This page was last updated on September 1st, 2021
While it’s easy enough to find a dental professional in your area, finding the right person can be a little trickier. At Isca Dental we know that choosing the right dentist can mean the difference between excellent care or a so-so practitioner who may do more harm than good. You need to feel comfortable with your dentist and secure in the knowledge that you’re getting the dental care you deserve. These tips will make it easy to find the right dentist for you.
Location
If you can’t easily get to and from your dentist, it can lead to inconvenience, missed appointments and putting off necessary check-ups. Make sure that your prospective dentist is located somewhere you can get to easily — near your home or your place of work. We’re conveniently located in Newport, South Wales.
Registration
Now that you’ve found a dentist near you, you’ll want to check their credentials. By law, individual dental professionals (dentists, dental technicians, dental hygienists, dental therapists and dental nurses) need to be registered with the GDC (General Dental Council). The practice as a whole also needs to be registered with a separate entity: the CQC (Care Quality Commission). You can visit their websites to ensure that your dentist and their practice are properly registered.
Your dentist’s qualifications
Every dentist needs to be properly qualified before they can practice. In the UK, a dentist needs to have a Bachelor of Dental Surgery qualification (BDS or BChD). Dental nurses and other clinicians must also be properly qualified and their training should be up-to-date. Meet our team to learn more about our dentist’s qualifications.
Services
Look for a dental practice that offers a good range of services, both practical and cosmetic. The practice website should list these, as well as providing information on the practitioners who will be undertaking each procedure. In particular, you should check your practice’s emergency dental services. If the worst happens and you experience a serious dental emergency, will they be able to fit you in? What about evenings or weekends? Not all practices provide emergency care so you should ascertain this before you decide. We provide a wide range of services from Invisalign, dental implants, routine dental appointments, teeth whitening, and much more!
The practice website
Nowadays, an organisation’s web presence can give you valuable insight into how well everything is run. The same goes for a dental practice website. The website should be informative and transparent, with full details of services as well as staff qualifications and training. Ideally, there should also be a section for user reviews and testimonials.
Meeting in person
It’s well worth scheduling an appointment just to meet your new dentist in person and find out if they’re right for you. That way, any red flags should be visible before you actually have any work done. Make a note of any questions you want to ask before the meeting and take notes while you’re there. The office and facilities should be clean and up-to-date; the staff should be polite and not surly, and the dental professionals themselves should be well-groomed and personable. If anything, your new dental practice gives you an uncomfortable impression then it’s fine to look elsewhere. Warning signs include rude or vague and unhelpful staff; a brusque or dismissive manner from the dentist themselves; a dirty or cluttered waiting room; facilities that don’t look properly cleaned or cared for.
Time and schedule-keeping
It’s important that your new dentist has plenty of time for you and won’t allow appointments to over-run unnecessarily. This is especially important if you’re a busy person who needs to schedule appointments during your lunch hour or shortly after work. You don’t want to be put in the position of having to cancel the appointment because you weren’t seen during your break or have the appointment over-run and force you to return late. Your time is important. You should also check whether it’s easy or hard to get an appointment. If you have to book more than a week or so in advance it may be sensible to look elsewhere — what if you find yourself in need of urgent treatment and unable to get help?
Personal recommendation
If at all possible, try to get a personal recommendation for a new dentist from someone who uses the same practice. This can be tricky if you’ve relocated recently but asking workmates and neighbours can give you some leads. Check out our testimonials and what our patients have to say!
Contact us online today to book your next dentist appointment or give us a call on 01633 430155.
