Tips on Finding a New Dentist after Your Move

We love our family of patients, but at times they move on to a new area. Finding new dental and health care providers after the move is often a difficult task.

For years, I have been guiding our patients through these tips when they need to find a new dental home after they get settled in.

•  Ask your new work colleagues or neighbors for some suggestions. Obviously, it’s a great place to start, but I would not end there. I’ve had some of my own family members move away and seek out referrals from their new neighbors. They end up even loving that new provider. Then, when reviewing their dental care on a visit back home, I became very concerned that periodontal (gum) issues where being overlooked. This could eventually end in years of neglected gum issues and tooth loss. And a neighbor, who didn’t know any better, referred them to this dentist.

• Call several periodontists or gum specialists in your area. Yes, gum specialists—whether you have gum issues or not. Look through the Internet and read up on a gum specialist that at least appears up to date in regards to facility, reviews, etc. Call them up and ask them for a referral for a general dentist that –

1. 1. Screens well for gum issues
   2. Has state of the art facilities
   3. Has good ‘bedside’ manners
   4. And anything else that you find important to you, but remember these first 3 points
   5. If your neighbor or colleague gave you some suggestions, now would be a good time to ask more specifics about these 1st three points.

Gum specialists often know the quality of care of a variety of dental practices. They know which dentists catch things early that are in need of care, and which may wait too long for treatment.

• After you narrow it down, it’s time to head to your computer again. Personally, I don’t’ usually like to pick a provider of any service that doesn’t have a website. Having a website isn’t just about marketing, it’s about sharing valuable information about your practice and its focus. Hopefully once you are reviewing a practice’s website they can give you a glimpse as to their primary focus, and any other valuable information to ‘get to know ’ them. Also, patient reviews are a great way to hear more about the practice. Rarely is any practice perfect, but the majority of reviews should be positive.

• Now its time to give them a try!

Building a strong density-patients relationship is the first step to creating healthy smiles. We hope that these tips help you find your next dental home.

Sherman Oaks Dental, located in Naperville, Illinois has been providing family dental care for patients from Naperville, Wheaton, Lisle and Chicago surrounding areas for over two decades.