Choosing the right dentist for you and your family should involve careful consideration. As with anything, do your homework before jumping into the dentist’s chair. You wouldn’t select your family doctor without proper research, and the dentist should be no different. To make the process of finding and selecting the right dentist a little easier for you, the American Dental Association(ADA) has offered the following suggestions:

• Ask family, friends, neighbors or co-workers for recommendations.
• Ask your family physician or local pharmacist.
• If you’re moving, your current dentist may be able to make a recommendation.
• Call or write your local or state dental society. Your local and state dental societies also may be listed in the telephone directory under “dentists” or “associations.”
• Use ADA.org’s ADA Member Directory to search for dentists in your area.

Questions to Ask Prospective Dentist
Once you have found a dentist you believe you can trust and develop a good relationship with, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the appointment schedule convenient for you?
• Is the office easy to get to from your home or job?
• Does the office appear to be clean, neat and orderly?
• Does the dentist explain techniques that will help you prevent dental health problems? Is dental health instruction provided?

For the remainder of the list please visit the ADA Website.

Some of these questions can’t be answered before visiting the prospective dentist for a check-up, Consider it a trial run, then answer the questions. If your answers are not satisfactory to you, keep looking for another dentist until they are satisfactory. Remember that your dentist is your partner in helping to maintain great oral health, so choose wisely.

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