Aside from the usual “does it hurt?” or “can I have it done yesterday?”, it’s worth considering these five questions to really get a feel as to whether you should embark on your cosmetic dental journey and with who…
- Would you mind showing me some of your previous work?
- Can you tell me about a case that you are proud of?
The answers to these two questions will tell you immediately if you have picked the right dentist. They need to be so enthusiastic that you should be left feeling you wished you should never have asked ha.
- Have you ever declined to treat someone and why?
I love this question because it requires the dentist to demonstrate their moral obligations to the public. First rule of a cosmetic dentist is ‘DO NO HARM’. So, if they have declined to treat a patient it shows they are driven by morals, not money. Which is good for you!
- What are the risks?
Every medical professional needs to give a full range of treatment options. Impartial. Black and white kind of way which outlines the risks and the rewards. It gets slightly skewed in cosmetic surgery because the rewards are linked to how the patient will feel about themselves afterwards. Which can be hard to really nail down. But the risk vs. reward balance is still very important and needs explaining clearly.
- Is there another option?
So important. You want a cosmetic dentist to understand your needs and desired outcome. They need to have experience in a number of different treatments, all of which may be appropriate. If they can show you another option, then you know they are treating you according to YOUR needs and not their preferred way of doing things.
Stick with these five questions and you will end up in safe hands.
