Switching healthcare professionals or choosing a doctor for the first time is challenging. Factors that influence this important decision are mainly your personal preference, the doctor’s qualifications, total experience, and recommendations. When it comes to choosing a dentist, you should be satisfied with the style of communication and consultation and feel comfortable around them. Below mentioned are some useful and simple to follow tips to find highly rated dentists nearby:

Start by asking around
Referrals are the best way to go about finding a dentist. Your friends and family members are likely to have a doctor on call. So, ask them for a referral and confirm an appointment that way. The main advantage of referrals is you’ll gain confidence with the new doctor since the person is already providing treatment suitable for a known person. It’s best to compare a few options within your immediate circle before selecting a professional.

Check if the practice is covered by insurance
Some health insurance and dental insurance plans provide comprehensive coverage for dental treatments. It’s better to check and confirm if the referred doctor is affiliated to a clinic or healthcare facility mentioned in the policyholders’ network. If yes, then your out-of-pocket expenditure will be significantly reduced as most of the costs will be covered by network insurance. This requirement is still secondary to comparing credentials, experience, and testimonials.

Check the credentials
Even if insurance does not cover the dental practice, if the practicing doctor comes highly recommended, you can also book an appointment to check out their services and treatment options. This is where you must check and verify all credentials, from qualifications to board certifications. Any practicing dentist must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a qualified institution as the first requirement to apply for a board certification and license. Additionally, it’s mandatory for the doctor to obtain a registration number in the state of practice. Depending on the state requirements, a valid license to practice either at a clinic or under a hospital network is issued. The license is also frequently renewed and updated to maintain highest standard of practice.

Confirm the type of practice
There are several areas of practice that dentists can specialize in to provide general and special care to patients. After completing med school, dentists must specialize in cosmetic, endodontic, pediatric, periodontal, orthodontic, diagnostic, prosthodontic, and maxillofacial surgery. Depending on your treatment needs, you’ll have to narrow down dental services relevant to the problem.

Consider the gender
Sometimes, men are more comfortable sharing an intimate problem with male doctors. The same applies to women who seek female specialists. Even with dentists, you can consider gender as a factor in discussing problems that are not openly cited due to their intimate nature. It is absolutely okay to find a doctor with whom you can talk comfortably and not feel overwhelmed about the process.

Check experience
Apart from personal preference, it is important to consider the dentist’s total practice and work experience. If you are going to a private practitioner, find a doctor who has relevant work experience in their chosen field of dentistry. Major insurance providers and insurance networks also carry this information, and you can cross-reference the details with the registry maintained by the National Dental Association (ADA). You can even check the state dental boards maintained individually for a complete record of practicing dentists in that area. All these resources are maintained online on the official websites and are readily available.

Ask for telehealth services
Most recommended dentist practices will have telehealth consultations as well. You can have smaller problems and doubts post-treatment or minor consultations resolved on call. Telehealth services save you a trip to the hospital, especially for something that can be resolved in a short one-on-one video call or voice call. Sometimes, getting an appointment at a convenient time is impossible as popular practices will have a fully booked calendar. The next best alternative is a call to request emergency prescriptions or notes recommending a specific treatment.

Read reviews and testimonials
It’s also necessary to read reviews and scan through patient testimonials that are published on healthcare websites employing a practicing dentist. Here you will find all the information necessary to make an informed decision while narrowing down the list of doctors and practices for comparison. Reviews can also be found on social media sites where healthcare facilities own a page or profile across popular platforms like Twitter or even LinkedIn.

Ensure you follow these tips to find the best dentist nearby. You can also use online classified finders to locate services using specific search tags. Try searching for “Most recommended dentist near me” to fetch relevant results for your immediate location online.