How to Choose a Dentist in New Malden
Being on the outskirts of London, New Malden does not suffer from the shortage of dentists seen in some rural part of the country. There are quite a few dental practices in New Malden, with plenty more in Worcester Park, Wimbledon and Kingston. So if you are new to the area, have not been to a dentist for a long time, or are considering a change of dentist, what should you consider?
NHS or Private Dental Practice?
There are plenty of both NHS and private dental practices in New Malden to choose from. NHS practices typically provide check-ups on the NHS, but will offer NHS and private options for treatment. Some treatments simply aren’t available on this NHS. This would include treatments such as dental implants, tooth whitening, cosmetic treatment, and adult orthodontic treatment. There may be other limitations on treatments offered on the NHS, such as white fillings or crowns on back teeth. Many practices have dental hygienists and these are usually provided on a private basis. It is not viable for your dentist to provide you with a 30 minute appointment for scaling, polishing and advice on oral hygiene with the NHS funding structure and it is well worth paying privately to see a dental hygienist for this. These factors may mean that the choice of NHS or private is not quite so simple as many ‘NHS’ dental patients in fact end up paying privately for much of their treatment anyway.
Read about the Dentists
Most practices will have information about the dentists who work there on their practice website. In order to find a dentist who will provide a high standard of dental care look for a dentist with postgraduate qualifications (their will have extra letters after their name beyond the standard BDS dental qualification). This means that have made a choice to undertake optional additional training. Also look for dentists who are involved in dental organisations or committees. This will show you that these dentists are highly engaged in the profession and really care about what they do.
Look for Reviews or Testimonials
Reviews or testimonials may appear as google reviews, or may be in a section of the website. Look at the length and detail in those reviews. Are there reviews from patients who have had the same sort of treatment you may be interested in? Do the reviews give you confidence in the customer care at the practice, how comfortable the patient was made to feel, and the quality of the outcome they were provided with?
Look for Case Photos
If you are considering any kind of cosmetic treatment, look to see if the dentist has posted photos of cases that they have treated, rather than generic cases of a technique that they have not treated themselves. Ideally there should be plenty of case photos and not just one or two. Look for photos of cases that would be similar to you.
Look for convenience
When choosing a convenient dentist New Malden can be complicated by difficulties with parking! Is there any on site parking and if not will it be easy for your to park near by? Are there early morning, late evening or weekend appointments available? How far ahead are they usually booked.?
Most of the information you will need can easily be found from the dentist or dental practice website. If you are looking for a dentist in New Malden, then I am always happy to have an initial phone chat, text exchange or email exchange and you can contact me via the contact details on this website.
Dr Lucy Nichols