When you are trying to choose a dentist, one important consideration is to find a dentist who works with specialists. Although many dentists may say they work with specialists, you want to find one who has a continuing and strong relationship with specialists, for these five reasons.
A Dentist Should Know His Limits
A general dentist is trained to identify and handle most types of dental procedures. They can perform root canals, gum disease treatment, and more. However, should they? Often a poorly performed treatment can put you in worse shape than before. For a root canal, you may end up getting packed off to an endodontist in the middle of the procedure. Worse, the dentist may finish the procedure thinking it’s acceptable when it’s still infected and may cause you to lose the tooth.
A dentist with an honest sense of his skill level so he’s not starting procedures he can’t properly finish.
A Dentist Should Focus on His Strengths
Although a general dentist is technically equally qualified to perform all types of dental procedures, in reality he may be better at some types than others, partly because of natural talent and partly because of inclination, interest, and practice. Working with specialists allows a dentist to focus on what he thinks are his strengths, so he can become a cosmetic dentist or whatever else best suits his talents.
A Dentist Should Put Patients First
Often if a dentist isn’t working with specialists, it’s because he’s hoping to keep revenue in his practice. He is thinking, I can get the money for this procedure rather than admitting that in some cases the patient will get better care from a specialist.
Better quality care from specialists comes from several advantages. First, specialists have more training specifically on the procedures they perform. With three additional years dedicated to learning their specialty, they know more about the subject than most general dentists. Specialists also get more practice performing their specialist procedure, so they have more comprehensive experience and are less likely to be surprised by factors that develop during treatment. Finally, specialists are more likely to have specialized equipment relating to a particular procedure.
Quality of Care
All of this comes down to quality of care. If a dentist isn’t likely to give you the best quality of care, including referring you to a specialist when necessary, then that’s not a good dentist for you.
To learn more about choosing a dentist who has a close relationship with a specialist, please call (949) 551-5902 for an appointment at Rice Dentistry in Irvine.
