In previous articles we have talked about the problems caused by not choosing our dentist properly. From chains that disappear, leaving clients unattended and with half treatments, to patients who do not receive adequate treatment, either because it is not carried out correctly, or because unnecessary or excessive interventions are imposed on them.
Often the patient decides by price, since it is the factor that most often conditions him. However, poor service not only ends up being more expensive, but can have very negative consequences on oral health. A filling in which the caries has not been completely removed, a cleaning in which there is still tartar in the gum, and even replacing teeth that could have been saved. In some cases it means paying again for the service to another specialist; in others, a worsening of the problem and an extra cost that we could have saved, as well as an unnecessary risk to our health.
On the other hand, the patient usually does not have the necessary technical knowledge to assess in the first place if the service that is offered is what he really needs, if it is executed well, and if the chosen professional is the most appropriate.
But how do we decide whether or not we can trust the dentist in front of us in the first place? There are four guidelines that can help us decide.
- The time you spend with us. A good professional will dedicate quality time to interview us, to be interested in our general state of health, the reason for our consultation and our oral problems. We will perform a dental examination and x-rays to collect all the information necessary to determine a starting point: oral health. The pseudo-professional will hardly spend time talking and will go directly to see the mouth and recite the treatment in verse, as if it were a multiplication table. There will be little time for explanations and enough of us will pass.
- The advice you give us. In addition, he will talk with us about our health situation, give us recommendations to improve his condition and mark the necessary preventive measures to maintain long-term health. The pseudo-professional will never have used the word prevention in a visit, what is more, he will not even remember its meaning.
- The alternatives offered. When the time comes to manage visits, the professional will be scrupulous in restoring health to our mouth, prioritizing this above all else. In addition, he will explain the different possible treatments to solve the reason for our consultation. The pseudo-professional will want to start as soon as possible with the most expensive ones, implants, prosthetics or orthodontics.
- The person who attends us. Where the duster is most seen is now: it is no longer the professional who comes into play, it is the commercial. This figure, which did not exist before in health centers, now plays a leading role in some of them. He is responsible for capturing, closing and selling the operation, never better said. There is undoubtedly a well-rehearsed move, financing. What a priori should be a help, a good interest-free and long-term financing, can also become a harsh sentence. He will stay in that clinic until the end of the treatment, without being able to give it up if something smells singe or if, unfortunately, he lives a disastrous and despicable experience in his own flesh.
Many pseudo-professionals play with the fear and insecurity that health issues generate in people, and the nerves of being in a dentist's office. The best thing is not to decide anything at the moment, collect all the information they give us, listen to our intuition and ask for second opinions when something bothers us.
Once home, let's investigate, ask for recommendations, compare and be critical. The basis of our choice has to be trust, if we choose cheap we can end up paying a very expensive price.