I had a very humbling experience with a dental patient just recently that left me thinking for several days. It was the patient’s first time at 58 Dental, and she had just finished her teeth cleaning. As I was greeting her, I asked the patient how she found our dental office.
She said, “I’ve been looking for the best dentist in the area and I found you.”
Wow, what a compliment! Her statement got me thinking. How do you find the best dentist? Denver has several dentists that are leaders in the field and for that matter competitive with the best dentists across the country, but as a patient, what would you look for to be sure that your dentist is one of the best?
Here are the top three indicators that you are working with one of the best dentists in Denver:
- The best dentists take their time: There is very little in dentistry that turns out well if it is rushed. The best dentists I know see very few patients. They usually focus on just one patient at a time. These top dentists know that incredible results can be achieved if they focus very intently on relatively few patients throughout the day. A general rule of thumb is, the smaller and less crowded a patient reception area is, the more time a dentist will have to focus on you and your dental needs.
- The best dentists are very thorough: Thoroughness should be the hallmark of your dental exam. Our full exam takes about an hour to complete. For a new dental patient, it is a separate appointment beyond their first visit to the office. At the end of the process, most patients say something along the lines of, “Well, I’ve never experienced anything like that before” or “Why didn’t my previous dentist let me know about these issues.” The best dentists are extremely thorough and leave no stone unturned. In addition, they have the time to help you understand what’s going on and they work with you to come up with a plan to help you achieve your goals.
- The best dentists are obsessive about the details: Let me give some examples. We recently sent an implant case back to our dental lab just to add 0.1 mm of porcelain. We were 97% “there” on the case but both the patient and I wanted 100% so we sent it back. Another recent case that comes to mind: we took 12 different photos, took 4 different impressions, used multiple shade guides, and spoke three different times with the lab about the patient’s case. In the end, the patient was ecstatic because her front teeth looked perfect and matched her natural teeth. The best dentists love doing hard cases and thrive on nailing all the details.
Denver can boast some of the best dentists in the country, you just need to find them. Sometimes it might even seem like they are hiding. I promise they are out there. Hopefully, with these “rules-of-thumb” you’ll know when you find one of the best. Lastly, the old adage holds true that “birds of a feather flock together.” When you find your best dentist, you can be sure that the teams that support them and the dental specialists they refer to are of the highest caliber.
