How to find a new dentist?

Often times over the years, I have had patients that have had to move out of town and would be needing to find a new dentist.  So I thought that I would share about what I consider to be a good method for finding a new dentist.  Often times, people will ask their friends and family and that is how they find their local dentist.  However, one may be new in town and not have much of a network of new friends.  Now before I tell you what I consider to be a good method of finding a new dentist.  I will tell you what I would be looking for in a new dentist for my children.  I would want a dentist that has at least a few years of experience.  I would want one that is gentle with his hands (ie- painless shots) and has good chairside manners.  I would want a dentist that practices with the utmost integrity and doesn't come across as a pushy salesperson.

So how would I find this dentist, I would call the local orthodontist.  The local orthodontist sees patients coming in from many of the local dental offices.  The local orthodontist will usually personally know all of the local dentists, they will have the opportunity to see the work of the local dentists when they look in the patients mouths.  They will often hear feedback from the patients about their dentist.  Personally, I've never met an orthodontist that I didn't like and I find them all to be very kind and helpful. So if you called with this request, I'm sure they would be glad to help you!

 I recall a good friend of mine who is an anesthesiologist tell me one time, that if you are needing surgery and you want to know who a good surgeon is, then you should ask the anesthesiologist.  Afterall the
anesthesiologist interacts with all the different surgeons as well as observes their work as they are monitoring the patient.  I think the same would apply in this situation of finding a great local dentist.  By the way, I will tell my patients, don't stop until you find a dentist that you like, because their are plenty of great dentists out there.  Sometimes it can just be chemistry, and sometimes it can just be a preference for a certain type of personality that works, however- because there are plenty of great dentists out there that do great dentistry, most everybody should be able to find a dentist that they love!