How to choose a great dentist?

How to find a top Long Island dentist is easier than you think.  For the best results, it is important to know the qualifications, educational background and experience of the treating dentist. Choose a dentist who stays current by taking Continuing Education courses on a regular basis. Recently NY State (NYS) has mandated that dentists take 40 hours of continuing dental education over  a there year period.  This amounts to only one weekend course a year!

The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) was founded on the laurels of continuing dental educatioin.  Its members are required to take a minimum of 75 hours of CE every three years to maintain their membership. This is almost double of NYS requirments.  In addition the AGD has a Fellowship and Mastership award. The Fellowship Award id  given to dentists who have taken 600 hours of CE and passed a written examination that test their dental knowledge.  The Mastership Award is given to those who have attained the Fellowship in the AGD and have taken an additional 1,100 hours of CE , 400 of which are in hands on courses. If you want to be treated by a dentists who stays current with the rapidly evolving field of dentistry a member, Fellow or Master of the AGD is a safe bet.
Do not be too impressed when dentists belong to many dental organizations. Since to be a member requires only a check for membership dues. (with the exception of the AGD). 
Look for a clean dental office The cleanliness of the bathroom speaks volumes about the general cleanliness of a dental office (as well as a restaurant).
Find a dental office with equipment that does not look outdated. Dentistry is a rapidly evolving field. you want to be treated by a dentist that offers the latest advances in dental care.  Advances such as Lasers, CEREC, cone-beam 3-D digital scanners, intraoral video cameras, decay detecting lasers, surgical microscopes, magnification loupes, digital x-rays, and needle free injections are just some of the recent innovations in dental care.
The term "cosmetic dentistry" has become trendy and many dentists are promoting themselves as cosmetic dentists. At this time, cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty (like oral surgery or orthodontics, for example). However, it is a discipline of dentistry that requires a thorough knowledge of science and an artistic eye. Ask your dentist about his or her training in this area. Since cosmetic dentistry is not taught in dental school ask about the dentist's continuing education courses and experience. A very effective way to understand your dentist's skills is asking to see "before and after" photographs of their actual work. Many dentists buy stock photo albums with work done by other dentists as an “example” of their work or pass it off as their own work. So ask if the pictures you are looking at are actual treatments performed by the dentist.
To learn more about State of the Art Comfort Dentistry and Dr. Shvartsman just click on the names.