Dentist - Know the Questions to Ask With a New Office

Before you get a new dentist, you need to find out a few facts about the office you are considering. This way, you will not have to switch again if you find that you do not like the practice you have chosen. Get to know some questions you should ask before you decide to use a particular dental practitioner. 

One of the first, most obvious questions to ask is if the dentist you are considering is taking new patients. If the answer is yes, the next query should be whether they take your insurance. This way you will not be stuck paying a bill that you expected your insurance provider to cover. Find out what the copays would be for you, since some dentists are considered specialists and thus have higher copays according to your provider. If the dentist does not take your insurance, find out if they offer payment plans, as some offices offer them with no interest, same as cash. 

Next, you need to learn about the office policies. Know what the hours are so you can make sure that you will be able to get in before or after work, or perhaps during your lunch break. This is especially important since some offices are closed everyday for lunch for about an hour, which means that going there during your lunch break might not be possible. You should also know if there are cancellation fees for when you cancel an appointment, and how long you have to cancel in advance. 

If you plan to take your whole family to the same dentist, you need to make sure he or she sees both children and adults. An office that does is clearly most convenient because you only have to learn the policies of one practice. You should know what the emergency hours are after hours, or if they even have them. Find out if there is a dentist on-call or at least someone who could answer your questions after the regular hours. 

These are just the main questions you should ask before you even schedule an appointment. In some cases, a website can answer these queries, so check for a site online before you call. Otherwise, the receptionist should be able to answer them on the phone, and if they are not all answered at that point, you can always ask at your first appointment once the major questions are answered.