Ideally, on your first appointment to a new dental office, you should be scheduled with an appointment to see the dentist … not a cleaning appointment during which the dentist stops in for a quick check. This is BIG. If you are not given the time to discuss your concerns and your desires for your dental health, you stand very little chance of ever reaching those goals. If you have fears of being hurt, or concerns that you may lose your teeth, or feel that you are not happy with your smile, you need to be given adequate time to express those thoughts, and to make sure you are heard by the dentist.
You want to make sure that the cost of procedures are explained, and that the financial policies of the office are also explained. You should note that the fee a dentist charges reflects the value he or she puts on the treatment rendered. One way to attract patients is to charge a low fee, or to get a low reimbursement by participating with a contracted insurance company. Personal services are different from products you purchase in that they do not carry a name brand that can be evaluated easily against another brand. There is nothing wrong with getting
second opinions, but be careful not to look for low fees. You can always find those, but you may find other hidden costs along with that low price.
There is often no such thing as THE BEST treatment. We are all individuals with different values regarding what is important to us. Make sure that your values are being taken into consideration in the treatment plan that is being proposed. For example, when replacing missing teeth there are many advantages to using dental implants, but they are not the best treatment for all people in all situations. Not only is cost a factor, but in our busy world, convenience and esthetics, along with individual fears and the health history, must also be considered and discussed.