Most Americans care deeply about the health and the appearance of their teeth, and for good reason. If a person has a mouth of healthy and attractive teeth, they won’t have to worry about painful and expensive tooth problems, and they may enjoy having an attractive smile. Americans who have damaged or infected teeth, or simply discolored or crooked teeth, are urged to visit their dentists office for care as soon as possible. Licenses dentists may perform all sorts of procedures on their patients, from root canals to tooth whitening to putting in dental implants of all sorts. If a person moves to a new city, or if their child becomes old enough to need the dentist, that person may look for dentists online and use personal references to find the best family dentists or pediatric dentists in their area. How might this search play out?
Finding a Good Dentist
Someone who needs to find a new dentist may consult their doctor or their previous dentist, and they may supplement this with an online search for good dentists in their area. When looking online, a seeker may use the name of their city or town and even their ZIP code to refine the search, such as “good dentists in San Diego CA” or “kids dentists in Boston MA.” This will show a whole list of results. The seeker might strike out dentist offices deemed too far away to visit or those that aren’t taking on new patients, and visit the rest to evaluate them.
There is more than one sort of dentist to look for. Some are a “typical” dentist, who takes on adult patients on an individual basis. In other cases, the seeker might want to find a family dentist (and specify that in their search) to find a dentist for their entire family. Just like family doctors, family dentists are flexible and can care for patients young and old, and may be a great choice for a family that lives in the same area. Otherwise, a client may be looking for a pediatric dentist, one who specializes in the dental care of children. These specialized doctors work with patients under age 18, and may help their young patients get sealant put on their teeth and teach them proper health care at home.
A prospective client may visit dental offices on their list to consult the staff there and see their credentials and work history, as well as that of their assistants. Most dentists and dental assistants are highly motivated and skilled experts, and a customer may see that for themselves them they visit. The client may also check to see which healthcare insurance policies are accepted at a particular dental office. If this is being done for the client’s child, then that child may be brought along to ensure that the child feels comfortable and at ease in the dental office and around the staff there. An office or staff that stresses or frightens the child might be a poor choice for them. This may be done for pediatric or family dental practices.
Common Dental Care
When visiting a dental office, what might the patient be in for? This varies widely, but a patient may get a routine cleaning, X-rays, and a standard checkup in many cases. In more serious cases of tooth damage or infection, surgery may be done. Patients may rest easy, however, knowing that dental professionals are highly skilled and often numb the affected area first in a controlled environment. A root canal, for example, means that the affected tooth is numbed, and the fleshy pulp inside is removed to eliminate a heavy infection inside. Root canals are often unjustly feared, but they are painless and don’t even remove the tooth. In other cases, however, a tooth is badly infected and in danger of falling out, so a dentist will numb it and safely remove it.
Meanwhile, cosmetic dental work may be done. This may involve tooth whitening, for example, since some habits such as using tobacco products or tartar buildup may turn the teeth an unpleasant color over time. In other cases, a patient may have a clear plastic retainer made for their teeth in order to straight them out. Retainers are conveniently discreet while being worn.
