Your oral health is just as important as your physical and mental health, even if you might not see your local dental doctor as many times a year as you do a primary care provider or a therapist. When oral issues arise and you need to find a competent oral surgeon who knows what they’re doing, it can be hard to know where to look to find the help you and your mouth needs.
Oral surgeons wear a variety of hats. They can install long-lasting dental implants in your mouth, remove all four of your wisdom teeth in the blink of an eye—literally, thanks to oral anesthesia—and they can even double as a talented maxillofacial surgeon with the right training. Finding the surgeon who’s right for you comes down to doing research and considering a few factors. Here’s how to go about doing it.
Check Experience and Credentials
Arguably the most important step in finding the best dental surgeon around you is to check the experience and credentials of surgeons at local practices. Is the surgeon fresh out of school? Have they been in the game for 10 or 20 years? By no means are we knocking anyone who doesn’t have the experience—we all have to start somewhere, after all—but when you’re looking for an oral surgeon who can help with complex mouth surgeries like bone grafting or even facial trauma, you’ll want to stick with someone who’s been around the block a few times.
Check and see if they have any board certifications. Some might not know, but board certification is a definite measure of expertise. It shows that a healthcare professional has risen to the rigorous and often hard to achieve standards that have been set by a professional organization. It shows that you would be working with an oral doctor with specialized knowledge, amongst many other things.
Specialized Care is Almost Always Better than Generalized
Jack-of-all-trades oral surgeons are great, but a mouth doctor with years of specialized experience is even better. Let’s say you’re going in to a surgeon for full mouth reconstruction. It’s a pretty big thing. Would you rather someone who has occasionally dabbled in it over the past however many years, or would you want a dedicated oral surgeon who specializes in fully reconstructing mouths and has done so for ages? We thought so. A surgeon with specialized experience will be much better equipped to answer all of your questions regarding the procedure, and you’re all but guaranteed to be in good hands.
If you’re going in for routine procedures that large percentages of the population undergo like having all your wisdom teeth pulled out or getting a high-quality titanium fake tooth implant installed in your jaw, the surgeon with more generalized practice will probably do a great job.
Patient Reviews and Testimonials Don’t Lie
One of the best ways to gauge whether or not an oral surgeon is worth scheduling a visit with is checking the ratings and reviews. While it might sound obvious, you’ll want to look for a majority of five-star reviews. That being said, check out the negative reviews too. Were they deserved? Is the reviewer making a mountain out of a mole hill and complaining about something that doesn’t really matter? It happens all the time and drags down the average rating. On the flip side, if you’re noticing a lot of negative reviews with valid complaints, it’s best to steer clear and continue your search. Be sure to keep a lookout for fake positive reviews as well. It’s something that happens all too often in this day and age.
Reviews are a good place to look, but word of mouth is even better. Ask around with your friends and family, and see if they can recommend anyone. Chances are, someone in their immediate circle or they themselves have had experience with a skilled oral surgeon who knows what they’re doing. Ask around—you’ll probably have good luck doing so.
Office Location
The last thing you’ll want to consider is location. Is this an oral surgeon who’s right down the road from you? Or are they in the next city over? This one comes down to personal preference honestly, and has no bearing on the quality of work an oral surgeon can perform. There are plenty of people who love their oral healthcare provider so much that they’re willing to drive over an hour to see them. On the other hand, there are people who wouldn’t want to drive more than twenty minutes to get to their surgeon’s office.
When scheduling an oral surgery, you’ll be visiting the office more than once. You’ll have your initial consultation appointment, and then you’ll come in for the surgery itself. Depending on the type of surgery you’re having done, your doctor might want to see you again after the fact for a post-op checkup. If their office is far away, that’s a lot of driving, but again—some people consider it well worth it to see a trusted oral surgeon they have a good relationship with.
Take your time to research and choose a qualified oral surgeon. You’re investing in your oral health while doing so, and you’ll enjoy a lifetime of confident smiles because of it.
