Giving your dentist a checkup

When searching, ideally the web site will fine-tune what you want from a dentist, and will provide several suitable options to choose from, in your desired geographic area, his or her age, qualifications and graduation year.

After navigating the site you should be offered a list of local dentists: their menu of services, years in the job, prices, and consumer feedback. The dentists themselves might include a short biography of themselves as well. This will help you save time looking for a dentist, comparing dentists and saving you money.

As much as I hate visiting the dentist, I know that delaying treatment can end up costing more in the long run or allow my condition to worsen beyond repair. And that in the absence of NIB’s database, I would never move to another dentist as it’s too hard to establish who’s good and who’s lousy. At least for me. The sad fact is I have wanted to swap dentists for three years and I haven’t.

Part of the web site experience with NIB, I am sure, is that while the site aims to empower me, my interaction is vital. NIB would like me - and I think it only courteous – to return to the site after I receive treatment and leave a review of the dental surgery, the dentist, and dental hygienist who treated me.

After I return home, I’ll accurately determine if I am satisfied and comfortable with my new dentist. For example, did the dentist see me in a timely manner? Was the exam thorough? Did he or she address all of my concerns and follow up with any possible complications or questions I had? Was I over serviced? Was I for instance, unnecessarily x-rayed? Did the dentist leave the job, no matter how big or small, undone so as to have me return at a later date and clearly charge me again? Will I return? Will I recommend him or her to others?

As well as being able to write about my experience, I should state whether the bill was fully covered by my health fund and if not then how much was the out of pocket expenses and I will have to award the practice marks with one being the lowest and ten the highest. This will allow future website visitors to benefit from my experience.

Of course NIB’s whitecoat.com.au is not only for patients, but dentists and surgeries too. Whitecoat will surely want to help dentists generate new business. Regular media reports indicate that many Australians are foregoing oral care due to price or poor education. Surely easier access to the high standard of dentistry in the marketplace plus educative online articles on the benefits of better oral care should raise public confidence, battle dental phobia, inform price conscious consumers, and point out new dentists practicing close to a consumer’s home.

The purpose of Whitecoat is to empower consumers of health care services. Its objective is to inject transparency into the public’s decision-making process. By finding quality ratings, cost information and in-depth profiles of the nation's 200,000 ancillary health care providers, NIB will be providing the public with a service about the most relevant of goods on the market today: our health.

And not before time.