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As of 2022, there are more than 188,000 dentists in the US. Unfortunately, not all these dentists can suit your family’s dental care needs. You need to shop around and find a perfect dentist for your loved ones.

Experienced family dentists treat anyone in your family, from infants to the elderly. They create strong relationships with your family enhancing comfort during treatment. They know your family dental history, so they administer the proper dental care.

However, to meet your family’s unique oral care needs, you should hire the right family dentist.

But how do you find a good KY dentist for your family with unlimited options available? Keep reading to learn tips for choosing the right family dentist.

Get Referrals

Finding the best family dentist can be overwhelming and time-intensive. There are unlimited options available, and you need to compare them to get a perfect fit.

However, combing through thousands of dentists is almost impossible. You need to develop a list of potential family dentists to ease your task.

Consult your friends or family who have a family dentist to obtain referrals. Ask them about their experiences getting services from their dentist.

If they speak more about their bad experiences and regret going to that dentist, keep off. But if they have so much pride in their dentist, ask them for recommendations.

You can also ask other healthcare providers for referrals. They have been in the field for a long time and know experienced and reputable dentists.

After developing a referral list, narrow it down to make it manageable. You can cut it down to either two or three potential dentists. Then, call each dentist’s office and book an appointment to meet and interview them.

Conduct an Interview

Interviewing your potential family dentists is crucial before settling on any. You get to know more about their background and services. Hence, reducing the odds of making wrong choices as you’re informed.

Before interviewing any dentist, you should prepare properly. Develop a list of all the questions you’d want to ask to satisfy your curiosity. This enhances organization during the interview, thus saving time.

The questions to ask your family dentist can be about:

  •  Qualifications and experience
  •  Types of services they offer
  •  Costs of their services
  •  Technology and procedures they use to provide dental care
  •  Licensing
  •  Mode of payment acceptable

Ensure to observe the dentist and take good notes during the interview. Then re-visit those notes and compare them to pick a perfect dentist for your family.

Check Reputation

Knowing the kind of reputation your family dentist has is very critical. You know the quality of services and treatment to expect from them.

Always work with a dentist with a good, strong professional reputation. It’s a good sign that they’re experienced and will give you and your family the care and attention you need.

To determine your dentist’s reputation, check for reviews on their websites. Reputable family dentists have more positive reviews than negative ones. They provide quality dental care services, enhancing their client’s satisfaction.

If a dentist has negative reviews exceeding positive ones, proceed with caution. Numerous negative reviews signal inexperience, poor treatment and patients’ dissatisfaction.

To ascertain your dentist’s status, research more from sites like Better Business Bureau. Clients don’t just make anonymous comments on these sites. They explain the reasons for making either positive or negative reviews.

While reviews are helpful when finding family dentists, don’t overly depend on them. They’re sometimes inaccurate; hence take them with a pinch of salt.

Consider Qualifications and Experience

In the US, dentists must attend an accredited dental school and pass their exams to graduate. After graduation, they continue their education to acquire more skills and knowledge needed.

Hence, it’s crucial to check the dentist’s education and credentials before picking them. Ensure they’ve got all the certifications needed to practice family dentistry. Some of the certifications you should look for include;

  •  Doctor of Dental Surgery or Medical Dentistry degree
  •  National Board Dental Examinations certificate
  •  Basic Life Support or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation certification
  •  Board certification

In addition to qualifications, a good dentist should have higher experience levels. To determine experience, go through reviews and testimonials from prior clients.

Also, you can check the number of years the dentist has been practicing family dentistry. The longer they have been into family dentistry, the more the experience.

Trusting any dentist with your family’s oral health needs can be risky. Select a qualified and experienced as they offer high-quality dental care.

Check the Services Offered

Services provided are also an utmost consideration when choosing a family dentist. If possible, select a dentist qualified to offer a broad range of dental care services.

They’ll meet all your family’s dental needs under one roof. So you’ll not have to move from one specialist to another, incurring extra costs.

Some of the dental care services to check include;

  •  family and preventive dentistry
  •  Invisalign and cavity treatment
  •  Tooth removals
  •  Wisdom tooth extractions
  •  Teeth cleaning and whitening
  •  Restorative and pediatric dentistry
  •  A root canal and gum disease treatment

Also, check cosmetic dentistry if you intend to enhance your teeth’ aesthetic. Finding an all-round dentist saves you money and protects you from stress. You won’t bounce around from one dentist to another to satisfy your needs.

Consider the Service Cost

The cost of dental services varies from one dentist to the other. This is due to differences in location, brand, quality of care, and operation costs.

Before you begin searching for the right family dentist, develop a budget. Choose a dentist that suits your budget but offers quality services.

Dental care services and procedures can be very expensive. Select a dentist that accepts your insurance to ease the financial burden.

If you’re not insured, pick a family dentist that charges fair out-of-pocket prices.

Choose the Best Family Dentist

Picking the right family dentist can be daunting and confusing. There are unlimited options at your disposal, so comparing them to get an ideal choice isn’t a cinch. Learn things to look for in a perfect dentist to lessen the task.

Are you looking for the best pediatric dentists in Kentucky? At Kentuckiana Pediatric Dentistry, we got you covered. We offer high-quality dental care services in a relaxed atmosphere.

Contact us today for a free consultation.