Is This Dentist Appropriate For Me

Not all dentists are right for all patients

The 4th question you need to answer in order to commit to your own dental health

In this dental blog… Dr Darryl Marsh continues with his list of 9 questions to ask yourself whether the dentist you are considering is appropriate for you and your family.

In my last article I looked at the third question you should ask yourself when considering who is right to look after your dental health. So far the questions we have looked at include:

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  Is this dentist for real?
  
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  Is this dentist telling me the truth?
  
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  Is the dentist knowledgeable and competent?
  

So now it is time to move onto the next important question when you are finding a dentist to match your needs: Is this dentist appropriate for me?

One dentist does not fit all

When it comes to dentists, like everything else, one size does not fit all!

Firstly dentists are people and by nature not all people get on with everyone else. You may not want to be best friends with your dentist but it helps if you feel comfortable in their company. I have found it helpful to have a frank discussion about what is most important to the patient with their dental treatment and in their relationship with me. I will let people know what I can and can’t provide for them, and whether or not I feel we can work effectively together.

Dentists need to know how you want to be treated

I also find it helpful if my patients tell me how they would like to be treated- what they would like me to do to make their visits as comfortable and painless as possible.

For some people this may involve some pre-medication with a relaxant such as valium. For others using nitrous oxide during their appointment can be what is required to make their dental visits more tolerable.

For some patients just knowing that the dentist is understanding and sympathetic to their concerns is enough.

Of course, everyone wants their dentist to be gentle, especially when it comes to injections. The mouth is one of the most sensitive areas of the body. This means it may not be possible to make every dental injection on every patient totally “pain free”, but it is possible for the dentist to do their best to make a visit “pain free”.

Different needs call for a different approach

The point is that different people have different needs and taking the time to listen to their needs is an important first step in the treatment process.

This fact is so important that I devoted a book to it.

The book is titled “Stress-free Dental Visits: An Insider’s Guide”. In it I go into detail about the tips and techniques that I have found most helpful to my patients over the past thirty years of dental practice.

I certainly don’t claim to be a world authority on this – just a dentist who is open to learning and doing whatever I can to help my patients go from sweaty palms at their dentist visits to ones that leave them with a smile on their faces.

Naturally if you wish to have more comfortable dental visits and would like a copy of my book, all you have to do is call our practice. There is no charge for it and the information in it can be used by any patient of any dentist to improve their dental appointments.

Keep smiling!

Darryl Marsh