What are the Characteristics of a Good Dentist?
Getting into dental school is not difficult. A lot of people can finish it and be called a dentist in the name. But there is a mountain of characteristics that separates a mediocre dentist from a good one. In this article, we will show you some of the most important aspects that make a dentist good. So, let’s get right into it.
They are Easygoing
A dentist that is hard to talk to can make the patient feel extreme anxiety when coming for an appointment. If the patient cannot feel relaxed or at ease when coming to the dentist’s office, a sub-optimal treatment can ensue. If the dentist is talking to the patient about their life, hobbies, and other unrelated subjects, it means that they care about you as a patient and a person, not just about your wallet. This is why easygoingness is one of the most obvious ways of telling whether the dentist is a pro or not. The least it can show you is whether the dentist is even trying.
They are Trustworthy
People are extremely skeptical about foreign, scary-looking objects. This is all the more amplified when these foreign objects are being inserted in your mouth, and you have no control over them. To pull this off without the patient panicking, you need them to fully and selflessly put their trust in their dentist. After all, would you let a person you don’t trust put a sharp metal object inside your mouth? And pay for it?! Thought so. Patients need to feel safe when in the presence of a dentist. They need to feel that their dentist will do their best to minimize the amount of pain they will feel and that the dentist will always take every precaution to get the job done as efficiently as possible.
They are Passionate About Their Work
Passion is a characteristic that nobody can fake. You will know when you spot a person who is passionate about their work, whether it’s a mechanic, a teacher, or a dentist. In this case, passionate dentists will strive to perfect themselves to give the best treatment possible for their clients. Some dentists will opt to help their community with their services by going and helping those who don’t have any access to proper treatment. But the energy that a dentist pours into their work is the best way of telling whether they are passionate about their work or not.
They Have Good Attention to Detail
Dentists are specialized in taking care of small areas located in your mouth. In order to excel in this business, you need strong attention to even the smallest of details. The ability to spot small irregularities in a patient’s mouth can lead to a swift diagnosis and an even faster plan to heal. Some dental problems are a lot harder to spot, and it can happen that an unskilled dentist will make a bad diagnosis or miss the problem entirely. If they cannot find the well-hidden issue in your mouth, then this can spiral and make the situation much worse down the road.
They Pay Attention to Hygiene
You might think, “shouldn’t every dentist pay attention to hygiene?” You would be correct in thinking so, but again, as it is with other professions, there is always an upgrade. A good dentist will try to utilize the best ways of maintaining pitch-perfect hygiene at the workplace to make sure no patient ever gets an infection as a cause of equipment that wasn’t cleaned properly. Machines like thermal washers, autoclaves, or gas plasmas offer great approaches to dental hygiene. Then there are saliva ejectors, dental drills, and other tools that can impact the efficiency of treatment. For more info about these tools, you can check it out in more detail here.
They are Patient
A good dentist is a patient one. There is no rush for a safe and solid treatment. You might go into another person’s appointment, but if it means that the previous patient receives the care they deserve, it has to be done, and a good dentist will know this. With this in mind, a bad or mediocre dentist will always try to do the job as fast as possible without caring about the consequences of their work for the patient’s health. A good dentist will take the time to listen to the patient’s concerns over the process and potential complications, offer them consultations, and calm them about the entire thing. This is especially important for dentists who frequently deal with children or the elderly, as these groups will require more attention than young adults and grown people.
There will always be people who will ask too many questions and start to be a strain, but it is the dentist’s job to respect their wishes and explain these problems to them. If the dentist has nerves of steel, you should do everything for them to be your dentist.
That would be all for today. Hopefully, after reading this article, you have gotten a good feeling of what it means to be a top-tier dentist as well as all of the necessary characteristics that such a dentist needs to have. Till next time!