How to Choose a Dentist
8 Keys to Choosing the Right Dentist

Today more than ever, the choice of a dentist for you and your family is a critical decision that should be made with the utmost care. So how do you choose a dentist? There is more to selecting a good dentist than simply throwing a dart at a listing. The truth is that there are a number of factors that must be considered in making the right choice for the right dentist.

Just like in choosing other professional services, many things influence the quality of this decision for you. Not the least of these is the philosophy and beliefs of both the dentist and the person seeking care. For example: Do you deal with problems as they arise (“disease medicine), or do you seek to prevent problems before they arise? Is it more important to get the cheapest dentistry, or is your smile and dental health important enough to seek higher levels of complete care?

When it comes to dentistry, as you look in the Yellow Pages you will find that every dentist claims to be a cosmetic dentist. There has been such an influx of “cosmetic dentists” that anymore, being a “cosmetic dentist” is cliché – even (yawn) passé! Why? Because these days, any dentist who does teeth whitening or white fillings can claim to be a cosmetic dentist!

Choosing the right dentist for you, one with substantial experience in complex cases, extensive hands-on training, a background in teaching other dentists the latest and the best, and who has a gentle approach that compliments your needs and wants, is critical to achieving the most successful outcome - your radiant confident new smile. Educated and discerning people realize that cosmetic dentistry properly done, is complex and precise and will dramatically affect their lives for years to come. All this is to say that

… Not all dentists are alike, and not all patients are alike!

What follows is some advice that comes from years of observations, which our clients have found helpful in their selection process.

How to Choose the Right Dentist for You:
1. A Caring Approach and Great Communication:
Find a dentist with a good chairside manner who cares about you as a person as well as a client. Find a dentist who will take the time to listen, answer your questions and treat you with respect. Since communication goes both directions, it is as important that your dentist understands what you want as that you understand what they are explaining. This goes along with the adage “seek first to understand then to be understood.”

2. Post Graduate Continuing Professional Education:
It may surprise you to learn that the vast majority of dental schools don’t teach courses in cosmetic dentistry and smile design. Those that do only offer introductory courses. We believer that your mouth is not the place for on-the-job-training, in spite of the idea that it is a “dental practice.”

Find a dentist whose committed to continuing education, and whose strengths and areas of special focus are a good fit with your interests and needs. To perform complex dental procedures at the highest level requires the best in modern dental materials, and an artistic eye for the finest in smile design, and a rigorous program of post-graduate training in cosmetic and neuromuscular training.

Because of the rapidly changing world of medicine and dentistry, it is critical that your dentist keep abreast of the latest techniques and materials. The importance here is not only in developing expertise in clinical judgment and technical skill, but also in demonstrating a commitment to the highest levels of excellence.

Places of post-graduate continuing education such as the prestigious and world renowned Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI) teach the finest dentists from around the world, in hands-on courses in modern dental techniques of cosmetic and neuromuscular dentistry.

Dr. Ostler, has not only trained and graduated from the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, but he has been a clinical instructor at LVI teaching dentists from around the world the fine art and science of smile design and complex dental reconstruction. Imagine what he can do for your smile and peace-of-mind!

For more information about LVI, or to find a dentist in your area who has been trained at LVI, you can go to www.lvidocs.com and www.leadingdentists.com.

3. Wise Treatment Planning:
You deserve an honest report of your problems and an understandable plan for fixing them. Integrity is not just the best, but the only policy. And wise planning prevents painful dental emergencies. Choose the best options and work to create a long-term plan for healthy teeth and a pleasing smile. Many people operate on the principle that if it doesn’t hurt and isn’t broken, it must be okay. Too often, nothing could be further from the truth.

Many dentists simply treatment plan the most urgent needs, or allow their patients to talk them into just taking care of the emergencies. Wiser planning includes a comprehensive evaluation of your present needs and wants, and an assessment of where you will be in 10, 20, or 40 years. If you want your teeth in your old age, then the time to start planning is today. Wise planning allows for wise budgeting, peace-of-mind, and a healthy radiant confident smile. This is not a time to compromise by being “too cheap,” or to claim that because it doesn’t hurt it isn’t “necessary.”

4. Financial Options:
The number one reason given for delaying or denying dental care has to do with the costs of dental treatment. (More will be said below about insurance.) Like everything else in life, what makes the world work today is making what we want and need, affordable.

Making treatment affordable should also be important to your dentist. Obviously, the treatment planning and budgeting will take into consideration the urgency of needed care. Shortchanging quality and accepting lower levels of care are never good outcomes, even if dictated by economic reasons. Dental care always costs more later, and poor quality always costs more in the long run. Financial options allow you to budget appropriately and help you use your financial credit wisely.

5. Have the Right Personal Philosophy About Money:
Money is a very sensitive subject for everybody involved, and it’s best to be up front and honest about it from the start. There is no question that dental services today are expensive. It seems they’ve always been that way and will continue to be such. That is why it is important to be clear about your reasons, motivations, and values that underlie your decisions and attitudes toward your smile and your dental health. The costs of dental care will never be less than yesterday’s fees. Rising dental costs make wise planning and financial strategy very important.

