Hi Dr Hall,
I am looking for a dentist in the Seattle area and am doing some research before I choose one. I came across your site and am thrilled to find all this great comsumer information, thank you! However the dentist that you recommend in Seattle, I can not locate any kind of reviews or testimonials for him, nor can I find him on the list of America’s Top Dentists.
I would like to hear other patient’s opinions about their experience with him but cannot locate any of this through the internet. Any suggestions? Also do these cosmetic dentists that you recommend typically do other general procedures like root canal etc.?
Thanks for your help.
Brenda
Brenda,
From your question, I think that maybe you don’t understand what our website is. We recommend COSMETIC dentists. That is very different from recommending dentists. Do you need a dentist for general dentistry, or do you need a smile makeover or other anterior work?
When we recruit dentists for our website, I study their credentials as far as cosmetic dentistry training, and we check photographs of their work. That is what is required in order for me to be able to assure visitors to our website that they will get beautiful work done at the hands of these dentists. While we try to get a sense of the office friendliness and chairside manner, and those do factor into our decisions about who to recommend, those aren’t primary considerations. And no, often dentists who are really passionate about appearance-related dentistry do not do root canal treatments, though sometimes they do. But they always do basic dentistry, such as cleanings, checkups, and fillings. And while they are always highly skilled, and they are often warm and understanding, they are not chosen on the basis of their warmth.
Some might accuse me of poor salesmanship to say this, but to be absolutely honest with you, I would tell you that if all you want is a general dentist – if you don’t have any appearance concerns – then this isn’t the right website for you.
As far as reviews, they are helpful for some situations but aren’t the answer if you’re looking for excellent cosmetic dentistry, and let me explain two reasons why this is true. First of all, I have dentists that I know very well, and I’ve seen their work, and it is magnificent, but I have seen that they occasionally get bad reviews from people on the Internet. Some patients might think the dentist is too expensive or too high class. And every dentist runs into a wack-o patient or two that they can’t please no matter how hard they try, and so they throw up their hands, ask them to go elsewhere, and end up with a very irate patient. While the vast majority of their patients are very pleased, some aren’t, and they can be the source of bad reviews.
And while patient reviews are helpful, patients rarely have the expertise to compare one dentists aesthetic skills with another. I have met patients who thought their dentist did okay on their smile makeover, only because they didn’t know how beautiful their smile could have been. So that’s why I think our site is indispensible if you are looking for cosmetic dentistry services and why patient reviews simply aren’t your best source of information for that purpose. But if you are just looking for a dentist, then you don’t need those credentials, and I would just go to the reviews where you will get a good measure of the dentist’s likability, the friendliness of the office, etc., which are all valid considerations for choosing a general dentist.
America’s Top Dentists is not necessarily that reliable. I don’t know how they pick the dentists they list. I know they don’t conduct examinations of the dentists’ work.
I hope this is helpful.
Dr. Hall
Links you may want to check out:
Read about the difference between an artistic cosmetic dentist and an excellent general dentist.
Click here for referral to a cosmetic dentist, screened for artistic ability and cosmetic dentistry training.
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About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.