out how we can help improve your oral health and reach your dental health or smile goals. Please contact our dental office today to schedule an appointment by calling (509) 927-2273.
