Keeping your teeth and gums healthy is as important as keeping tabs on your blood pressure and cholesterol. If your mouth isn’t in good shape, you’re more prone to heart disease, pneumonia, stroke, and potentially Alzheimer’s. Your biggest ally in the battle for oral health? A great dentist.
If you’re in the market for a new dentist, we can help you find a good one. In the articles below, we review points to keep in mind when choosing a dentist and how best to care for your own teeth. We also discuss how to keep down costs. You’ll want to check prices: We found that some dentists charge more than twice as much as others for the same procedures. Fortunately, using a dentist with low fees doesn’t mean you have to forsake quality. We found that many of the dentists who receive high ratings on our surveys of patients also charge below-average fees.
If you live in one of the seven metro where we survey consumers about local service providers, check out our ratings of dentists. For general dentists, we report patient reviews for dentists who received at least 10 ratings on our surveys of consumers. See a general care dentist for routine procedures (cleanings, most restorations), but consider a specialist for procedures such as oral or periodontal surgery, implants, extensive bridgework, and difficult root canals.
Since general care dentists may also provide these services, weigh the pros and cons of using your regular dentist versus a specialist for them. Our ratings of dental specialists report patient reviews plus indicate which were recommended most often by other dentists who we surveyed.
Be suspicious if a new dentist recommends far more treatment than your previous one did—for instance, if suddenly many silver fillings need to be replaced or several teeth need crowns. We receive frequent complaints about this.
Before undergoing extensive treatment—and especially if a new-to-you dentist declares you need expensive restoration work—get a second opinion. Your dentist should forward X-rays and exam results to another practice for review.
