Dental Care Raleigh
If you’re looking for dental care in Raleigh, North Carolina because you are relocating to this area, here is information that may be helpful in determining the best dentist to provide the level of care most appropriate for you and your family.
Dental Care in Raleigh – How Accessible Is It?
Dental care in Raleigh is much more accessible than it is in many other parts of North Carolina. Raleigh is located in Wake County, NC. Wake County is one of eight North Carolina counties with dentist-to-patient ratios that exceed the national average. On the other hand, North Carolina as a whole ranks 47th in the nation in terms of dentist-to-patient ratios. In spite of the state’s low ranking for dental care availability, Raleigh residents have great access compared to the rest of the United States. The 2008 census figures for Raleigh, when combined with the June 2009 figures from the North Carolina Dental Board, show that access to dental care in Raleigh is about one per 1350 residents. [Information source for NC and Wake County rankings: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Carolina_University_Dental_School]
Dental Care in Raleigh – What About Quality?
The number and quality of options for dental care in Raleigh are influenced by the presence of the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry in nearby Chapel Hill, NC. Raleigh and neighboring cities and counties have great access to dental care, thanks in large part to the presence of graduates of this school. Present since 1954, the UNC School of Dentistry is nationally recognized as an outstanding school for both education and research. The prestigious school admits 81 students to its DDS (doctorate of Dental Surgery) program each year. Of those candidate admissions, 80% are in-state and 20% are out-of-state.
[Information source: http://www.dent.unc.edu/academic/programs/dds/faqs.cfm]
While U.S. schools of dentistry have no official rankings (like law and medical schools have), UNC has typically been one of the top contenders on “unofficial” lists. [Information source: http://www.galttech.com/research/education/best-dental-school.php] The respect across the nation for the UNC School of Dentistry further validates the quality of dental care available in Raleigh from graduates of that school
Dental Care in Raleigh, NC – What Types Are Available?
The North Carolina Dental Board is the regulatory board for dentists practicing in Raleigh and all of North Carolina. Its mission is to “ensure that the dental profession merit and receive the confidence of the public and that only qualified persons be permitted to practice dentistry and dental hygiene in the state of North Carolina.” The North Carolina Dental Society is a professional member organization whose mission is “to encourage the improvement of the oral health of the public, to promote the art and science of dentistry and encourage the maintenance of high standards of professional competence and practice, and to represent the interests of the members of the dental profession and the public which it serves.” Membership in the professional organization is not mandatory; however, the North Carolina Dental Society provides figures that give some insight into the distribution of different types of providers of dental care in Raleigh. Raleigh members include dental care providers in these commonly used categories:
- General Practice: 142
- Orthodontists: 17
- Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery: 11
- Endodontists: 9
- Pediatrics: 8
- Periodontists: 7
North Carolina Dental Board data from June 2009 showed that 264 dentists in Raleigh were licensed to practice General Dentistry.
Dental Care in Raleigh, NC – Emerging Trends
The provision of dental care in Raleigh is beginning to change, thanks to the progressive thinking of one graduate of the UNC School of Dentistry. This change involves the convenient availability of a broad range of dental care services under a single roof. With the appropriate training, a general practice dentist is able to provide a broader range of dental care services – a concept some refer to as Comprehensive Dentistry. In some cases, the dentist’s training and skill set may be broad enough to also include Cosmetic Dentistry services.
This emerging model for dental care in Raleigh has several advantages. The dentist most familiar with the patient’s dental care and personal preferences can provide most of the patient’s services in a familiar environment. The familiar environment can help to eliminate some of the anxiety that certain patients experience when they are referred elsewhere for specialized dental care services. (Do be aware that general dentists who provide the broader range of dental services will refer very complex cases to appropriate dental care counterparts who focus on only one very specific dental care issue, and whose skills may be necessary in those particular situations.)
By using the North Carolina Dental Society’s figures for providers of dental care in Raleigh as an approximate indicator of the proportion of dental care specialists in Raleigh, you can begin to see the advantage this emerging trend provides for timely treatment of routine, specialized dental care services (such as periodontal treatments, extracting wisdom teeth, and orthodontics). However, most general practice dentists in Raleigh do not offer this wide spectrum of services. Any provider of dental care in Raleigh should be able to explain the range of services they make available to you. You may also want to inquire about the specific credentials of the dentist(s), and whether the practice is accredited to perform sedation dentistry. With the popularity of sedation dentistry on the rise, the N.C. Dental Board recently enacted new requirements to ensure patient safety. While the number of accredited providers of sedation dentistry in Raleigh remains relatively low, the service is available
Qualified general dentists are helping to provide more timely access to non-routine dental care services in Raleigh that are important to good overall dental health and can improve your appearance. These unique providers of dental care in Raleigh have invested in additional specialized training for the benefit and convenience of their patients. An added patient benefit is that there is rarely a need to have your dental care records transferred to another dental care provider.
