Unsure of how to choose a new dentist for your family?
Here is a list of things to keep an eye out for when looking for a family dentist to look after your children’s teeth.
Good interpersonal skills
Many parents worry about taking their children to the dentist and want to make sure that the dentist they choose is friendly and can make the process more enjoyable.
A good Coorparoo family dental team will take the time to explain the process to your child, to help spell out the steps involved in dental hygiene to your child and will of course answer any questions that you and your children may have.
Top of the range technology
As a parent, you want your child to have the best that money can buy.
And when it comes to dental care, that can include everything from painless dental care to laser-guided dental care, to help make them feel more relaxed in the dental chair.
When you are looking for a dentist to take your children to, be sure to ask about the procedures they use to make all of their younger patients feel relaxed and of course, ask to see any surgery before booking an appointment for your children, to ensure it is clean.
Good reviews
The internet is a great place to look for reviews of dental teams and when it comes to child-based dentistry, there are more than a couple of websites aside from review pages that can help you whittle down your choices.
Why not ask around your child’s playgroup for the advice of other parents? Or ask friends and family who also have children which dental team they see? The internet should also play a role in helping you decide, but aim to look for independent reviews of any practitioner.
Ask your children!
When it comes to choosing the right dental team to handle your children’s teeth, it is important to get your child’s feedback on the issues, unless they are too young to decide of course! If you have a newborn infant or your child is under the age of 4, you should discuss this decision with the other parent, a family member or a close friend that you trust.
But, if your child is old enough to vocalise their opinions, you should ask them for their feedback relating to any dentist you take them to. It would be potentially damaging to your child to take them back to see a dentist that was unsympathetic towards them or made them feel bad, so always be sure to ask them how they felt after their check-up is over.
Experience
OK, so while it may sound obvious to choose a dentist that has the required expertise to handle baby and child dentistry, it can be hard to know how to narrow that list down.
You should aim to ask them about how long they have been practising child dental care and how often they handle cases involving child dentistry. It is important to remember that a paediatric dental team is probably going to have several adult patients too, so don’t exclude them for not having a child only patient list.
DISCLAIMER
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
