Helaine Smith DMD

My colleague, Dr. Hugh Flax, recently posted a quiz on his blog. Titled, “Is your dentist ‘thoroughly modern’?” the post lists 20 questions you can ask about your dentist — and then score him or her based on the answers. (Dr. Flax based his quiz on a quiz I posted last month.)

I like Dr. Flax’s quiz, but I thought you might find it helpful to understand why he and I agree about asking these very important questions of your dentist. I won’t give details behind all 20 questions, but you might find the following information of interest.

1. Why a clean dental office is important — The obvious reason as to why you want your dentist to have a clean office is due to infection. Simply put, a dirty office spreads germs — such as the H1N1 virus. (The ADA has a wealth of information about infection control. You can also watch the video I did on this topic.)

However, a less than immaculate office also shows you how much your dentist pays attention to details — and a lack of attention to detail in the office setting can translate into how he/she works on your teeth. (Think about that for a minute.)

If you walk into the lobby of your dentist’s office and see a dusty table covered with months old grubby magazines, what does this mean? Or, what if the exam rooms have cobwebs in the corners and old exam chairs covered with cracking vinyl? Such lack of attention can mean the dentist has lackadaisical sterilization procedures.

It also might mean the dentist isn’t offering perfection when it comes to your mouth. (I see this quite a bit when patients come in to have me fix dental work performed by other dentists.)

2. The importance of keeping abreast of new theories / dental advances — As with medical research, dental research is constantly uncovering how our mouths and teeth respond to bacteria and other substances. And, as I’ve posted before, bacteria doesn’t stay put in your mouth — it travels throughout your body and can complicate existing conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.

In addition, dentists today must keep abreast of things such as sleep apnea and new treatments for periodontal disease, tooth decay, and oral cancer, to name a few. And, modern dentists are all about preserving tooth structure — which means they may use non-mental fillings and other minimally invasive procedures.

3. Importance of showing their own work — Question number 17 of Dr. Flax’s quiz asks, “Does he/she have photos of their own work to show?” I thought this an insightful question as most consumers do not know that dentists can purchase pictures for a Website “smile gallery.”

As a consumer, you have no clue whether or not the photos of the smiling teeth on a dentist’s Website belong the dentist. (Yes, I’m serious — which is why it insults me when dental marketing companies tell dentists like me to use “canned content.” Grrrrr!)

This is one reason why I show the full face of my patients on my “Before and After” photos, and it’s the reason I have a photo album in my waiting area full of pictures of my cosmetic dentistry patients standing with me.

I don’t believe in “smile galleries” because I’m helping people transform their lives — and by extension their health — not simply smacking veneers over someone’s yellow teeth.

Dentistry has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years. It’s no longer about simply filling cavities! If your dentist is still using paper charts, x-ray films and light boxes, and has no idea how to place a dental implant, then it really is time you found a thoroughly modern dentist. Your health depends on it.