Choosing a Dental Office

A Checklist to Select the Perfect Dentist for your Family

Maybe you're new in town, just changed dental benefits, or have a toothache and you're looking for a new dentist. By the time you finish reading this checklist, you will know how to choose the perfect dentist to give you that happier, healthier smile.

l. What are your dental care needs?

Do you have children that need checkups or maybe even braces? Perhaps you need a cleaning and have thought about a whiter smile. Maybe you're missing a tooth or have a toothache right now and need some help to stop the pain? Maybe you need evening hours? Maybe you've been told by a previous dentist to see a specialist or your current dentist has recommended extensive treatment and you would like a second opinion - and are hunting for just the right dentist to help?

It's important to know what needs you and your family have - even by noting the age of each family member and your opinion of their dental needs both short and long term can help you focus on choosing the right dentist.

Write down your dental needs before you call a prospective dentist to ask questions.

2. Evaluate the quality and competence of a dentist. Not all dentists are alike.

Questions to ask to evaluate quality:

What will be done at my 1st appointment?

The best approach is for the doctor to spend time getting to know you as a person starting your visit in his office (not in a dental chair!) then moving to the dental chair for a thorough exam. The dentist should listen to your goals and establish treatment to match your needs. The dentist should talk to you about what he sees.

How long is the appointment for a cleaning?

It should be 45-60 minutes. For folks with gum disease, the hygienist should promote "soft tissue management" training, a series of deep cleaning and oral hygiene instruction appointments that allows most people to avoid gum surgery.

How are dental emergencies handled?

What does the dentist recommend if you have a toothache?

During office hours, you should expect to call your dentist and be seen the same day, usually within a few hours of your call. After office hours, you should be able to speak with your dentist on the phone so he can recommend the best option to manage your discomfort.

When you call your dentist after hours, you should not hear a recording telling you to go to a hospital emergency room.

What accreditation has the dentist received?

The gold standard for a dentist office is to achieve is AAAHC - the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care. This is the outpatient equivalent of the JCAHO (The Joint Commission) that hospitals are required to go through every 3 years. The AAAHC evaluates our quality and safety of patient care. HealthPark is the only dental office in Ohio to currently be awarded a 3 year (top level) accreditation. This accreditation means that the practice has passed an audit focusing on patient safety and quality of care that is the most rigorous in the field.

The gold standard for Organizational Excellence is the National Baldrige award. The Baldrige Award recognizes how well a group (business, industry, school, health facility, etc.) is run to meet the needs of its customers (patients). HealthPark is one of 20 organizations in our 9 county area to achieve the highest regional award (in 2001) and state level awards in 2002 and 2003.

Finally, determine if the dentist has achieved advanced training and dental licensing.

www.agd.org - Academy of General Dentistry

Dentists can achieve a Fellowship (FAGD) or Mastership (MAGD) after hundreds of hours of advanced continuing education - one of the highest honors in dentistry. You can look up dentists who have achieved these levels on this website.

www.dental.ohio.gov/license/query.stm

This is the Ohio State Dental Board website , where you can check to see if your dentist not only has a license, but if it is current and if there is any formal action against this dentist. You can also look up any hygienist or x-ray technician to check licenses as well.

What percent of the dentist's practice is members only dental insurance plans (PPOs, HMOs, etc.)?

Greater than 15% usually indicates the dentist is not getting enough referrals from satisfied patients and has resorted to joining discount dental insurance plans to keep busy.

Visit the dentist's office - before you make an appointment and look at:
Is the office clean?
Is the staff friendly?
Are the materials in the lobby focused on helping you learn about your choices in dentistry?

Now that you have read through this checklist, I bet you're ready to start comparing dentists so you can choose the perfect dentist for your family.