Need help locating a dentist in Bellflower, CA? We can help!
Changing cities, dentists retiring, and bad experiences can all lead to the same dilemma: finding your next dentist. The search process can be a struggle if you don’t know what to look for. After all, it’s not as simple as a quick Google search to find the dentist who checks all the boxes for you and your family’s needs.
Here are 5 things you should look for when choosing the best dentist in Bellflower, CA:
Services
Nothing can be more frustrating than coming in for a dental emergency and being told to see another dentist for treatment. When you need dental care, you should never have to wait for a referral or make a second dentist search.
If a dental office only offers general dentistry, it might be a sign to look elsewhere. Check if they provide most or all of these services:
Preventive Dentistry
All general dentistry practices have dentists and hygienists prepared to keep your smile clean and healthy. However, the experience you have at one office can be different due to the level of experience, dental care approach, and available technology.
Cosmetic Dentistry
All teeth are unique, but sometimes our smile’s quirks are something we’d like to fix. Yellowing and stains, chips and fractures, crookedness and crowding, overbites, and more can be fixed with the right cosmetic procedure. Common aesthetic dentistry treatments include tooth bonding, porcelain veneers, teeth whitening, braces, Invisalign, and gum contouring.
Dentistry for Children
As your child’s mouth grows and develops, a pediatric or family dentist should be there to ensure everything stays in perfect shape. A child’s first visit should happen by their first birthday, and they should continue seeing their kids dentist until they’re old enough to see a general one. How long can you go to a pediatric dentist? Pediatric dentists are trained to take care of your child’s smile until they’re 18 years old. Even well into their teen years, their jaw is developing, their last set of molars are coming in, and their surging hormones can make it easier for gum disease to form.
Emergency Dentistry
No one can plan an emergency. When you have a toothache or dental accident, you want to be sure you can see an emergency dentist at a moment’s notice. Dental emergencies can span everything from cavities and gum disease to lasting tooth pain and cracked or broken teeth. Having a dental team you trust to be there for you is crucial.
Restorative Dentistry
There’s more to taking care of a cavity than removing the tooth decay and damaged tissue. You want to make sure that no matter how extensive the damage, your dentist can restore your natural tooth’s beauty and function. Dental fillings and crowns can blend in perfectly with the rest of your smile if your dentist has the right artist’s touch. And if you need to replace a missing tooth, you want a prosthodontist to fill the gap left behind with a dental implant, bridge, or denture.
Sedation Dentistry
Dental phobia, same-day treatments, and intensive procedures can require something a little stronger than a local anesthetic. Dental sedation ensures you never feel less than totally comfortable throughout your procedure, no matter your anxiety level or treatment. There are three main types of sedatives available at dental offices: laughing gas, oral pills, and IV sedation. If you constantly ask yourself, “How can I stay calm during dental work?” then you should look into a dental office that offers sedation.
Specialties
Dental offices can also offer specialty services, like oral surgery, TMJ disorder treatment, and obstructive sleep apnea treatment. These procedures can include wisdom tooth extraction, dental implant surgeries, customized mouth guards, and more. While not all dental patients need these services, be sure to find a dentist office that offers them if you know that a member of your family will.
Convenience
When looking for a Bellflower dentist, convenience is key. You want to make sure they’re actually in Bellflower and not any nearby cities. And if you need to see an emergency dentist, you don’t want to have to wait hours or even days to get the pain relief you desperately need. It should never be a hassle to see your dentist, and you should never have to wait for hours in their waiting room.
During your research, make sure to find out:
How close is the practice to your workplace or home?
What are the dentist’s office hours? Are they open before or after your work hours? What about on weekends or holidays?
Are they able to take care of after-hour emergencies?
What languages do their dentists speak? Do you need to have a separate translator or interpreter?
Can you schedule your appointments online or call in after hours?
Technology
The technology a dentist office has can make or break a dental appointment. Just as you’d never want someone to use decades-old machines to fix your car or cellphone, you want a dentist who has the best dental devices and techniques available for your smile. For dentist offices that offer a wide variety of services for their patients, the devices and techniques they use can drastically change your experience. If the practice has an orthodontics department, what technology do orthodontists use? Is the office capable of creating same-day crowns, or do all patients need a second appointment to fit their permanent crown?
Affordability
A dentist can have skilled hands and the best technology available for dental work, but they won’t be the best if they’re not affordable. While most offices won’t give you the exact price down to the penny, they can provide an expected range. Dental insurance can also also be a huge factor in a dental office’s affordability by taking much, if not all, of your treatment’s cost off your shoulders.
When researching your next dentist, be sure to look into which insurance plans they accept and which networks they’re in. While often seen as the same thing, an office’s acceptance and network policies can differ depending on the insurance plan. HMO dental insurance requires you only see in-network dentists. PPO insurances don’t have this restriction, though they do give better coverage for dentists who are.
Is it worth having dental insurance? An insurance plan can make an otherwise costly treatment completely manageable. It’s crucial to understand which treatments are covered by your insurance plan and which aren’t:
Preventive Care: cleanings, exams, and sealants
Basic Treatments: fillings, root canals, and tooth extractions
Major Treatments: crowns, bridges, and dentures
Some full coverage plans may also pay for part of the cost for orthodontics and dental implants. However, treatments that are considered nonessential like cosmetic dentistry and sedation are rarely covered. For these procedures, an office’s alternative financing options can make up the difference. These options can be anything from office discounts and in-house financing programs to accepting third party assistance like CareCredit Dental and LendingClub.
Recommendations
When everything is put down on paper—the services, technology, and costs—most dental offices might look the same here in Bellflower, CA. By checking a practice’s online reviews, you’ll get a glimpse at what it’s like seeing them. Both positive and negative reviews can tell you a lot, but you should look at everything with a holistic approach.
As great as online reviews can be, nothing is quite as good as a word-of-mouth recommendation. Online reviews can be manipulated, and they don’t always discuss what you’re specifically looking for. By speaking to friends and family, they can tailor their suggestions based on exactly what you need for your family. Plus, you can trust their opinion more than a stranger’s.
Make a Visit
Once you have one or two offices in mind, it’s time for you to schedule a consultation with their dentists. There, you’ll be able to assess both the office itself and your prospective dentist. See if their communication style matches yours. Do they answer your questions promptly and with a smile? Would you feel comfortable sitting in the dental chair with them? If you can, ask the dentist if they can give you a tour of the office to get a lay of the land and see what technology they use.
From there, you can book your first appointment and see what it’s like in the dentist’s care first-hand. We recommend going for a routine cleaning since a “trial by fire” method doesn’t always make a good first impression. You’ll see what their chair-side manner and expertise is like in action. Does the dentist have a gentle dental approach, or do they have a calmness or sense of humor that makes you feel confident in their care? Is the patient suite equipped with technology like televisions or music to keep you entertained throughout your visit? If you find that you like what you see, it’s safe to say you’ve found the best dentist in Bellflower, CA!
