What Does It Mean To Be A Good Dentist?

Good dentist is someone you feel comfortable. This is the question that I asked for myself forever. Who is a good dentist, anyway? Someone who offer a dirt cheap treatment? Someone who has exqusite technique, yet talks like robot? I often wondered why so many dentist are so lookalike. Because they're all doing the same thing and their work becomes their personality. Common sense goes miles way. If you don't feel right, then the dentist is not right for you. Old streotype of male or female dentist doesn't work. No one will blame you for choosing specific ethnicity or gender, but overall quality of dentist can't be measured by that.

Secondly, from a web site, you should be able to see the dentist's name and profile at least. It is okay to have clinic name, but dentist shouldn't hide under the name; not being able to see any of the dentist's work or profile is not right. Old way of dentistry was that if I am so good and caring, patient will line up and I don't have to do anything. I wish that day is still here. Because it is kind of pure. . . If I can really sing beautifully, that is all I need to be a singer. . . Anyway, new way of dentistry is different. Young patients ask me, "Dr. Woo. Why don't you advertise? Don't you have something to be proud of?" As you can see, the thinking is changed. Generation X, Y, and Z does't think advertising as solicitation but way of communication. That is why it is not illegal anymore for dentist to advertise.

Lastly, being able to do very difficult work itself alone doesn't mean a good dentist. But if the dentist doesn't do any of the procedure except simple filling, the dentist might not be a good one because it means that the dentist is not keeping up or learning new things. Any professionals needs constant learning. In fact, every 10 years or so, dentistry changes so much that good dentist should update the technology and techniques. That's why after about 5 years from the dental school graduation, it doesn't matter which dental school you graduated from (I still love my University of Minnesota). It shouldn't matter because you must have acquired new stuff along the way. I don't want to go to the dentist who uses only things that he/she learned from dental school over and over again without being better. That's why dentist is required to take continuing education as mandatory requirement.