How to choose the right dentist

Choosing the right dentist is an important decision. Your dentist isn't just the person who cleans your teeth or fills a cavity. The decisions they make can influence your ability to keep your natural teeth, the treatments you might need in the future, and the costs you may eventually incur for your dental health.

After nearly 25 years of practicing dentistry, I believe that five qualities are particularly important when choosing a dentist:

• The experience

• Honesty

• Attention to detail

• Advanced training

• Technology

Over the years, I've seen patients come to our clinic because a previous treatment had failed. In some cases, we can restart treatment and save the tooth. Unfortunately, there are also times when the tooth can no longer be saved and it ultimately has to be extracted.

That is why I believe it is particularly important to choose your dentist carefully when considering complex or irreversible treatment.

Experience makes a difference

One of the first questions I would ask a dentist is very simple:

How many years have you been practicing?

There can be a significant difference between one year and 25 years of clinical experience.

This does not mean that every experienced dentist is necessarily better than a junior dentist. However, experience allows one to treat thousands of patients, encounter a wide variety of clinical situations, and deal with sometimes unforeseen complications.

Over time, we learn to recognize certain situations. We discover which treatments tend to be more predictable, which situations require more caution, and when a case that seems simple at first may actually be much more complex.

We also have the opportunity to review, several years later, the treatments that we ourselves have carried out.

A restoration can be very beautiful on the day it's finished. What interests me just as much is seeing how it performs five, ten, or fifteen years later.

This long-term perspective influences how I establish my treatment plans today.

Honesty means presenting all the options

There is often more than one reasonable solution to a dental problem. I don't believe my role is simply to tell a patient, "Here is the treatment you need."

My responsibility is to explain the problem and present the various reasonable options.

At our clinic, we discuss possible treatments and their prognosis. The patient can then make an informed decision based on their priorities, budget, and long-term goals.

One patient may want the most conservative option. Another may prefer the solution offering the best long-term prognosis. Yet another may need a more affordable solution for the time being.

All these considerations are legitimate.

Ask for the prediction, not just the price.

The cost is important, but I also encourage my patients to ask another question:

What is the prognosis?

Two treatments can have very different prices, but also very different predicted lifespans.

The cheapest treatment today is not necessarily the cheapest over a ten-year period if it needs to be repaired or replaced repeatedly.

This also doesn't mean that the most expensive treatment is automatically the best. The important thing is to understand the different options and what can reasonably be expected from each of them.

Look for a preventative approach

Good dentistry should not only consist of fixing problems when they appear.

Many patients tell us, "I want to keep my teeth for the rest of my life."

When that is the goal, you have to look beyond the immediate problem.

Is there gum disease? Does the patient grind their teeth? Are any old restorations beginning to show signs of weakness? Is the bite contributing to fractures or excessive wear? Are any areas particularly difficult to clean?

Identifying these risk factors early enough can help avoid more complex treatments in the future.

A good dentist should not only explain what needs to be fixed today, but should also help you understand how to maintain good oral health in the long term.

Advanced training is important

Dentistry has evolved tremendously during my career. University training provides the essential foundations, but I believe that learning must continue throughout a dentist's career.

I have continued to pursue advanced training over the years, particularly in dental implantology, notably in the United States, Italy, and Hungary.

This training becomes particularly important when cases are more complex.

A dental implant is not simply a matter of placing an implant

What happens when there isn't enough bone to place the implant in an ideal position? What can be done when the quantity or quality of gum tissue around the future implant is insufficient?

Is the dentist trained to recognize and manage these situations? Can they perform a bone graft or soft tissue graft when indicated? If not, will they recognize their limitations and refer you to another professional?

If I were personally considering implant treatment, I would ask the following questions:

• What is your experience in implantology?

• What advanced training courses have you taken?

• Do you use 3D imaging to plan implants?

• What happens if I don't have enough bone or gum tissue?

• Can you perform the necessary grafts?

The goal should not simply be to "place an implant." It should be to develop a treatment plan aimed at a functional, durable, easy-to-maintain, and as predictable a result as possible.

Technology is important, but it doesn't replace experience.

I strongly believe in the contribution of technology to dentistry.

Dentists today have tools that didn't exist when I started practicing. However, having sophisticated equipment doesn't automatically make someone a better dentist.

Technology remains a tool. The dentist must know when to use it, how to use it, and how to interpret the information it provides.

What I'm looking for is the following combination:

Experience + advanced training + technology.

3D imaging

Traditional dental X-rays remain extremely useful, but they produce a two-dimensional image of an anatomy that is three-dimensional.

