How to Find Your Best Dental Supplies

Understand dental advertising. While 1-800-DENTIST is a free service to patients, it is a very expensive advertising service for dentists. Welcome wagon, Super coups, register receipts, magazines and newspapers are all different ways that dentists use to build their practices.

Is there anything wrong with dentists advertising? No. People expect dentists to advertise. Advertisements say a lot about a dentist and their office. Look for office hours, procedures, insurance acceptance, and even parking dental x ray availability. Look at the style of the ad. Dentists want their ads to reflect the style of their office.

Since most dentists will take good care of their patients, the odds favor choosing a good practitioner. Therefore, any advertising medium or referral source is likely to produce the name of a good dentist. Will the dentist who advertises on a bowling alley score sheet be the dentist for you? Well, you found their name on the sheet. That doctor tailored that ad for bowlers, because his office is nearby, and he feels that he can help you. A next step could be to ask friends and neighbors if they know this dentist. Did root canal they have a good rapport with him? Would they recommend seeing him? Use the same technique to evaluate other dentist advertisements.

Some people choose their professionals by asking around. When moving, ask the current dentist for a recommendation. As with the advertising dentist, friends and neighbors are always a good resource. Another venue is to query related professionals in the area. If you are looking for a general or a family dentist, ask a local dental specialist. Oral surgeons, orthodontists, endodontists, and periodontists have seen the work of several local dentists. They can offer referrals to general dentists they know. The Massachusetts Dental Society refers patients to member dentists.

Dental offices are happy to share information about their doctors and staff with prospective patients. A call to the doctor's office or a visit to the office web site may produce a kind of resume. The doctor may want you to know of special dental supplies certifications they have earned. Fellowships are certifications from professional organizations that usually involve documenting courses taken in that area or specialty (such as cosmetic dentistry or implantology) and taking an examination. Many dentists teach at local dental schools. Dental schools choose their instructors carefully. Some dentists are expert in their field; they lecture to dentists and other professionals at meetings and in schools. These activities may weigh in your choice.