Criteria when selecting a dentist?

[patricke]

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Not a premed Q, but more of a poll as I think it would be interesting to know what criteria is used when 'shopping' for a Dentist? (General Dentistry)

1. Experience?
2. Location?
3. Insurance?
4. references / reviews ?
5. Nationality ?

Once a DDS/DMD is chosen , what are the main signs sought to determine if he/she is a keeper?

1. Office equipment / environment ?
2. His/her personality ?
3. quality of work?

 

[Amarillo]

I'll bite. My number one(s) criteria are tied.

1.) Comfortable chairs. Blanket available.
1.) Nice hygienist - relatively positive, notice improvements/changes you have made in your dental care routine
1.) Accepts my insurance

I'm never, never, never, never changing dentists again. Okay. That may be a bit of a bold statement, but I did finally (3 years ago, or so) find a dentist office that met all of the above, and seemed to provide necessary services but not push the unnecessary. They're also incredibly nice, very professional, and in an office that is pleasant to be in. May not matter to some, but I hate dentists (sorry - 😛) so those were all pretty big factors to me.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

I chose a dentist based on word of mouth (no pun intended).

Once I chose him, keeping him was based on (my perceived) quality of work, then his personality, then his equipment.

I've had the same dentist for almost 15 years. I've probably paid for his kid's college tuition 😛

 

[QofQuimica]

Pat, it would probably be helpful if we made this into an actual poll so that people can vote. I can add a poll to the thread if you like.

For me, being covered by insurance, being treated well by the dentist and his/her staff, and the dentist doing a good job are the things that matter most. Convenient location is also a plus. Nationality is irrelevant.

 

[Law2Doc]

Not a premed Q, but more of a poll as I think it would be interesting to know what criteria is used when 'shopping' for a Dentist?
[/LIST]

1. Word of mouth (bad pun).
2. Location.
3. Weekend hours.
4. Someone who doesn't try to sell me some new product, whitener, procedure, etc at every visit. I just want to hear "your teeth look fine, see you in 6 months".

 

[teddy bear doc]

Ummm... they accepted my insurance and were down the street from my house?

I didn't really have any criteria other than the fact that I (a) didn't want to pay that much and (b) didn't want to drive very far. Makes me feel like kind of a slacker now that I think about it... 🙄

 

[patricke]

Pat, it would probably be helpful if we made this into an actual poll so that people can vote. I can add a poll to the thread if you like.

For me, being covered by insurance, being treated well by the dentist and his/her staff, and the dentist doing a good job are the things that matter most. Convenient location is also a plus. Nationality is irrelevant.

that would be great Q - add/remove as you see fit as well.
Thanks!

 

[QofQuimica]

that would be great Q - add/remove as you see fit as well.
Thanks!

Ok, pat, I made the poll using all of your criteria plus one more that I thought of that might be important to some people. It is multi-choice, so people can select as many options as they would like to. Hope it helps. 🙂

 

[patricke]

Ok, pat, I made the poll using all of your criteria plus one more that I thought of that might be important to some people. It is multi-choice, so people can select as many options as they would like to. Hope it helps. 🙂

Looks good!
Thanks again

 

[patel2]

Location/cost is most important to me.

IMO dental insurance is a major waste of money for most people who regularly floss and brush their teeth. A routine 6 month visit costs 50-100 dollars in cash, so unless you constantly get cavities/need root canals, what's the point of a policy?

 

[QofQuimica]

It's interesting to me that location is coming up more often than quality or price. I mean, don't get me wrong; it would be great to have the dentist practically next door to me. But considering that I go there just twice a year under normal circumstances, I'm willing to drive a little farther for something that's this occasional. To me, living within walking distance of the hospital (where I go most days of the week and still have to show up even when the weather is bad) is much more important than living close to the dentist! And yet there are people who happily commute 10, 20, 30+ miles each way to work every day. I even care about the location of the grocery store, where I go a couple of times per week, more than I care about where the dentist is. I just don't get the logic behind prioritizing dentist location.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

It's interesting to me that location is coming up more often than quality or price.... I just don't get the logic behind prioritizing dentist location.

That is because everyone will pick location in addition to their most important reason. So it will garner the most votes despite not being the main reason. Other choices may be viewed as mutually exclusive, for example, cost vs quality.

 

[mauberley]

It's interesting to me that location is coming up more often than quality or price. I mean, don't get me wrong; it would be great to have the dentist practically next door to me. But considering that I go there just twice a year under normal circumstances, I'm willing to drive a little farther for something that's this occasional. To me, living within walking distance of the hospital (where I go most days of the week and still have to show up even when the weather is bad) is much more important than living close to the dentist! And yet there are people who happily commute 10, 20, 30+ miles each way to work every day. I even care about the location of the grocery store, where I go a couple of times per week, more than I care about where the dentist is. I just don't get the logic behind prioritizing dentist location.

My logic was: between two dentists who both accept my insurance, I'm choosing the closer one. But I had the same "huh?" reaction--I'm surprised that price isn't on everyone's list, but maybe some people can afford a Park Ave. dentist. 😉 I agree with NuttyEngDude; I think the results are more indicative that people consider it a factor, not that it's a more important factor.

 

[n3xa]

Looks like I'm the only one who picked nationality. I've had some awful interactions with people of similar gender+ethnicity in the health care field (n=2; 1 dentist and 1 doctor).

I would proceed with caution at the dentist's office. Honestly, I'm not sure how I would proceed at the doctor's office. Is it unfair? Totally.

 

[eablackwell]

Location/cost is most important to me.

IMO dental insurance is a major waste of money for most people who regularly floss and brush their teeth. A routine 6 month visit costs 50-100 dollars in cash, so unless you constantly get cavities/need root canals, what's the point of a policy?

I inherited horribly deep pocketed gums. Regular visits every 3-4 months for deep cleanings = big bucks without insurance. My insurance pays 80% and it still costs about $150 a visit.