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Good Care versus bad care
Telling the difference between good dental care and poor care can be difficult, in fact in many cases it can be a matter of opinion. At the Stein Medical Group, here in Stamford, CT, we have many years of experiences and thousands of satisfied patients to fall back on. What most experts are quick to point out is, a dentist doesn’t have to commit malpractice to still provide poor care. A dentist who is short and curt with a patient; a dentist who doesn’t explain exactly what the problem is and a list of possible solutions is providing poor care. Many dentists fall into this camp. Fortunately, the Stein Dental Group has many excellent dentists that can match the personalities and concerns of each individual patient. In many cases, other dentists know that they are the expert, as does the patient, and they take action without discussing the procedure throughout with the patient. Some patients are okay with this because they don’t necessarily want to know what’s going on, they just want the problem solved. However, most people want to know what is going on in their mouth and they always have the right to discuss options with their dentist. That is something that Stamford, CT residents are fortunate to have at the Stein Dental Group. Dental experts feel that one of the first tip offs that someone is receiving poor dental care is a lack of communication. It doesn’t mean the dentist is bad, per se, it just means that their communication style isn’t in sync with yours and it may be for the best to find a new dentist. This is especially true with pediatric dentists. Parents of small children are generally much more concerned with the care that their children are receiving and any pediatric dentist should be attuned to this. The Stein Dental Group has dentists that specialize in pediatric dentistry. That said, many dentists aren’t in this camp. If a parent ever feels they aren’t getting every piece of information related to their child’s dental care, it’s imperative to change dentists. Fortunately, this hasn’t been a problem in Stamford, Connecticut, but in a lot of smaller towns where one dentist handles everything it is difficult to be able to easily change dentists. That doesn’t excuse poor behavior, but just points out the advantages of having multiple choices when it comes to a dentist. When it comes to cosmetic dentistry, one of the biggest indicators of poor behavior is a dentist who comes off more like a salesman. Thanks to the internet and television, many patients have an idea of what cosmetic procedures they would like. The Stein Dental Group does the work that the patient requests without trying to sell the most expensive options. It’s perfectly okay for a dentist to offer his professional opinion, but a fine line can be crossed when they begin recommending a certain procedure because it will pay more, rather than serve the patient better. This has been common among plastic surgeons and has begun to make its way into cosmetic dentistry. It’s highly unethical because a dentist is supposed to have the patient’s best interests at heart, not their pocketbook’s. That said, most of these cases are the exception rather than the rule. Stamford, for example, has been blessed with a number of excellent dentists at the Stein Dental Group that serve the community first, rather than the dentist themselves. Given that, it’s always important to be vigilant. Most importantly, the lines of communication must always be open between dentist and patient. That is the key to any relationship of this kind.