If you need to find a new dental practice, your first port of call may be to turn to a search engine. While that will bring up several results, the question is how do you narrow this down to just one. A dentist Meath needs to be the right one for you and any family you may have to ensure that you receive the best care and remain committed to your checkups and any treatment you may need. So, to find the right dental practice, consider the following factors to narrow the field.

1. Location

If you want to find a dental practice close to home or the workplace, then checking out the locations of the practices you are considering could really help you narrow the field. You may require practices that have parking or are close to local transport links. Doing your research will ensure that you find a dental practice that fits in with your busy schedule, so make sure that you include location in your search.

2. Treatments and cost/

You may just be looking for a dentist who will give you a scale and polish and tell you that all is well with your teeth. However, you should factor in that as you age, there may be other treatments that you want to have. Looking for a dentist that offers cosmetic dentistry, restorative dentistry and orthodontics could be a very good idea to cover all bases that you may need in the future. If you are interested, you could also see whether the practice offers facial aesthetic treatments too. Check the website or, even better, pop in to visit the reception staff to ask for a treatment list. This will allow you to check out how friendly and helpful they are and get a feel for the atmosphere in the practice. You can also ask whether they accept medical card patients and whether they have a price list for the treatments. This should be readily available and will allow you to factor it in when considering other dental practices as well. If money is important, you can look for the best deal.

3. Dental registers

You can also look for registered dental practices on the Dental Council of Ireland’s website. The list is updated every 6 months, so you can see all of the registered dentists and other related staff, such as dental nurses. You may like to enquire at the dental practice about qualifications and experience or look on their websites for this information, checking out whether or not they have any accreditations from professional bodies.

4. Opening times

If you work unsociable hours, you may well need to find a dental practice that offers appointments in the evening or during the weekend. Some dental practices will go all out to provide dental care to ensure their patients get access to the treatment they need, so if you find a dental practice that is open all day on a Saturday, for example, you may want to sign up straight away!

5. Nervous patients

If you are a nervous patient, find out what measures the dental practice has in place to help you. Most dentists are understanding, but some will even try to make the reception area more relaxing and offer sedation while you have your treatment.

So, whatever you’re looking for, make sure you consider some of these factors to help you find the right dentist for you.