Finding the right dentist:
1. Searching the internet is probably the number one method used to verify who your trusted family members, friends and co-workers recommend to you. If you search the internet, look for the number of reviews (450 verses 20 reviews) .
2. Some suggest you ask your family doctor. However, in today’s world of medicine, a) your doctor can’t be reached and b) he really doesn’t have a clue. So forget that route.
3. Contacting your local or state dental society for a referral will probably be a waste of time. But if you are going to go that route, my associate of 24+ years was the past President of the Georgia Dental Association. Look him up, Dr. Sidney Tourial. Search the Internet or look under “dentists” or “associations” for the dental society nearest you.
4. Call your nearest dental school clinic. Really, that’s about as good as calling your doctor.
5. Consult the American Dental Association’s member directory. I guess, but almost every dentist belongs to the ADA. So how do you distinguish among the 170,000 dentists in the U.S.?
6. Ask your current dentist for a referral if you are moving to a new area. That actually makes sense. Ask him or her if they wouldn’t mind checking out a few names you have narrowed it down to.
What to Look For in a Dentist:
7. How long have they been in business? We’ve been in business since I graduated my prosthodontics residency from Emory University in 1988.
8. Determine how accessible the dentist is: Is his or her office near your home or job? If you work, somewhere between home and work seems to make the most sense. In our multi-specialty practice like ours, there is always a dentist available for your appointment.
9. How hard is it to get the appointment times you need to fit into your work schedule or other members of your family’s schedule? Again, in a multi-specialty practice like ours, there is always a dentist available for your appointment.
10. Survey the office to make sure it is clean and well-kept. We offer complimentary (free) consultations, so it doesn’t cost you anything to look at the office and our staff.
11. Look for pleasant, respectful interactions between dentist and staff. Again, we offer free consultations, so it cost you nothing to check us out.
12. Consult with the dentist about your dental history and problems, and decide whether you like the way he or she explains preventive measures and treatments. Realistically, we are going to be on our best behavior, but again realistically, how many group practices have associates for 20+ years who are the President of the GDA? My other associate practiced with us for 14 years until his passing. And my newest associate has practiced for 20 years. And our in-house periodontist went to Emory Dental School with me.
13. Ask about fees, payment and insurance plans. We both want to know about each other. We want to know what your expectations and circumstances are and you want to know whether or not we are delivering a service that you value and trust. Check out the reviews.
14. Find out whether your dentist provides a way for you to receive emergency, after-hours care. Of course we do. We give out our cell phones.
15. Ask what sorts of continuing education he or she has pursued to keep up with new developments in dentistry. Quite frankly, I am a prosthodontist, which make up less than 2% of the dentists in the country. It’s a pretty rigorous post graduate program and very few dentists choose to put themselves through the process. We are constantly taking courses and attending study groups to either validate what we do or learn new techniques.
If we can be of service or answer any of questions please feel free to contact us. Also, visit our website, check our blog. The website is long and some say wordy, but we are attempting to be informative and put in writing as much as one can tolerate on the internet.
Novy Scheinfeld, DDS, PC
Scheinfelds, Orland and Tourial
290 Carpenter Drive, 200A
Atlanta (Sandy Springs), GA 30328
404-256-3620
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