It is not a secret that Americans care about the way their teeth look. When the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry looked into this, they found that a full 99.7% of all people in the United States say they think it is important to have a good looking smile if you want to have a good social life. At least 74% of adults say that having a bad looking set of teeth can hurt a person’s career. If you find yourself thinking about how your and your family’s teeth look and feel, you may be in the market for a new family dentist. Here are some ways to find the right one for you and your family.

1. Talk to your friends and family. Hands down, the absolute best way to find quality goods and services is to get a personal recommendation from someone you know and trust. This is even better when you get the same answer from two or more people independently of each other. Talk to the people in your family, in your social circle and the people you work with. While you may not go to the same family dentist as your friend or colleague, this can give you a list to start your research.
2. Ask your doctor. People have a tendency to forget that good oral health is a part of good overall health. That is one reason that talking to your primary care physician can be a good way to find a decent general dentist. They may not be able to steer you in the right direction but you will never know if you do not bother to ask. If they do not know of any good dental services in your area, you may want to ask their staff.
3. Call your insurance carrier. You may want to start your search for a new family dentist with a call to your dental insurance provider. Depending on the typeof policy that you have, you may be limited to dentists who are in a certain network. You do not want to find the perfect dentist for you and your family and then learn that you cannot go to them because they do not take your insurance. Before you do anything, see if you can get a list of the dentists who are near you and who take the insurance you have.
4. Look online. You can find just about everything you need online and finding a family dentist is no different. This is best when you have a list of names, from the people you know, your doctor or from a list you got from your insurance carrier. Look up the different dentists and check out what current and/or former patients had to say about the treatment they received. Many cities and towns have set up Facebook pages and groups to promote local businesses so you should look into there to help you find a dentist.
5. Get to know the dental office. You should go in and talk to the dentist and their staff. If you are looking for a family dentist because you want to find one dental office that can take care of everyone in your family, you should go in and see how family or kid friendly the office, dentist and the staff are. If anyone in your family has problems going to the dentist because they are afraid, getting to know the people in the dental office may help relax them. Most dentists understand that people are scared to go to the dentist and have policies and procedures aimed at making the process easier for people with dental phobias. There are a lot of newer procedures for pain free dentistry that may not have been around the last time you went in for a dental appointment so you should ask about that when you talk to different dentists in your area.

Caring for your and your family’s teeth is important. Finding the right family dentist can make a big difference in your health and for your self confidence. Any time you spend looking for and researching the dentists in your town or city will be time well spent when you find the right person to handle all your dental needs.