Not all dental offices are made the same. Here’s what you should look for when choosing the best dentist for your family’s needs here in Long Beach. When you need to find a new dentist, there’s more to choosing yours than finding the one closest to your house. You need to take the needs of your entire family into account. Do you expect to need fillings or crowns? Will you need to find a pediatric dentist for your children? Will a post-extraction dental implant or bridge be required to replace a missing tooth? Here are some things you should be sure to check in your dentist search process. If you can, be sure to call or even visit in person to make sure everything is up to your standards and specific requirements. Specialties While dental cleanings, exams, and cavity fillings can be a sign of a dentist’s quality, there’s a lot more to choosing a dental office than looking at their general dentistry. When you’re looking for dental care for you and your family, it’s essential that you choose a dentist office that keeps everything under one roof. You don’t want to have to find a separate kids dentist or cosmetic dentist who can professionally whiten your teeth. Here are some of the most common specialties our patients look for when finding the best dentist in Long Beach: Preventive Dentistry Preventive dental care is geared towards keeping your smile from any dental health issues that might try to ruin your smile. Typically, this type of dentistry includes dental cleanings, exams, and oral health education. When it comes to preventive dentistry, is it ok to go to the dentist once a year? No, even if you stay on top of your dental hygiene, you should still visit your dentist for a routine dental exam and cleaning at least twice a year. Children’s Dentistry If you have young children especially, dentistry for children should take a front seat in your dentist search. Pediatric dentists are trained to deal with the unique problems that can occur with a growing and developing smile. The best ones make sure your child has fun during their visits. With family dentists, like us at Long Beach Family Dentist, staff can take care of both you and your children’s dental needs with ease. Cosmetic Dentistry What is cosmetic dentistry? Cosmetic dentistry uses a wide range of treatments designed to change the total appearance of your smile, from the shape of your smile to the color of your teeth. When you have a skilled cosmetic dentist on your team, they can give you your best-looking smile every time. Common procedures include professional in-house and at-home teeth whitening, braces and Invisalign, dental veneers, tooth bonding, and crown lengthening. Restorative Dentistry When you have a cavity or tooth extraction done, your smile will need repairing with restorative treatments like fillings, crowns, dental implants, and bridges. When choosing your Long Beach dentist, you’ll want to make sure that their dental work looks and feels great with lasting results. Emergency Dentistry When you have a terrible toothache, you’ll want a fast-responding emergency team to treat it in no time. Some offices have specialists trained to give the highest quality treatment for specific dental emergencies, such as endodontists for root canals and periodontists for gum disease. If a dentist has these specialists on staff, it’s a good sign of their personalized treatment. Sedation Dentistry Not everyone feels comfortable going to the dentist’s office. Past bad experiences and dental anxiety can make it tough for some patients to receive even basic treatments like fillings or deep cleanings. Instead of putting off your next much-needed appointment, you should instead see if your dentist offers sedation dentistry. Sedation dentistry is stronger than local anesthetic. It calms your mind and keeps you from feeling a thing during your visit, no matter the treatment.

Technology The technology a dental office uses can drastically affect the level of quality care you receive. If you don’t have a dentist working with the latest devices and breakthrough techniques, it will be more difficult to receive the same high quality from one who does. A little research into the specific tools and systems your prospective offices use can tell you a lot about the dedication they have to their patients and the art of dentistry. How does technology affect dentistry? Every day, dentists, scientists, and engineers are working to better and revolutionize the dentistry field. Just 30 years ago, Invisalign and clear aligners didn’t exist. Another 30 years before that, neither did bonded brackets! Before the 1960s, dentists couldn’t just glue braces to the fronts of patients’ teeth—they had to use metal bands around each tooth to shift them into place gradually. This is only a small look into how the newest tech can drastically improve your dental experience. Convenience When you’re looking for the best Long Beach dental office, it’s important that you’re able to see your dentist whenever you need to. They should never be too far away that it becomes a hassle just trying to make it there. Sometimes that means choosing an office that’s closer to your work than home or vice versa. If you need to see an emergency dentist, you don’t want to worry about waiting days or even weeks for their schedule to open up! You can’t ever plan for urgent dental care, so you should check your dentist’s hours in advance to make sure you’ll be able to get the treatment you need when you need it. How do the office’s hours compare with your family’s schedules? Don’t struggle to work your busy lives around your dentist’s schedule, and instead find a dental office that’s open to yours. Look for a dentist open on Saturday or whose hours give you some leeway before and after work and school to get your dental work done.

Affordability An expert dentist isn’t great for your family if they don’t fit into your budget. During your search, don’t be afraid to call and ask about the office’s estimates and costs. Better yet, why not schedule a financial consultation with a dentist? You'll see the kind of person your dentist is, how much they care about their patients' dental care, and how well their services match your wallet. In this consultation, be sure to look at more than just their costs and estimates. Ask them, “does your dental office accept PPO insurance or HMO insurance?” if you have a PPO or HMO plan for you and your family. Do they offer a dental discount or in-house financing plan? If not, ask them if they have any other dental financing options, such as CareCredit or LendingClub. A good dental office is prepared to work with its patients and do its absolute best to give them the care and attention they deserve at an affordable cost. Recommendations and Reviews See if your friends and family have any recommendations for a dentist near you. Online reviews are great, but there's more to a dental office than their Yelp rating. While online reviews are trustworthy, you can more easily believe the words of those you know. They can tailor their advice and suggestions to your specific needs. Don't disregard reviews entirely, however. They can still be highly useful for finding your next dentist, especially if you're new to Long Beach. When looking up online reviews, a majority positive reception can signify the level of overall quality and service the practice's dentists give. You can also see if the dentist office responds to their reviewers, both positive and negative. If a practice takes the time to read and respond, this is often a great indicator of their individualized care and attention. Choosing Your Dentist Once you’ve found several practices you think might be an excellent fit for you and your family, you should call or make an in-office visit to learn all the office has to offer. How busy is the parking lot? Is the inside of the clinic clean and orderly? Do they seem to be using the latest and best technologies for their patients? What are the dentist and his or her assistant staff like—friendly, funny, good with children? After your calls and visits, you should determine which dentist is right for your family's needs and book a first appointment. This shows you first-hand if they really are the best dentist for you. Were you brought right in for treatment without any long wait in the waiting room? Did they offer gentle dental care, and did they put special attention to making sure you were comfortable in the dental care? Did their experience put you at ease and make you feel confident in their hands? Did you enjoy your time with the dentist? If these are all yeses, then odds are you've found the best dentist for you in Long Beach, CA!