Choosing a dental clinic is a critical decision that affects not just the beauty of your smile but also your overall dental health. Many patients find a trusted dentist and stick with them for decades. To make this choice wisely, Tamara Tsagaraeva, a therapeutic dentist at the clinic “All Yours,” shared her expert advice in an interview.
The expert recommends breaking the search process into two stages: at-home research (analysis “from the couch”) and an in-person visit (checking the clinic firsthand).
**At-Home Research: Shortlisting Candidates**
In the first stage, it’s essential to create a shortlist of clinics worth visiting.
– **Check maps and ask around.** Start with ratings and reviews on Yandex Maps or Google Maps, as well as recommendations from friends and family.
– **Evaluate prices.** Clinics fall into economy, comfort, business, and premium segments. While websites may not state this directly, you can see the difference in price lists. Choose according to your budget.
– **Consider location.** There’s no point in traveling across town if a good clinic is near your home.
– **Review the range of services on the website.** It’s important to have everything you need in one place. Even if today you only need a simple filling, tomorrow you might require CT scans or a microscope. An ideal clinic should offer digital scanning, endodontics, microscopy, prosthetics and implants, oral surgery, general anesthesia, orthodontics, and computed tomography.
– **Examine the medical staff.** A good clinic employs implantologists, orthodontists, orthopedic dentists, surgeons, and hygienists under one roof.
If all these services and specialists are available, you can solve any dental issue without having to go to multiple locations.
**In-Person Visit: Testing by Experience**
The biggest mistake patients make is judging a clinic by its fancy lobby tiles or the receptionist’s politeness. According to Tamara Tsagaraeva, the key decisions are made in the doctor’s chair. Here’s what really matters:
– Are you satisfied with the doctor’s work?
– How comfortable was the treatment?
– Was your problem solved?
– Did you receive enough attention?
– Were the prices acceptable?
If you answer “yes” to all these questions, feel free to stay at that clinic. This way, you can see the same dentist for years—someone who knows the specifics of your teeth—and never have to go through the stressful selection process again.
No matter which clinic you choose, Tamara Georgievna reminds that you should visit the dentist every six months, even if nothing is bothering you.
