Everyone wants to find a good local dentist. The ideal is to find one close to home that you know is capable of keeping your teeth in great condition. However, the harsh truth of things is that you'll often find yourself spending weeks on end ringing up dentists further and further away from your home only to be met with 6 months long waiting lists. Not so ideal. Let's talk tactics on how you can cut through the hassle and find yourself the perfect local dentist as soon as possible.
How to Find a Good Local Dentist
Private or NHS?
The first thing you need to consider is if you would like to go for a private local dentist or an NHS local dentist. Both have their merits. Although private dentistry may be considered expensive you can actually join a plan such as the Bamboo Care Plan for as little as 13.38 per month. You will also find a big difference in availability across private and NHS dentistry. If you opted to join a private dentist then you are likely to be able to join right away. Yippee! However, if you choose to go with an NHS dentist then this is where the long waiting lists can start to appear. If you'd like to learn more about the pros and cons of NHS versus private dentistry you can check out a previous article here.
Make a List!
To save on time it is always best to make yourself a list of potential dentists. Getting an ordered list together at step 1 means that you can canvas the area with ease making sure that you don't miss any options. A great way to do this is to use location as the key preference. You can use this tool to map out the local NHS dentists for you to choose from. As for private dentists, Google is your friend. Once you have created a list of those dentists in close enough proximity to you, it is advisable to check out further details depending on what is most important to you such as...
Patient Reviews and Testimonials
When choosing any service the best way to find out on the quality you will receive there is to see what previous visitors have to say. There are a few different places you can go to take a look at these. Google reviews are always very telling and are easy for visitors to leave a review on. If a dental practice has no Google reviews then it may be wise to proceed with caution. Another key place to check out is Trust Pilot. These reviews are carefully verified adding much credibility to the review. Another key place to listen out for comments from patients is social media. If a dental practice is as great as it seems then you'll see those patients shouting out about it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Consider both the overall practice and the dentists
It can be easy to get sidetracked when checking out the credibility of a dental practice. It's advisable to not only look at what people are saying about the overall practice but also how each of the key dentists are perceived. You may also consider what kinds of treatments you are looking to go for in the future. If you are thinking about some form of cosmetic treatment such as invisible braces or dental veneers then you may end up having to visit a private dentist after all. It is often the case where people prefer to stick to just one dentist and so going to the private dentist from the start may be something to consider. You will be able to find out the range of treatments offered at any given dentist on their individual websites.
Convenience and Parking
Can you get to the place easily? This may sound like an obvious question but one that is often overlooked. If it becomes an effort to get yourself to the dental practice then you will tend to find excuses at to why you shouldn't bother going in for check ups. If you end up avoiding check-ups then this is where dental problems can start to worsen and become a wider problem for your overall health. Some things to look at when making sure the dental practice is accessible are as follows. If you don't drive then is there some form of public transport close to the dental clinic? If you do drive then is there a place for you to park? And if you have some form of disability then is the dental clinic accessible to you?
In conclusion
You may end up with more than one dental practice available to you. This is where you need to look at the pros and cons of each local dentist. One person will value different things with a different amount of weight and so it's really down to preference at this point. Knowing what is most important to you is the first step you need to take so that you can then find the best local dentist for you. I hope that this article has been helpful in your search for a new dentist. If you would like to read further into the dental plans available at Bamboo then you can find them here. And if you've any questions or want to find out more about Bamboo Dental then feel free to get in touch with us!
