When you are looking for a dentist, how can you tell whether that dentist provides high-quality dentistry versus poor-quality dentistry? Although we don’t expect anybody—or any dentist office—to be perfect, there are some things that might be more important to you than others. What are some of the things you should be looking for when it comes to making sure you and your family are visiting a high-quality dentist?
First Impressions Count
There are a number of items to include when it comes to first impressions of a dentist office. The first is scheduling. What is the experience like when you call to make an appointment? Is the staff friendly? Welcoming? Happy to answer questions? All of these will say quite a bit about a dentist practice.
Then when you walk through the doors of the practice for your first appointment, what kind of feeling do you get? Again, do the atmosphere and staff make you feel welcome? Are they helpful? Do they greet you personally, or are you silently handed a clipboard and told to sit down? How clean do things look? A dusty waiting room might not bode well for the rest of the practice in terms of cleanliness.
Another part of your first impression is the amount of time you have to wait for your scheduled appointment. Obviously, things can come up at the last minute to cause your dentist to be behind, but a long wait might be something to consider.
Cleanliness Counts
Much as you took a look at the waiting room to determine how clean it looked, you’ll have the same critical eye when it comes to the dental equipment once you are sitting in the chair. If you have questions about it, ask! A high-quality dental office will have no offense to your queries and they should be happy to go over the cleaning process for you.
Observe whether or not the dentist and his or her staff are rummaging through drawers or writing notes before they use their hands to clean your mouth. This is not a sign of a high-quality dentist!
Workmanship Counts
Good dentists want to do high-quality work for the sake of their patients. They are not interested in scamming patients for money by recommending procedures that are not necessary. The work they perform will be top-notch: fillings will not fall out and crowns will not come loose.
Keep all of these items in mind when you next visit the dentist to help you determine the quality of the practice. Call Dr. Mark C. Gladnick, DDS, your dentist in Wilmington, DE, to make an appointment!
