Raising a family is no easy task. Aside from providing food, shelter, and education, you also need to consider adequate healthcare. Choosing a family dentist is part of this task.
As of 2019, 74.7 percent of Canadians reported consulting with a dental professional sometime within the past year. It’s essential to provide your family, especially your kids, with dental care from the get-go. This helps maintain good oral health as they grow up.
Below are some questions you might want to ask when choosing a Hamilton dentist for your family. These questions help you assess the dentist’s skills and how suitable they are to handle family members of various ages.
What qualifications do they have?
All proper dentists need to go through dental school. This is the minimum requirement. However, technologies and knowledge change over time, and it’s crucial for dentists to receive ongoing training.
You can ask your dentist (politely, of course!) about their academic experience, as well as any additional training or certifications they may have. This gives you an overview of their knowledge and expertise.
How experienced are they?
What makes a dentist good isn’t just their education and training. Full knowledge comes with experience, and an experienced family dentist would be a great asset to your family’s health.
A good family dentist should have experience treating the various conditions and ailments common in families. These conditions affect the youngest to the oldest family members, from the kids to the grandparents.
Don’t confuse experience with age, however. While older dentists may usually have more experience, don’t take younger dentists out of the equation, and be sure to weigh in other factors as well.
What services do they provide?
As much as possible, try to find a dentist that could provide all the services your family may need in your lifetime. It will be a lot simpler for your family to receive all the necessary services in one place, as switching dentists can be stressful, exhausting, and expensive.
Below are some of the dentistry services you might need in your lifetime:
- Teeth cleaning/whitening
- Tooth extraction
- Root canal treatment
- Periodontal care
- Orthodontics
- Cosmetic dentistry
What is the clinic’s atmosphere like?
Aside from the dental care you receive, the culture and atmosphere of the dental clinic are also important. These factors become part of your overall treatment and help make visits to the dentist less frightening, especially for children.
A friendly, accommodating staff and clean, comfortable surroundings will make the entire experience a lot more pleasant for all parties involved.
How do they interact with their patients and staff?
Another factor that contributes to the entire experience is the dentist’s personality. This doesn’t mean that they need to be entertainers or doormats. However, pleasant and polite interactions are essential, especially if you plan to work with a particular dentist for a long time.
Try to observe how they treat their staff and patients. If you notice any rude or untoward behaviour, it’s best to look elsewhere. You’re better off finding a dentist that would treat you and the people around them with respect.
The Bottom Line
Dental care for your family extends further than finding a dentist that can do the job. Having a family dentist means building a long-term relationship with them. Thus, making it important for you to find a dentist who can provide your family with appropriate care and a pleasant experience.