When indicated, 3D imaging can provide additional information to establish a diagnosis and plan treatment.

It is particularly useful in implantology, where the assessment of available bone and surrounding anatomical structures is an important part of the planning.

Advanced technologies in root canal treatment

Root canal treatment is another area where technology has advanced significantly.

The inside of a tooth does not necessarily contain a single, straight, simple canal. The canal system may include curves, branches, and other complex anatomical features.

Cleaning and disinfecting this system is therefore one of the main challenges of root canal treatment.

For some more advanced root canal treatments, technology such as GentleWave can be integrated into the treatment to enhance the cleaning and disinfection of the canal system when indicated.

If I were to receive a complex root canal treatment, I would want to know how often the dentist performs this type of treatment, what technologies he uses, and how he handles difficult cases.

Digital dentistry, CEREC and 3D printing

Digital dentistry has also transformed restorative care.

In many situations, digital scanners can replace conventional impressions. With a system like CEREC , some crowns can be designed and manufactured directly in the clinic.

One of the reasons I appreciate this approach is the control it gives me. When more of the process is done directly at our clinic, I can oversee more steps, from preparing and scanning the tooth to evaluating and fitting the restoration.

We also use technologies such as 3D printing and dental lasers to offer additional possibilities for certain treatments.

You shouldn't choose a dentist simply because their clinic has a lot of equipment. It's better to ask them:

How does this technology improve my treatment?

The dentist should be able to give you a clear answer.

Attention to detail is essential

If someone were to ask me what personal quality I look for in a dentist, one of my answers would be: perfectionism .

Dentistry demands a great deal of precision.

The shape of a restoration is important. The contact between the teeth is important. Occlusion is important. The position of an implant is important. The fit of a crown is important.

Obviously, no responsible dentist should promise perfection. Dentistry involves biological factors, and no result can be guaranteed 100%.

But I deeply believe in the pursuit of excellence.

I prefer the dentist who notices a small detail and thinks, "I can do better."

This is the standard I try to apply to my own work.

Don't choose your dentist based solely on price.

Everyone has a budget, and cost is a perfectly legitimate consideration.

However, I would be cautious before choosing a dentist or treatment solely because they offer the lowest price.

Over the years, I have treated patients whose previous dental work needed to be redone. Sometimes a restoration needs to be replaced. Sometimes a root canal needs to be retreated. Unfortunately, in some situations, the tooth can no longer be saved.

What initially seemed to be the least expensive solution can then become much more expensive.

This does not mean that expensive dental care is automatically better care. That is not the case.

The price alone tells us very little about the quality.

Rather, you should consider the whole picture: experience, diagnosis, treatment planning, advanced training, technology, attention to detail, and the dentist's willingness to explain the different options to you.

Questions I would ask a new dentist

If a friend or family member asked me how to evaluate a dentist, I would suggest they ask some of these questions:

• How many years have you been practicing?

• What experience do you have with the treatment I need?

• What advanced training courses have you taken?

• What are my different treatment options?

• What is the prognosis for each one?

• Is there a more conservative solution?

• What might happen if I don't address the problem now?

• Do you use 3D imaging when indicated?

• What technologies do you use for complex root canal treatments?

• Do you offer dental scanning and crown fabrication at the clinic?

• If I don't have enough bone or gum tissue to receive an implant, can you cover these procedures?

• What preventative measures can I take to preserve my natural teeth for as long as possible?

You don't need to ask all these questions. Pay close attention to how the dentist answers you.

Does he welcome your questions? Does he explain the different possibilities? Does he discuss the prognosis and the limitations of treatment? Is he willing to tell you when a situation is beyond his area of expertise?

These elements can tell you a lot about the dentist you are considering choosing.

The dentist I would choose for myself

If I had to choose a dentist for myself or a member of my family, I would not make my decision based on the most beautiful clinic, the most impressive advertising, or the lowest price.

I would be looking for a dentist with solid experience who continues to improve their skills.

I would like someone honest enough to present me with all reasonable options, including a more conservative or less expensive solution when appropriate.

I would like a dentist who also prioritizes prevention and understands that my goal is not simply to fix my teeth today, but to help me keep them as long as possible.

For complex treatments, I would look for advanced training supported by modern technologies. And finally, I would want someone meticulous.

After nearly 25 years of practicing dentistry, one thing has become very clear to me:

The best dental treatment isn't simply the one that looks successful when you leave the clinic. It's a carefully planned and executed treatment, designed to give you the best possible chance of preserving your oral health for many years to come.