Check seven things before you book: that the dentist’s Virginia license is current, whether you need a general dentist or a specialist, whether the office works with your insurance, whether its hours and emergency access fit your life, whether it holds a sedation permit if you want sedation, how it explains costs, and what patients say. The checklist below shows how to check each one, using Shield Dental Care as the example.
1. Check the dentist’s Virginia license
The Virginia Department of Health Professions runs a free public License Lookup. Search by the dentist’s name or license number with the occupation set to Dentist. Check that the status reads Current Active, and look at whether any public disciplinary documents are listed.
For example, Dr. Pejman Ghorbani’s license record (0401413261) shows Current Active, first licensed on 21 June 2011.
2. Decide whether you need a general dentist or a specialist
The ADA’s National Commission recognizes 12 dental specialties, including orthodontics, periodontics and oral and maxillofacial surgery. A general dentist may also provide some of these treatments, but Virginia’s advertising rules require a general dentist who advertises them to say that they are a general dentist (18VAC60-21-80).
Dr. Ghorbani is a general dentist. General dentist or specialist? explains the difference and when a specialist is the better choice.
3. Check your insurance
Ask the office whether it is in network with your plan, and what happens if it is not. Have your plan name and member ID ready.
Shield Dental Care is in network with most major PPO plans. Before your appointment, the office gathers your insurance information and prepares a breakdown of your benefits. No insurance? See your options without dental insurance and the Shield Prevention Plan.
4. Check the hours and what happens in an emergency
Ask when the office is open, and what it does when a patient calls with a toothache, a broken tooth or swelling.
Shield Dental Care is open Monday to Thursday, 8 AM to 5 PM, and Friday and Saturday, 8 AM to 2 PM. It is closed on Sunday. See how emergency visits work.
5. If you want sedation, ask about the permit
In Virginia, a dentist may give moderate sedation in a dental office only after the office has been inspected and the dentist has been issued a permit by the Board of Dentistry, and a permit and inspection are needed for each location (18VAC60-21-290). The License Lookup lists sedation permits under their own occupations, such as Conscious/Moderate Sedation and Deep Sedation/General Anesthesia. Ask the office which levels of sedation it offers at that location, and who gives each one.
More on this: How to choose a sedation dentist.
6. Ask how costs are explained
Before you agree to treatment, you should know what it will cost and what your insurance is expected to pay. Ask whether the estimate covers every option, and whether related procedures such as extractions, bone grafts, 3-D imaging or sedation are included.
At Shield Dental Care you are given an estimate of all the options Dr. Ghorbani recommends. What your estimate includes explains the rest.
7. Read reviews with care
Reviews tell you how other patients found the office: scheduling, communication, how they were treated. They cannot tell you whether a treatment was right for someone else’s mouth, and a practice’s own website shows the reviews it chose. Read several, on more than one site, and look at how the office answers complaints.
When Shield Dental Care may not be the right fit
- You want treatment from a specialist, such as an orthodontist for braces or a periodontist for gum surgery. Dr. Ghorbani is a general dentist; see general dentist or specialist.
- You need a Sunday appointment. The office is closed on Sundays.
- You need an appointment after 5 PM on a weekday, or after 2 PM on a Friday or Saturday. The office’s hours end then.
- You want a particular level of sedation. Ask first which levels are offered at the office.
Next steps
Weighing a general dentist against a specialist? Start with General dentist or specialist? Choosing for your children too? See choosing the right dentist for your family. If Shield sounds like a fit, read what happens at your first visit, request an appointment or call (703) 250-5072.