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Visiting the dentist never feels like a fun thing to do. In fact, dental anxiety affects up to 24% of people around the world — so at least you aren’t alone in your dread.

However, did you know that choosing a good dentist can make all the difference to your experience?

If you’ve started searching for “dentist office near me” to find a new place to go, here are the mistakes to avoid in choosing your new dentist. That way, you can have the best experience possible and won’t dread visits!

• Not Reading Reviews

79% of people trust online reviews, and they’re right to. Online reviews can tell you a whole lot about any business, especially if there are plenty of them.

If you grab the first result from Google and call them to make an appointment, you may be setting yourself up for failure. Instead, gather a list of names and look at the reviews. You can usually find a fair amount on Google, Yelp, and Facebook.

You’ll want to make sure they have a decent rating across the board. You can even dive further into the one-star and five-star reviews to see exactly what people are saying about them and which of them are deserved.

If the dentist office has consistently low reviews, it’s time to skip them and find somewhere else.

• Not Asking for Personal Recommendations

Another good way to initially find places you might want to go is to ask family and friends for their personal recommendations. They may have the name of a great, personable dentist — or they may even be able to tell you where they’ve had a bad experience and where not to go!

If your family and friends don’t live nearby, try posting on the neighborhood Facebook group or Nextdoor and reading the comments. At least it’ll give you a place to start looking.

• Not Considering Your Needs

When choosing a dentist office, you need to consider your personal needs. For example:

• Do you have extreme anxiety and would like a dentist who has experience with this?
• Is the appointment for a child, so meaning you would need a pediatric dentist?

Make sure you consider these things when you hop on the website to look. Any good website will have a clean layout where you can easily access information about the dentist’s services and what they specialize in.

It’s important to take care of yourself and put your needs first!

• Not Checking the Cost

If you have dental insurance, it’s absolutely critical to make sure the clinic is in-network. Otherwise, you could be hit with a nasty bill you weren’t expecting when your insurance rejects the claim!

Often, the office will have a list of insurance they accept on their website. Otherwise, you can ask. Even then though, it’s important to make sure the insurance will cover the specific dental procedure so you may want to talk to insurance on the phone first.

A clinic may be in-network but if the procedure isn’t considered medically necessary by your insurance, you may get a surprise! Even deep cleanings often aren’t fully covered, and dental insurance is a tricky beast.

If you’re paying out of pocket, it’s important to make sure the cost is affordable for you and get a quote for the treatment plan. If you can, don’t decide to pick the cheapest dentist right away — as they may be the cheapest for a reason — but consider the quote along with everything else about the office. This will tell you if they’re right for you.

• Not Visiting the Office

If you can, popping into the office is a great way to get a feel for the place.

The office should be clean, neutral, and welcoming. If you’re bringing a child, you might want to ensure they have things like toys or a television in the waiting room to distract them. After all, children often become more anxious when they’re left with nothing to do!

Never underestimate how a dentist’s office can completely change the atmosphere of the place. It might be unrealistic to expect that the appearance of it can cure your anxiety completely, but it shouldn’t aggravate it to an unnecessary degree.

Even if you only see the office during a consultation, that should be enough to make a decision.

• Not Trusting Your Gut

At the end of the day, you have to account for your anxiety but you also have to trust your gut.

If there’s something you really don’t like about the office, you may not ever feel comfortable there, and it’s fine to look elsewhere for another place to go!

This could be anything from the office being a chaotic environment to the staff being unfriendly. Never feel petty for wanting to find somewhere else you feel more comfortable.

Visiting a dentist is very important, and you should do whatever it takes to keep up with regular check-ups — including making sure the office is the best fit for you. Trust your instincts on all matters involving your health.

Dentist Office Near Me: Choose Wisely!

When searching “dentist office near me” on Google, never just pick the first option regardless of the reviews and everything else about the place. You should do your research and ensure the location, staff, and cost is a good fit for you and that you feel as comfortable as you possibly can in the office.

The dentist is too important to settle for any less!

Looking for a reliable, friendly dentist in Indianapolis? We’ll take the best care of you at Southeast Family Dental. Contact us today and let’s see what we can do!