Did you know that there are more than 200,000 dentists working in the United States? Despite there being plenty of dentists available, not all of them might be a good choice for your child. So, how should you go about choosing a kids dentist in Lexington?
What should you look for and what kind of factors should you consider? Keep reading and learn how to make the choice below.
Check the Online Reviews
The best way you can make sure a dentist is a kid-friendly dentist that cares about his patients is to check the online reviews for that dentist. Online reviews often tell you information that you might not be able to find on the dental clinic’s website. For example, you might search, “pediatric dentist near me” and find a relatively professional website that seems promising.
However, upon further inspection, you might find that the dental practice has a ton of negative online reviews. This happens more often than you might expect. For that reason, it is always important to see what previous patients have to say rather than relying solely on what a dental clinic’s website has to say.
For example, the reviews might complain that the dentist was rude or uncaring. Other reviews might complain that the dentist didn’t do a very good job with a certain dental procedure or that the cost for a procedure was too expensive. Whatever the case, if you find that the majority of a dental office’s reviews are negative, you should avoid that office and opt for another location.
The Details
You will have much more luck when you find a dental office with primarily positive reviews. These reviews might enthuse about how attentive the dentist was or how efficient the dental procedures were. Positive reviews mean that the dentist in question cares about his patients and about making them happy.
This is especially important for pediatric dentists. Kids are often afraid of going to the dentist, and bringing them to an unsympathetic or cold dentist is certainly not a good way to make your child feel comfortable. On the other hand, if you do a bit of research online and find a warm and sympathetic dentist, you will find that your child might actually start to look forward to going to the dentist’s office.
Check the Dental Office in Person
Once you’ve narrowed down your choices for the best pediatric dentist in your area, it is a good idea to go out and visit a few different dental offices in person. While you can look up pictures for dental offices online, these pictures will only show you so much. More than that, these pictures are often edited to make the location appear more appealing than it might be in reality.
To see what it really looks like, you’ll have to go in person. The reason for this is to see if the environment is clean and professional. The last thing you want is to go to a dental office that is filthy.
If the waiting room or dentist’s office is unclean, then how can you know that the dentist’s tools or methods are clean? When you arrive at the dental office in question, make sure that there are no obvious signs of dirt or debris.
What You Need to Know
The walls and floors should be clean, there shouldn’t be any musty smell in the air, and the area should be organized. All of these factors show that the dental office is professional and serious about helping people with their dental problems. While you’re at the dental office, you’ll also have the chance to chat with some of the workers there.
For example, you can ask the receptionist some questions about the pediatric dental services offered there, if they offer any adult dental services, and so on. You can also ask about certain dental procedures and what your child might expect from them. You will find that you can find out many more details in person compared to simply reading a bit of information on the dental office’s website.
If you are unhappy with the appearance of the dental office, you can leave and find a better option. But if everything appears to be spick and span, then it may be time to make an appointment.
Check the Dentist’s Qualifications
You always want to choose a pediatric dentist who has all the right qualifications and make sure that those qualifications are up to date. Choosing someone who is unqualified could be dangerous for your child’s dental health. But what kind of qualifications should a pediatric dentist have, you might ask?
Every dentist, including pediatric dentists, need to study for 4 years at dental school. In addition to these 4 years, pediatric dentists, in particular, need to study for an extra 2 years. These 2 extra years are necessary because dental health for children is quite different than adult dental health.
For that reason, pediatric dentists need to acquire special knowledge to treat children. These dentists are also far more skilled at interacting with children and making children feel comfortable even in the unfamiliar environment of a dental office.
Choosing a Kids Dentist in Lexington
Choosing a good kids dentist in Lexington isn’t difficult, but you will need to consider a few important factors. For one, you will need to check the online reviews for different pediatric dentists. Then, you will want to visit a few dental offices in person to make sure that they look clean and professional.
Finally, make sure you check the dentist’s qualifications. As long as you do all that, you shouldn’t have any problems finding a good pediatric dentist. To learn more, contact us here.