WHEN someone decides to visit the dentist, choosing the “right” one can be a problem if they have no criteria for comparison. Notwithstanding this, even when one considers that, in this country, for every practising dentist there are about 12,000 people, there could be some difficulty when the time comes to choose which dentist to visit. Although many people have little or no choice in choosing their dental practitioner because they attend a public clinic, choosing a dentist is no small matter these days.
How should you go about choosing a dentist? Should they be the one who is in the neighbourhood? That would be fine if you are a gambler by nature, and so the chance of you being right would be the same as your chance of winning the lotto. That dentist may be good, or maybe not. The only thing you know is that they are conveniently located near where you live. Should you ask someone you know to recommend one? Maybe, but perhaps it is that person who is satisfied with the dentist’s work, not you, so it is their opinion.
Dentistry, like medicine, accounting or law, is a profession. It is not a business, although there are business practices and financial aspects to discuss and employ in the practice of these professions. They are regarded as different from a business.
Professional people generally receive more respect, and more is expected from them. What distinguishes a business from a profession, at least in the eyes of the public? For one thing, business is characterised by the sentiment, “Let the buyer beware.” In other words, anything the seller can get away with goes. We have consumer protection laws because consumers need protection. We have heard about quality control and advertising gimmicks.
A profession should be a field where the public retains people of integrity, honesty, trustworthiness and sincerity. That is not to say that we do not find these admirable qualities in businesses or businesspeople.
Try asking a dentist to explain his findings in your mouth, the details of treatment, clinical expectations and follow-up visits. Ask about the available options and the price of each. Carefully make a mental note of his reaction to your probing questions. Prospective patients should be astute enough to recognise and avoid dentists who treat dentistry more as a business than a profession. If your dentist should ever say, “You’ll get the final cost when I’m finished,” beware and don’t fall for that gimmick.
The world of dentistry, for the layperson, is an unknown world full of pain, superstition, misinformation and apprehension. It is for this very reason that this author decided to start this column nearly fourteen years ago. Since then, I have always tried my best to publish weekly. My objective is to equip the dental patient with basic dental knowledge so they cannot be easily misled.
The profession becomes culpable whenever there is a general failure by dental personnel to respond appropriately to the patient’s needs and to allay fears and apprehensions. Dentists owe the public for the privileges and financial security they enjoy, and must repay that debt with an ongoing concern for the public’s dental well-being.
Your choice of a dentist can affect your dental health for the rest of your life. It should not be a “crisis choice” made when you are in pain. At such times, you cannot think rationally and make an intelligent choice. If the dentist you get is not your kind of person, thank him, pay him and leave. It will be a lot cheaper in the long run.
Finally, dental care is a two-way street. Each time the machine breaks down, it becomes harder to fix, and it will not work as well as before. If you want success, become a working partner with your dentist. If you find that this is impossible with the dentist you picked, then try another one.
