I always thought I had decent teeth, but over the last few years, I have spent untold dollars to relieve horrid tooth pain and apparent poor dentition as I underwent two root canals, a couple of inlays and an I-lost-count number of cavities. Then, last year, a trusted friend introduced me to a family dentist whom I immediately fell for (in a patient-doctor kinda way). I also realized that I’d recently paid a lot of money for what may have been less-than-great dentistry. In fact, I worry I was downright ripped off.
I knew the moment I stepped foot into my dentist’s spacious, modern offices and was promptly seated by his friendly wife–office manager (who worked magic on my hysterical young children who were venturing in for first visits) that this was the right place for me. My hunch was confirmed when he conducted a free oral cancer screening and took his time educating me about periodontal disease—both firsts for me.
Luck led me to this doctor. But what steps can other people take to find an honest and competent dentist? I interviewed Mark Burhenne, a Sunnyvale, California, dentist who runs the site Ask the Dentist and frequently appears in media like CNN and Prevention magazine. When I asked him, “How do you find a good dentist?” his response surprised me: “When you call to make an appointment, ask the office manager if the doctor wears dental loupes.”
Huh?
Burhenne explained that these specialty spectacles are designed to magnify the dentist’s vision manifold and are required in dental school. Costing between $2,000 and $3,000 per pair, loupes enable a dentist to spot decay, growths and disease with accuracy that no machine can replace, he says. “Loupes allow you to see more clearly, and you can’t treat what you can’t see,” Burhenne says. “I can’t be the dentist I am without loupes.”
Furthermore, Burhenne says that a dentist committed to loupe wearing can reflect his or her reliance on skills, experience and training—not on the latest flashy technology, which often has questionable results. “There is a lot of pressure from manufacturers for dentists to carry the latest gadgets, but much of the time, it doesn’t work and dentists mothball it,” he says.
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