Pediatric Dentist - How To Find Yours

Around the time your child hits age two, you will want to look into finding an oral physician to inspect and maintain their teeth. Taking the time to find a qualified and experienced pediatric dentist provides your child with the tools and resources necessary to enjoy a lifetime of quality oral health. In this article, we will offer a few tips to help you weed through the candidates and find the physician best suited for your child.

Step 1 – Get in touch with your insurance provider and ask for recommendations pertaining to physicians covered under your health care plan. Obtaining this information will help greatly in narrowing the field and finding a pediatric dentist who will fit into your budget.

Step 2 – Using the list provided in step 1, speak with friends, family members and even local schools to find out whether you can gain any specific information on the candidates. Word of mouth is often sure-fire way to find quality services, and this instance is far from exception. Ask questions specific to your concerns and needs and be sure to take notes on your findings.

Step 3 – Hop online and check out the candidates you are considering. There are quite a few sites dedicated to helping consumers acquire local quality care, which offer user-submitted reviews and ratings to help in the decision process. Keep an open mind, researching your current candidates while keeping an eye out for others that have garnered positive attention, and whom you may not have heard of.

Step 4 – Call up your pediatrician’s office in hopes of adding to your list and checking out any potential candidates that have interested you thus far. Most medical practitioners will have a fairly good idea of other health care professionals outside of their specific are of expertise and be able to point you in the right direction. Ask them who they would use for their own children.

Step 5 – At this point, you should have a pretty solid list in front of you. Sit down and evaluate the pros and cons of each, deciding on your top three choices. Call each dentist up and ask to come in for a visit. Some offices will require you to schedule a specific time, while others will simply ask to you drop by at your convenience.

Step 6 – During your visit, take in the environment. Make certain the office is child-friendly and all the equipment child-sized. Try to evaluate whether the physician works well with children. A prize box, cartoon décor and children’s books are all good signs.

Step 7 – Speak with the dentist and ask what your child should expect during a general checkup. A good pediatric specialist should know how to interact with children and be able to make them feel comfortable.

Step 8 – Once you’ve met with each of your candidates, you should have a good idea of what your final decision will be. Schedule an appointment to see how things go and pay attention throughout the visit to ensure your child is receiving the best care available. Remember, you can always change your mind if you find something better.