Having a good dentist is a vital part of maintaining healthy teeth and gums. However, finding a dentist that you and your family can trust can be difficult.
Luckily, there are several secrets that you can use to find the best dental services in your area. From asking for referrals to looking at patient reviews, these tips can help you narrow down your search and find a great dentist.
1. Ask for Referrals
One of the most effective ways to find the best dental services is to ask for referrals. This will help you get more patients, who are likely to be more loyal and will stick around for a longer time.
If you have a great referral program in place, you should be able to generate a lot of referrals without breaking any ethical or legal rules. It can be tricky to do so, but if you know what to do and how to execute it, it’s not impossible.
The first step in generating referrals is to identify your top patients. These are the ones who are happiest with your services and will most likely be able to share their positive experience with their friends and family.
Once you have your top referral patients, create a referral program that rewards them for sending you new business. This will be a more cost-efficient way to keep the referrals coming. Credit on account is a natural reward, but you can also offer product-based discounts and upgrades to motivate your best patients.
2. Look at Patient Reviews
Patient reviews provide an invaluable source of insight into a dental practice’s reputation. They can reveal areas where the practice stands out and where it has room for improvement.
A good patient review can help prospective patients trust a practice and make their decision to book an appointment. In addition, it can boost a medical practice’s visibility online through search engines and social media.
Many patients rely on online reviews to find the best dentists, so it’s important to be diligent in monitoring and supporting your patient feedback.
When patients receive five-star customer service from your dental team, they’ll be more likely to accept treatment recommendations and leave you positive reviews. Likewise, when you respond to bad patient reviews in a timely manner, you can show prospective patients that your practice truly cares about their experiences and opinions.
A strong online reputation can also increase your practice’s visibility on sites like Google, Yelp, RateMDs and Facebook. A positive patient review can help push your website higher in search results, as systems such as Googlebots use user-generated content to determine the ranking of websites on the first page.
3. Look for In-Network Providers
In-network providers are a great way to save money on your dental care. They have a contractual agreement with your health plan to accept negotiated rates for their services.
In network providers can’t charge you more than this negotiated rate, and they’ll only bill your insurance directly for any costs you incur at the time of service (such as deductibles or coinsurance, which is a percentage of the cost).
You may be able to find in-network providers online by looking for them through your health insurance provider. Some insurers even have a search tool that lets you look up doctors by specialty and condition needs.
Some insurance providers also provide a member handbook that lists in-network providers. You can find the handbook on your health insurance card, and it is a great place to start when you are looking for a doctor or specialist.
4. Look for a Dentist Who Offers Telehealth
A good dentist can help you keep your smile in tip-top shape. That can save you money in the long run.
The key is to find a dental practice that fits your needs and schedule. They’re also likely to offer you financing options to make treatment more affordable.
Your dentist should have the experience and training to treat your entire family’s oral health. Most start out as general dentists, who then spend an extra 3-4 years specializing in specific services (like orthodontic therapy).
You should also look for a provider that offers telehealth – a type of health care delivery and support that uses telecommunication technologies to connect patients with medical specialists. That way, you can get a diagnosis from your dentist without traveling to their office.
If you have a limited language skill or are unsure about your health history, ask for a translator at each appointment. This will give you peace of mind that your doctor understands your concerns and will communicate them effectively, says Luther.
