How to Use the Internet to Find a Good Dentist
Thanks to the internet, it’s become so much easier to find service providers. It used to be that you have to basically open your address book, call around and to get references. It even wants you act on those references. Chances were quite good that the service provider you ended up going with is not all that good.
You can tell that unnecessary goodbye, thanks to the internet. Not only is it easier to find references and referrals, it’s also much more convenient now to cross-reference and verify such referrals. The internet is a powerful resource and you should definitely use it when you are looking for a good dentist.
You have to remember there’s a big difference between a regular dentist and a good dentist. If you are concerned about the dental health of yourself and your family, you need to find the best dentist you can find. The internet could be quite instrumental in that search.
Use local search for local providers
It used to be that when you are typing dentist into Google, you will find a national listing. Now, you can find local listings. You can make things easier for yourself by typing in the name of the service next to the city that you’re in.
For example, if I live in Los Angeles and I’m looking for a dentist, I should just put in DENTIST LOS ANGELES or DENTIST ENCINO or DENTIST HOLLYWOOD. When you do this, it gives enough signals to Google to limit your search to a tight geographic location. This is called local search and you would be surprised as to how many great dental service providers you would find using Google’s local search.
Compare service offerings and specializations
This is where the rubber meets the road. Once you find a local providers using Google local search, you should actually visit their websites and compare their service offerings. Don’t make the mistake of comparing apples to oranges. Make sure that you’re comparing the right services among the right providers because dentists like lawyers and doctors are specialized. Some people focus on certain procedures, while others focus on certain services. So make sure that you’re comparing apples to apples.
Compare qualifications
While the dental school that the dentist came from may not be that important as compared to the amount of experience that that dentist has, the dental school that the dentist came from can be a big consideration if you’re dealing with a relatively new dentist. It’s the same thing with lawyers. If a lawyer came from Harvard law, it doesn’t matter that much if you have a personal injury case and it’s a rather simple case. However, if you have a complicated law suit against the US Government, it‘s probably a good idea to get a legal representation from a law firm that is predominantly weighted with graduates from Yale and Harvard. I hope that’s clear.
Don’t get too caught up in the dental school from which the dentist came from. Focus instead on the amount of experience the dentist has as well as the online reviews that the dentist has accumulated over the years.
Consider recommendations from social media
Take a look at the online reviews for a particular dentist. If you see a negative pattern, it is a good idea to skip that dentist. However, don’t get thrown off if you get a negative review here and there. Any fool can put up a negative review. But if you see that most of the reviews are negative, chances are where there is smoke there is probably fire. Skip that dentist.