Choosing a family dentist is as important as choosing a family doctor when it comes to maintaining excellent overall health. The family dental care office you should be looking for specializes in all dental services, which will offer you and your family greater continuity of care.
Today’s family dentist still performs routine checkups, cleanings, and fillings, but he or she is also experienced in specialized services like pain management and laser dentistry. Another criteria for the family dental care office you choose is that they should treat patients of all ages, from toddlers to geriatrics.
Benefits of Choosing Family Dental Care
- Convenience – Your entire family is going to the same place, which really saves time if you have children or an elderly adult to take care of. By treating every member of your family, your dentist will get to know everyone and can better understand your specific health care needs. Getting all of your treatment from one provider also gives you the option of coordinating everyone’s regular checkups.
- Continuity – Your family dentist knows your specific health history and can apply that knowledge while offering you a broad spectrum of specialized services. When shopping for a new dentist, find out if they offer services such as sedation dentistry, Invisalign, teeth whitening, and cosmetic dentistry. Like your family doctor, he/she should also be checking for diseases, like gingivitis or oral cancer.
- Trust – A Harvard Medical School study revealed that 13% to 24% of adults are afraid to go to the dentist. Bringing your children to the dentist at an early age helps them to foster trust and be comfortable receiving regular dental care later, as adults. If you lead by example, they will see that going to the dentist is a positive experience. Having routine checkups with your family dentist also assures you they are keeping an eye on any developing issues.
Family dental care can and should be a positive experience. Look for a provider whose staff is committed to offering compassion and helping their patients feel relaxed and comfortable. Be sure that they recognize the importance of the oral health/overall general health connection, and observe their stance on patient education.
Your family dentist should be able to teach you how comprehensive dental care can positively affect the health of your teeth and gums, and become your partner in good health for years to come.
Here at Shoreline, we work with all ages and look forward to working with families. Contact us today and ask how we can help with your family dentistry.
