How to choose a Wilmette dental office?
One would think the obvious answer to this question would be to simply ask family and friends about the best dental clinic available in the area. However, choosing a local Wilmette dental office should also depend on your dental needs.
First of all, make a list of your dental needs. Are you looking for a Wilmette dentist for only yourself or your whole family? Does your dentist need to also offer evening and weekend hours? Does the dental practice accept your current dental insurance plan? What is the cost for dental services not covered? In addition, you may also want to look for a dental clinic that is updated, well-equipped and current with the latest developments in the dental industry.
In order to research the latest technologies and practices in the dental industry, you can check the web site of the American Dental Association (ADA). However, the following are certain requirements that state-of-the-art dental clinics should have:
- Digital radiography that streamlines administrative and dental processes
- Digital x-rays that significantly lessen radiation exposure, especially in case of panoramic x-rays. Ordinary panoramic x-rays expose your jaw and head to higher levels of radiation.
- Dental lasers that reduce patient discomfort
- Intra-oral cameras that enable better visual diagnostics
- Air abrasion that reduces patient anxiety caused by sounds associated with drills
- Digital Imaging Fiber-Optic Trans-Illumination that enables the dentist to diagnose conditions more accurately
However, cosmetic dentistry would require additional technological and clinical capability on the part of each dental clinic.
While choosing a local Wilmette dental office, you must also check the academic and professional qualifications of the dentist. In the United States, in order to be licensed as a dentist or to enroll in post-graduate courses, it is mandatory for a dental candidate to take the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) and receive a score of 75 or better.
Each and every state of the United States has its own dental board that displays the NBDE scores of the dentists. While selecting a Wilmette dentist, you should check this site as it also provides information online that enables consumers to verify the license of a dentist and view any disciplinary action that may have been documented.
You may locate many types of dentists, but the ADA acknowledges only the following dental specialties:
- Endodontics (root canal specialists)
- Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology (management of oral diseases)
- Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (interpretation of diagnostic images)
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (procedures to treat diseases of the mouth and nearby regions)
- Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (treatment of teeth abnormalities)
- Pediatric Dentistry (oral care and treatment of children under the age of 12)
- Periodontics (treatment of diseases and conditions affecting soft tissue of the teeth)
- Prosthodontics (structures for supporting missing or damaged teeth)
Be sure to use these objective criteria in your search for a qualified local Wilmette dental office.
