How to Choose a Dentist

The Basic Types of Dental Practices: It’s Your Time to Choose — Which Is Right For You

1. Fine Dentistry and Prevention…

This type of dentistry is dedicated to achieving Optimum Repair of the oral health system. Optimum repair of the natural teeth has as its goal the restoration of teeth to ideal beauty, function, comfort and longevity. A Comprehensive Examination is completed and goal setting is instituted to create a Master Plan that has as its goal maximum protection and preservation of the oral health complex and your interrelated systemic health.

Optimum Dentistry means healthy longevity. Optimum dentistry includes the possibility of using periodontal techniques, nutrition, orthodontic and neuromuscular techniques, oral surgery, laser and implant dentistry, restorative and cosmetic dentistry to fully return one’s mouth to its healthiest possible state and to assist you in living a longer, more fruitful and enjoyable life.

Crucial to the continuation of Optimum Health are good daily oral hygiene habits and a strict regime of professional examinations and cleanings to prevent decay and gum disease. Maintenance of this level of dental health is a partnership between the dentist and the patient.

2. Maintenance Dentistry…

The quality of care is good and preventive measures are fairly effective, but the patient is not dedicated to achieving Optimum Repair. Usually maintenance dentistry is intermediate dentistry such as silver and large plastic fillings, which safely last 3 to 10 years.

With age, typically late thirties to mid forties, this individual either elects to save their dental health and move into Fine Dentistry and Prevention or slide into the Repair and emergency mode. Unfortunately most people fail to realize that their mouth ages considerably quicker than they do. All too often they have done too little too late, and spend their golden years a dental cripple.

3. Repair Oriented Practice…

No long term thought is given to either prevention of decay, gum disease or bite (occlusion-related) problems. Teeth are filled as they break and when gums bleed or breath is bad the patients have their teeth cleaned. This represents 70% of the dental practices in America today.

It is easy to see why two thirds of American dentists dislike what they do and would if given the chance not choose dentistry as their career again. The interesting thing about the patients who go to these kind of practices is that they don’t enjoy it, but have more or less given up or don’t know what dentistry can do for them. Tooth loss in the latter years is very common.

4. Emergency Practice…

Patients are seen only for emergency treatment. The majority of patients in this type of practice lose their teeth, usually by the age of 35 to 50, depending on their heredity.

How to Choose a Cosmetic Dentist?

Select a dentist who is a member in one of the nationally recognized dental study groups. By being a member in one of these study groups, it shows an interest in developing and improving techniques in the delivery of esthetic dentistry. In fact, many of these groups require continuous study to maintain membership.

The largest of these groups is the Academy of General Dentistry. Ask your prospective dentist if he is a member and what status they hold in the Academy. Advanced status such as Fellowship and Mastership are clues that your dentist is dedicated to the art and science of dentistry.

Check your potential cosmetic dentist’s before and after pictures of their work. Today’s best cosmetic dentists have video cameras, digital imaging and dental magnification lenses and they usually document their cases well. Currently, training in neuromuscular dentistry is seen as one of the most desired qualifications of a cosmetic dentist.

Dr. Williams is Master of the Academy of General Dentistry and a Master of the International College of Craniomandibular Orthopedics as well as a Sustaining Member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and a member of the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain.

He has been an instructor in neuromuscular dentistry for over 20 years. Also, he is a member of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, American Dental Association, Georgia Dental Association, the Hinman Dental Society, and the Gwinnett Dental Society.

As Always, The Choice is Yours

We invite you to join our practice today! It is our goal for each of our patients to have a complete understanding of their unique situation, to know their options and to reach a level of dental health that gives them comfort, beauty and peace of mind. Call our office right now at 770-614-7300.