One of the reasons many people don’t go to visit a dentist is that they aren’t sure how to choose one. There are a few things you can look into before choosing a dentist to see if they will be the best fit for you and your family.
Before you go to a dentist, here’s a few things you can look into:

Hours - Be sure to check to see what the hours are that the office is open and determine if they will be convenient for you and your family. For years, many dental offices were not open past four or open on a Friday. Nowadays, it is much more common for dental offices to be open later at night and 5 or 6 days a week.
Are the dentists members of applicable dental organizations? For instance the American Dental Association and the Academy of General Dentistry are both organizations that dentists can get involved in. Often times this means that the dentists are keeping up on new technology and research within the dental industry, and can also mean that they are participating in continuing their education.
Do they have positive online reviews? To be honest, this isn’t just how many stars they get, but how often and consistently are they getting reviews. A dentist with one, 5-star review might be good, but a dentist with 80 reviews at a 4.5 star rating show consistent, positive patient feedback.
Are they kind on the phone? We are in a healthcare field and we believe that we should be kind on caring, even on the phone! It’s a good test of what you can expect going forward.

Once you have stepped foot into a dental office there are a few additional things that you can keep an eye out for to make sure that you will be comfortable.

Does the reception space and treatment rooms look clean, organized and updated? An organized space is a clean space and it shows that the staff cares about how the space looks for their patients.
Is the staff helpful and informational for you? From the front desk to the dentist, the goal is a staff who will answer your questions or help you to find the answer, in a kind and easy-to-understand way.
Is the clinical staff explaining what they do as they do it? For many people, we like to know what is going on with our dental treatment before or as it is happening, rather than after the fact. Again, questions should be answered in a kind and informational manner and you shouldn’t feel bad for asking.

While some of these things may seem obvious, sometimes we need a reminder. A good way to start is to look up some dentists nearby to you and compare their hours, biographies and online reviews. This will give you a good idea of who you want to take the ‘next step’ with, by giving them a call!