Whether you are new to the city or just looking for a new dentist, finding the right dentist can be a daunting task.
The first thing is finding a dentist.
Word of mouth is one of the best ways to find a great dentist.
Try asking friends and family for recommendations.
However, if you have just moved from out of town or don't have any family in the area, this may not be an option.
Alternatively, there are a lot of good resources on the internet to find one that is conveniently located near your home or workplace.
Such sites like Yelp and Google, all provide accurate geographical based searches for dental clinics in Vancouver, BC.
Dental Clinics in Vancouver tend to be located in large shopping centres or strip malls around residential areas.
Vancouver has an abundant number of offices to choose from so finding a dental office shouldn't be hard to find.
Granville and the Broadway Corridor are both areas that have a lot of dental offices and are conveniently located close to a skytrain station.
Chances are there will be at least one dental office located at any of the close shopping centres or strip malls near your home or workplace.
Once you have a few Vancouver dentists in mind, you may want to ensure that the dentist is indeed qualified.
In Canada, there are 10 educational institutions that grant degrees in dentistry.
These are the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Manitoba, the University of Western Ontario, the University of Toronto, Universite de Montreal, McGill University, Universite Laval and Dalhousie University.
A quick search for the dentist on the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia website should suffice.
The College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia is the provincial regulatory body for dentists in BC including dentists in Vancouver.
All dentists which are licensed to practice in Vancouver will have a listing providing their qualifications, registration status and any specializations they may have.
It will also include their locations that they are practicing at.
If you are looking to get special dental work done, it is best to look for a dentist that has the correct specialization.
Dentists may get specializations in the following areas: Dental Public Health, Dental Sciences, Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, Prosthodontics.
For example, if you are looking to get braces, you will want to look for someone that has specialized in Orthodontics.
However, even if dentists have the right qualifications, they may not be the right one for you.
Reviews are a great way to get a second independent opinion.
There are many review sites that provide informative patient experiences but remember to always take reviews with a grain of salt.
A good site to visit would be RateMds which has a focus on medical practitioners in large Canadian cities such as Vancouver.
Finally, some dentists have a Facebook and Twitter account for their practice.
Social networks are becoming popular with dentists to help facilitate communication with their patients.
Looking at posts and comments on their Facebook pages can help you gauge what others think about the dentist.