A toothache can happen at any hour. They have a tendency to appear at 2AM, with the pharmacies locked tighter than Fort Knox and your pulse racing a mile a minute. If you live anywhere in Richmond, you've likely "searched for" "emergency dentist near me" at one point or another with only one eye open roseneath.
Richmond has grown considerably over the last 10 years. New apartments, restaurants, cafes and, of course, more dental offices have appeared all over Broad Street and around the West End. While this growth provides patients with more options and shorter wait times, it also makes choosing a dentist feel surprisingly difficult—like picking a Netflix show from an overwhelming number of choices.
Start by asking yourself what your individual needs are. A chipped filling and a complete smile makeover require different areas of expertise. There are numerous dentists in the area who specialize in cosmetic dentistry, veneers, whitening and other aspects of an "Hollywood smile". Other family dentists in the Richmond area focus on more everyday procedures, like routine cleanings, fillings and care for anxious children, in a comfortable setting.
Obviously, what is covered by your insurance plan is also worth checking. It's a mix in the area between dental practices that accept insurance plans including Delta Dental, Cigna and Medicaid and offices that may only accept cash or specific PPO insurance plans. Call ahead; never assume your insurance is accepted.
Proximity is a bigger deal than people say. The best dentist out in Short Pump may end up serving you little purpose if you spend forever in traffic on I-64 trying to get to your scheduled appointments. The location of the practice relative to your home or workplace, or even your child's school, can significantly affect your actual appointment rate.
Reviews may be an additional reference point when selecting a dentist, but you have to read them carefully. Practices receiving hundreds of five-star reviews and negative feedback primarily about scheduling and long wait times may or may not reflect the full story. No practice is perfect, and how a practice handles criticism can provide valuable insight into the patient experience.
This sentiment about dental practices in Richmond—often described as "low pressure"—is consistent. I heard more about Richmond practices that don't rely on the high-pressure upselling typical in many metropolitan-area practices during this period than anything else about dental professionals in the West End, just to be precise.