How to Choose the Best Dentist San Marcos

The Treatment Focus of the Dental Office

Most general dental offices will offer a range of preventive, restorative, and cosmetic dental care options. However, you want to find a dental office with a treatment philosophy that aligns with your oral health and hygiene needs. Many dentists offer information about available treatments online. If you know you'll need a specific service, you can also call the dental office to find out whether or not the treatment is provided, or you can schedule a consultation to discuss your treatment options with the dentist and team. Some treatments that aren't necessarily a given that patients may want to ask about before scheduling an appointment include services like sedation dentistry, gum disease maintenance and therapy options, and family-friendly dentistry services.

At the San Marcos dental office of Nelson Y. Howard, D.D.S., we are happy to offer comprehensive dentistry services using the latest dental techniques and technologies to ensure safety, comfort, and efficacy of your dental care plan. In addition to a basic range of preventive, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry services, we also offer the following more advanced treatment options:

• Sedation dentistry to help nervous patients and those in need of advanced treatments stay comfortable
• Laser dentistry services for gum disease sufferers, cosmetic enhancements, and more
• Comprehensive periodontal therapy and maintenance plans
• Treatments for patients with TMJ dysfunction
• Implant supported tooth replacement
• Custom oral appliances for sleep apnea sufferers and those who experience chronic snoring
• Same day emergency dentistry services for patients in need of urgent dental care

The Dentist's Experience & Qualifications

This is likely the most straightforward thing you can check before visiting a dentist's office. Is the dentist qualified to provide safe, effective dentistry services? Most dentists publish information on their training and education online. If you don't see this information on a dental office website, you should feel free to call to talk to the knowledgeable dentistry team members and ask about the dentist's qualifications.

You can find out more about Dr. Howard online, but he has provided patients in San Marcos exceptional dental care since completing his doctoral work and residency in dentistry in 1987. For more than three decades, Dr. Howard has been dedicated to keeping patients smiling. In addition to basic preventive, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry services,
Dr. Howard has completed advanced training in dental implant supported tooth replacement, laser dentistry services, and he is one of only a few dentists in North San Diego County who has been Accredited through the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

The Caring Dental Team

Another of the more difficult factors to pin down is the quality of the dental care team. Without a caring team of dentistry professionals, the best dentist can struggle to make oral health care safe and comfortable. Dr. Howard's San Marcos dentistry team members offer patients friendly dental care that allows them to experience complete comfort and relaxation during even the most advanced dental treatments. We truly care about helping patients feel relaxed, welcome, and right at home in our dental offices.

Positive Patient Feedback

One of the simplest ways to learn more about the real patient experience is to hear directly from the patients themselves. You can find online reviews about almost anything these days, so it's likely no surprise to hear that dental offices receive reviews from patients. If you want to learn more about the patient experience at Dr. Howard's dental office, you can read reviews from our patients on Google+, Yelp and Facebook.

Comfort & Convenience

Studies indicate that if you don't feel comfortable in a dental office, you're more likely to keep up with your necessary dental care. It can be more difficult to determine whether or not you will be comfortable in a dental office before you visit. Many dental offices offer consultation appointments that allow you to get to know the dentist, team, and dental office before scheduling your first treatment appointment. A dental office may also post an online dental office tour to help patients build expectations of what they will experience in the dental office.

In the San Marcos dental office of Dr. Howard, we truly go the extra mile to ensure you are experiencing complete comfort and relaxation during every dental office appointment. We are dedicated to helping every patient learn to love visiting the dentist. Our team takes the time to listen to your needs and help you feel completely relaxed throughout your visit in our dental office. If our gentle, attentive care isn't enough, we also offer sedation dentistry services to ensure patients are completely comfortable and free from pain throughout their time in our dental office.

Dental Insurance & Financing Options

If you invest in dental insurance coverage to offset the costs of your dentistry services, you should look for a dental office that will process and file your claims to help you maximize these benefits. If you're in need of more advanced treatments like tooth replacement or ongoing periodontal therapy and maintenance, you may also want to ask about financing options.
Dr. Howard and his team are happy to process your dental insurance claims, and we work with CareCredit to provide low and no interest financing plans. During your new patient dental exam and teeth cleaning, we'll walk you through our dental insurance coverage and help you with financing through CareCredit to fit dentistry services into your budget.