Q: How does a layperson like myself evaluate dental offices to see if they are up to date? I know I am going to need some major implant, cosmetic and crown work.
Dr Mitchell Josephs
I know the “season” has arrived, as many diners in my favorite restaurant Saturday night smelled like mothballs. (Unpacking sweaters that have been hibernating since Memorial Day weekend with not a moth alive from Boca to Boston.) Here are some “must-have” technologies for an up-to-date dental practice,
1) Dexshield: Combines digital X-rays with special radiation filtering to massively decrease exposure.
2) Virtually painless injections with the “Woodpecker” and the Dental Vibe, vibrating electronic anesthesia syringes.
3) iTero Lumina digital impression scanner: 3D digital technology replaces gagging goopy and inaccurate molds of yore.
4) Incision-less Implant surgery with the tissue punch technique.
5)The Penguin implant stability tester, a sound wave meter that let’s you know your implant has finished healing.
6) alternatives to crowns like “inlays”
7) Natural veneers, not Chicklets.
Dr Jonathan Josephs
You can start by choosing a dental office based on proximity to your job or home. That being said, patients who move will go out of their way to continue seeing a dentist that they have built a trusting relationship with. You should trust your dentist to be upfront with you about treatment options and the risks of electing no treatment.
If you shop for a new dentist you should also see how well they attend to your chief complaint. I have had new patients come to me looking for second opinions after the first dentist created an extensive treatment plan. After talking with these patients, I noted how most of the work the other dentist recommended was elective and, although beneficial, was not the most relevant to their main reason for seeing a dentist in the first place. I like to help patients identify which items on their treatment plan are the most pressing and should be attended to first.