If you’ve recently moved to Denver or are dissatisfied with your dentist, these six tips should help you find the best dental office for your family. Since everyone is busy and dental appointments are easy to postpone, you need to feel welcome, respected, and confident in your dentist and his dental office.

Today, let’s explore these important factors in choosing a dental office for your family:

  • Location & Hours
  • Dentist’s Education & Experience
  • Technology & Services
  • Atmosphere & Culture
  • Insurance, Fees, and Financing
  • Personal Preferences

You’ll find some of the information you need to consider on a dentist’s practice website. Other topics may require a phone call or a new patient visit. Finding a dentist can be time-consuming and frustrating, but we hope to help make your search easier.

Location & Hours

Choose a dentist who’s near the places you most often go: home, work, and school. If the dental office is located along your daily route, appointments will seem more convenient.

Also, compare the dental office’s hours to your schedule. Can you book an early morning or after-work appointment? Or do you prefer to visit the dentist during the workday?

Dentist’s Education & Experience

Review the dental office’s website, and visit the page with the doctor’s bio. There, you should learn about the dentist’s formal education, including a four-year degree prior to earning a doctorate in dental surgery (DDS) or doctorate of dental medicine (DMD). Note that these doctoral degrees are the same; they simply have different names.

The doctor’s bio should also include his graduation year and/or how long he’s been in practice. A dentist with at least a few years of hands-on, family dentistry experience will have more developed skills than one fresh out of school. You might also want to learn about the focus of his continuing education. Dentists can take CEs in all facets of dentistry, from cosmetics to implants to sedation.

Technology & Services

What treatments do you and your family need? First, check the website to see if the services you want are listed. Of course, you need regular preventive checkups and cleanings, but what about restorative or cosmetic dentistry? Children’s dentistry? Implants? Orthodontics?

Also, ask about the dental office’s technology. Digital x-rays expose patients to 80-90% less radiation than traditional x-rays. Lasers, ultrasonic cleanings, and patient comfort measures can make your experience more relaxed and rewarding. Some dentists offer nitrous oxide and/or oral sedation to help calm patients who feel nervous at the dentist’s office.

Atmosphere & Culture

Though you may see a virtual office tour and photos of the dental office online, the atmosphere and culture will be better evaluated at an in-person visit. Specifically, you need an office where you feel comfortable and confident. It should be clean; you should be warmly greeted; and the sights and smells should not make you feel irritable, uncertain, or apprehensive.

Schedule your new patient consultation, but if you arrive and feel uncomfortable with the office or staff, you can leave. Don’t feel obligated to stay for an appointment if you see red flags.

You can also learn about the office through Google Reviews. Go to Google Search and type in the dentist’s or practice’s name, state, city, and the words Google Reviews. The dental office’s Google Local listing should show up in the results, on the right sidebar. You will find reviews there.

Insurance, Fees, and Financing

If you carry dental insurance, call the dental office and ask if the dentist is a preferred provider. If the answer is no, but the office will file your claims and accept your copay/deductible, you may pay a higher percentage than you would for a preferred provider. However, the greater out-of-pocket expense may be worth it, if the dentist is an awesome fit for your family!

As for fees, a dental practice will usually provide the cost of a new patient visit with x-rays over the phone. Other fees may not be disclosed until after an exam.

While you may not feel like financing is an issue right now, you or one of your household members may need a larger treatment plan for restorative or cosmetic dentistry in the future. An office that accepts CareCredit can offer low- and no-interest payment options to qualified patients.

Personal Preferences

Only you and your family know what you want and need from a dentist and a dental office. Talk with your family to learn about their concerns and preferences. Is anyone afraid of the dentist? A dental office that offers nitrous and oral sedation would be a good choice. Does your wife or husband prefer to visit the dentist on certain days or between specific hours, based on his or her work schedule?

Knowing your family’s personal preferences can help you make an informed decision that your family will support.

Your Friendly Denver Dental Office

At Metropolitan Dental Care in Denver, CO, our dentists and team members love patients! Everyone comes to work, eager to serve our patient families with a genuine desire to go above and beyond all expectations. To learn more about our office, call us today at 303.534.2626 or book your appointment online.