Every dentist has seen people who claim to not have the money for dental care but who persist in smoking, having two cars, taking vacations, enjoying expensive recreation, making boat payments, etc. (And at the same time they won’t brush and floss as they could prevent problems from becoming worse and more expensive to fix later.) Now, it’s not saying these things we spend discretionary money on aren’t important or enjoyable – but unless it is about taking food out of children’s mouths, it is just that – discretionary – a choice that arises from one’s values. That is why your personal philosophy is important to understand.

The philosophy of the dentist is also important. Your dentist shouldn’t do more treatment than is best for you, but if the dentist’s goal is to save you the most money, he/she will only offer what is the cheapest care without regard to what is the best or longest lasting.

6. Don’t Get Caught in the Dental Insurance Trap:
The “insurance trap” is a game that is often played by the both the dentist and the patient. Look for a dentist who won’t let your insurance plan dictate their treatment planning. The insurance will only pay a minimal amount of your dental care anyway. It is not a “Major Dental” policy like major medical health plans. It is designed for preventive care and minor or maintenance dental care. Don’t expect more from it than it can deliver, and don’t ask your dentist to compromise what is best for your health because of unreasonable expectations or misplaced values.

Good dental health is always a good investment! Personal confidence and peace-of-mind are priceless. It is always wise to maximize your benefits each year. If you don’t use your benefits you lose them at the end of the year. It’s like taking money out of your pocket and giving it to the insurance company. But be careful not to get caught in the “insurance trap” thinking that you can only do what is covered. Your insurance will only pay $1,000 (on average) in a year’s time anyway.

Understand that dental insurance really isn’t insurance because there isn’t any “risk” to insure. This is because they have a stop-loss or maximum yearly benefit built into the policy. They will only pay out up to the maximum yearly amount allowed. It doesn’t matter how much dental work you decide to do, the “insurance” company will only pay up to the maximum limit, after which you are on your own. Therefore, you must think of your insurance benefits not as a “pay-all” but as pre-paid dentistry which helps you do what you would do anyway if you didn’t have “insurance”, (you would just budget differently).

If your strategy is to only do what the insurance company will pay for, that means someone else is making decisions about your health and quality of care. Remember that their motivation is not that which is in your best interest – rather for them it is about making money for themselves. They accomplish this by denying, delaying and deferring (the three “D’s”. After all, it isn’t their disease or unattractive smile!)

Dentists frequently hear new patients say that the reason they haven’t had dental work is because they didn’t have insurance. It is always a curiosity to wonder how they could afford hair care, clothing, holiday gifts, vacations & recreation, car and boat payments, pet care, tobacco/alcohol/gambling, computers & electronics, and so forth – since they didn’t have any insurance to help pay for it. The point is it’s about values and budgeting! It says something about people’s values when they choose discretionary lifestyle expenditures above needed health care, and would be willing to shed body parts and allow disease to worsen rather than discipline their basic values and budgeting.

7. Career Success and Social Standing:
Sometimes your best friends won’t tell you that you have bad breath or an unattractive smile. After all, friends are supposed to accept each other as they are. A better philosophy is to expect your dentist to completely present all possible dental work and then let you decide what is appropriate or not for your situation.

Find a Dentist who understands that career success and social confidence require a healthy attractive smile. Bad breath, broken teeth, and unbecoming smiles, should receive top priority.

Because dentists are people too they can often under-diagnose and under-present dental care because of a fear of rejection or because they risk offending or alienating their patients. This is especially true if the dental care is not urgent or is more related to cosmetic issues. They can wind up only presenting basic or minimal clinically acceptable care, but overlooking the importance of elective image-enhancing procedures and practices that can improve your self-confidence, increase your career success and improve your social standing.

8. Headaches and TMJ/TMD:
Headaches, migraines, jaw problems “TMJ” and bite problems can be very vexing problems indeed. If you suffer from these or have facial pain, it is essential that you find a dentist who is trained and experienced in diagnosing and treating problems related to the dental bite and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

You may notice that you have worn-down or crooked malaligned teeth. Perhaps your jaw pops or snaps as it opens/closes, or you get periodic migraine or muscle tension headaches. If your bite or jaw or posture is out of balance, it is important to have a proper and thorough diagnosis. Routine dental training for the general dentist falls short of what’s necessary to adequately treat these complex conditions. General dentists or specialists who have undergone additional training in diagnosing and treating temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD), problems of the jaw joint, occlusion, and neuromuscular dentistry, will be able to help you understand the true nature of your problem and also to provide suitable treatment solutions to help you better manage your problem. For additional information, you may find the information on this web site helpful, or go to www.leadingdentists.com .

In summary:
Choosing a dentist is a very important decision. Well trained dentists are more than “tooth mechanics” or “tooth carpenters.” They are doctors of the mouth. They should be interested in your comfort and well-being and in helping you to accomplish your goal of having a confident healthy and radiant smile – for the rest of your life. They will understand how important it is to you to keep your social presence bright and your self-confidence strong. And they will respect your values and treat you with the respect you deserve. They will also speak honestly with you about your health and cosmetic situations and help guide you in putting a plan together that will maintain your wellness and protect your pocket book.

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