I still look fine when I smile! For now, anyway.

November 12, 2007 5:20 PM

How does one find a good Dentist in a Dental Plan?

Well, no one ever asks for Dentist advice because all they need is a cleaning. I won't list my dental sins but I will say I haven't been to a dentist in about 5 years. I do brush and floss twice daily but I suspect I have more problems than just the ones I'm currently aware of.

My question is how does one find a Dentist in general? My Dental Plan's website serves up lists of random names 25 at a time within the mile radius I specify. How do I know which ones are good? How do I know which ones will understand I don't need a guilt trip, I know I've been bad and I want to change, and lets just get to work?

Also, I'd like to hear if you have recommendations in the Santa Clara, California area.

posted by aofl to Health & Fitness (8 answers total)

Best answer: You could look for a referral on the website of the California Dental Association (and more particularly to your situation, members of the Santa Clara County Dental Association), and cross-reference with those of your dental plan. Clicking on the name links there will give you basic information about the length of time the individual practitioner has been in practice, their dental school, and any specialty they may list as a primary practice area. Cross-referencing CDA listings to your plan's listings would give you people who take your insurance, and are members of their local professional society, but frankly, it's probably worth a call to anyone you might find on the CDA site that isn't also listed in your dental plan, because most dental offices do billing with automated software, and can take insurance from many carriers who may not list them as already affiliated. The dental office can check whether the "customary rates" paid by your plan are acceptable to the dentist, or not. If not, you generally have the option of paying whatever the practice surcharge might be, out of your own pocket, once your insurance has paid its portion, if you want to see that particular practitioner.

Being listed in your dental plan's references usually just means that those practitioners agree to accept the usual and customary fees paid by your insurance as 100% of their payment.
posted by paulsc at 5:50 PM on November 12, 2007

This is one of those questions that pop up on craigslist once in a while. Folks who know a good one might help you there.
posted by Iron Rat at 6:03 PM on November 12, 2007

Personal recommendation is the best way. Ask friends, coworkers, etc who they see, and if they like him or her. Also, other medical practitioners can be useful too. If you have a regular doctor he or she should be happy to recommend a dentist.
posted by COD at 6:05 PM on November 12, 2007

I would second the "ask around" idea. Find recommendations from humans. People who work with you probably have the same choices, too.

Also, dentists probably won't care how long you haven't been to a dentist for. I also ran into the problem of not having gone to a dentist in about five years. They just . . . poke at your teeth, tell you if anything is wrong, and get on with it. Or at least, that was my experience.

They have a swanky new tool for finding cavities, which, tragically found one for me, but the cavity-filling procedure was pretty mundane and un-traumatizing.

If you have had historically bad teeth, your experiences may differ.
posted by that girl at 6:26 PM on November 12, 2007

Brian Mills, in Mountain View. I used him until I moved to the city. He's a very kind and thorough dentist.
posted by kcm at 6:35 PM on November 12, 2007

He's 30 or so miles from Santa Clara, but Ken Wishart at New Day Dental has exceptional patience and kindness with this kind of thing.
posted by bac at 6:47 PM on November 12, 2007

I'm curious, that girl mentions a swanky new tool for finding cavities - my dentist does not have it, he's still looking at my x-rays and poking around with his tools. The last dentist I went to had one of those whole head x-ray machines that I've never seen before but he was able to tell me that I am wearing away my jawbone a little. My question: does the newness of the dentist's tools have something to do with their competence? If so, perhaps some here can list some of the newer tools out there and the OP could call the office and ask if they have them to determine who's the best to go with.
posted by any major dude at 12:29 AM on November 13, 2007

When you say dental plan, do you mean insurance? Or do you mean a discount plan? I was looking around on dentalplans.com last week and talking to my dentist today about it-- and he was not even aware that the company listed him as a provider. So if you're referring to discount plans, don't necessarily think that that list of dentists are actually signed up. I'm guessing though you meant insurance-- my guess is to go through personal recommendations from friends or coworkers, or if you can look up online to see how much experience the dentist had, that'd probably help. Of course my dentist is fairly young, but he is good. I'm lucky to have found a pretty conservative one who is being really nice and understands the money issue.

Speaking as somebody who hadn't been to the dentist in twelve years and is enduring the whole dental adventure (cavities/extractions/crowns, whee!), I think that you'll have pretty good luck finding a dentist who won't guilt trip you. That was one of my big fears, but they seem to understand now that guilt trips aren't the best motivator, especially if you're upfront and explain the situation. Just tell them 'Look, you can't make me feel any worse than I already have myself, but what can we do to fix the problems?' or something similar.

Good luck!
posted by actionpact at 10:02 AM on November 13, 2007