How To Select A Top Rated Lakewood CO Dentist

Selecting a top rated Lakewood, CO dentist can be a challenge given all the options in the area. After all, how can you know you’ll get the quality, caring treatment that you and your family needs from just a web search? Actually the web can present you with enough information to at least get a general sense of the dentist’s reputation. This can help you narrow the list of potential candidates and find a family dentistry that is right for you. Today we’ll focus on six key criteria to check out before you schedule a consult or a check up: 

Yelp is a great place to start your search in evaluating a top rated Lakewood, CO dentist. While yes, Yelp has a reputation for being a website full of “complainers,” in reality there is a ton of useful information you can find in a short amount of time. A dentist’s Yelp Rating is an excellent gauge to how their customers feel about the services and patient care. Instead of focusing on just one review, bad or good, thumb through several reviews to get a general consensus of how people feel about the office. While a bad review can be unsettling, ask yourself how the reviewers conduct themselves when they write the review. Is the review an incoherent rant filled with vulgarity? This is a good sign the review might not actually be providing the whole story. At the very least, you should see a consensus of positive reviews for any dentist that makes your short list. 

Google works very similar to Yelp and is another independent place where you can check and see how a dentist is doing as far as customer feedback goes. The Google rating system is just like Yelp’s 5 Star model, although you may see less reviews on Google then you see on Yelp, which is common. To find a Google rating, simply type the company name in the Google search bar and it should come up on the right hand side of the page along with contact information. The same rules apply here as Yelp. Look for general consensus and a high rating score vs. focusing on just one review.

Facebook is a popular place for people to share how they feel about a variety of topics, and business reviews are an important part of the site. Just like Yelp and Google, Facebook ratings are based on a 5 Star scale and can be left by anyone with a Facebook profile. These reviews combined with Yelp and Google ratings will give you a thorough picture as to how existing customers feel about the dentist in question. This will be a huge step in your search to select a top rated Lakewood, CO dentist, but there are a couple other factors that come into play as well.

A company website is a key part of any business, be it a coffee shop or a family dentist. Therefore in your search for a top rated Lakewood, CO dentist, you shouldn’t ignore how their website looks and functions. A poorly designed or hard to navigate website can be a sign the dentist doesn’t care about their outward appearance or providing important information for their customers. The absence of a website altogether is even worse, and it is recommended you eliminate the company from their search if they don’t have a site at all. A good family dentist website should be easy to find and navigate and full of key information like contact forms, patient documents, staff profiles and educational information. You’d be surprised how a poor website can reflect a poor business, so don’t overlook this element!

Now that you’ve narrowed down your search based on Yelp, Google and Facebook ratings as well as website appearance, it is time to test their response rate. You should be able to call and speak with a receptionist in a matter of minutes or receive a digital response from their contact form by the next business day depending on your preferred method of communication. Remember, an office can’t respond if they are closed, so take this into consideration! A quality office will get back to you as quickly as they can. However you should be cautious in selecting an office that doesn’t respond or takes a long time to get back to you. If they can’t answer a simple question or appointment request, how can you depend on them in an emergency?

Finally, personal recommendations are always worth considering in your search for a top rated Lakewood, CO dentist. If you know someone in your neighborhood who is a trustworthy reference, you may want to ask them who they trust for their dental care needs. You can compare this to ratings and other factors to help finalize your decision. Nextdoor is another option to ask neighbors about a business before you reach out to them. You can simply ask about the reputation of a business and you’ll likely get several answers. Of course, you should always put your needs above the recommendations of someone else. For example, if someone recommends a dentist they love, but their office is a 45 minute drive from your office or house, it might not make sense with your schedule. It’s best to use personal recommendations to help aid in your search that starts with company ratings.

Sure, it can be stressful to select a top rated Lakewood, CO dentist, especially if you are new to the area. However using rating tools like Yelp, Google, and Facebook as well as checking website appearance, contact response times, and even the opinions of your neighbors can really narrow your search for a dentist you can trust. At Grace & Leedy Family Dentistry we are always open to new clients and eager to show you why we are a top rated Lakewood, CO Dentist. Contact us today to learn more!