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Find-a-Dentist Resources
Here's a list of dentist reviews and ratings sites, find-a-dentist sites, and helplines which can help find a dentist who is good with nervous patients. We list useful sites from all over the world (including the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere), so please contact us with suggestions.
If you would like to recommend your dentist, you can do so on our dentist recommendations board!
Please read our Finding the Right Dentist page before choosing a dentist.
General Information
Overcoming Dental Anxiety Factsheet This factsheet contains good advice on how to find a supportive dentist.
Tell me about... Finding a Dentist Good advice on finding a dentist (including NHS dentists), geared towards UK patients.
Dentists recommended by phobic patients (worldwide)
Dental Fear Central's Dentist Finder Our very own find-a-dentist database. Please don't forgot to add your recommendations :-)!
Beyond Fear Database Inclusion on this list does not indicate any recommendation unless the dentist has been an awarded an "Extra Smile Award".
In the UK and Ireland
How to get dental treatment on the NHS While we would recommend paying for private treatment if at all possible (due to dentists having more time for you and using better materials), financially (or ideologically) this may not be an option for you. This excellent BBC action network guide to getting dental treatment on the NHS. Also contains a section on the Community Dental Service, which is tasked to provide services to severe dental phobic patients and those with agoraphobia (however, in many areas, waiting times can be rather lengthy. Contact your local health authority for more information).
British Dental Association - Find A Dentist Search engine which allows searching for BDA-registered dentists in your area. The enhanced search allows specification of options such as treatment of phobic patients or special needs. Warning: this feature doesn't always work.
Yell.com Search for dentists in your area. Lots and lots of practice links.
Money Saving Expert - Local Forums Lots of users means lots of responses... ask for recommended dentists in your area here and you'll most likely get some responses.
Britain's biggest helpshop - Ask Your Neighbour Here you can ask for personal recommendations for dentists in your area (if this doesn't yield any results, you can also check if there are other internet message boards for your area).
Denplan Dentist Search Find a Denplan or Denplan Excel dentist - also contains links to practice websites.
Dental Guide UK and Ireland Click on "Dental Practice Websites" to find websites sorted by county. Even though advertising for dental practices is prohibited in Ireland, a few are listed...
General Dental Council Search Any dentist who practices dentistry in the UK has to be registered with the GDC. This site allows to search the register by name, and provides information such as when and where the dentist qualified.
NHS England - Find a Dentist You can search for NHS dentists in England here, and see who accepts new NHS patients.
NHS Scotland Search for your nearest dentist. This site also links to local authority areas, which in turn links to dentists... quite a mess, really! If you're in the Highlands, call the Dental Helpline instead (and mention that you're phobic): 0845 6442271. Or ask on our message board (Scotland seems to be our lucky place...)
NHS Dentist Search Wales Search for dentists in Wales.
NHS Northern Ireland - How to Find a Dentist Not much info here... but if you're looking for a dentist in Bangor, post on our message board!
Irish Dental Association 4 out of 5 dentists in Ireland are members of the Irish Dental Association, whose website also features a dentist search engine. While not much information can be gleaned, dentists' e-mail addresses are listed.
In the US
Dr. Oogle This is a site for patients to post their own reviews/accounts of their experiences with general dentists and specialists and to provide others with rankings and recommendations. Dentist recommendations exist for many US cities, however, you'll need to pay $12.95 for accessing the actual reviews - unless you contribute a review, in which case it's free.
Consumer's Checkbook This costs $15, but might be worth the investment. You can download consumers' reports of dentists, complete with ratings and comments, for the following areas: San Francisco Bay Area, Puget Sound area, Twin Cities area, Chicago area, Boston area, Delaware area, and Washington DC area. Under "Health and Healthcare" on the homepage, follow the "Dentists" link, then pick your region.
Yahoo! Local You can now rate and review dentists on Yahoo! Local (or read other people's reviews).
Dentalfear.com Dentists Dentalfear.com dentists have passed a ten chapter course on dental fears and phobias. Use with caution - not all dentists listed here have received positive feedback.
Craigslist - Health and Healing You can also try asking for recommendations on craigslist, or if there are any community message boards for your area, ask people for recommendations there.
Insiderpages.com Described as "The Yellow Pages Written By Friends", this network allows people to write reviews about everything, including dentists, in their area. Worth checking out.
RateMDs.com A site with ratings and reviews of medical professionals, including dentists (look for specialty: dentistry).
Superpages.Com Dentists Some of the dentists listed will have practice websites. Search by State or City/Town.
Locateadoc.com Search for over 160,000 Doctors, Dentists, and Chiropractors. You can read recommendations (or submit your own).
ADA - Find a Dentist Search for ADA member dentists.
Is your dentist safe? Find a dentist's credentials and see if s/he's been disciplined by your state licensing board. Not sure if this site is up-to-date.
Low-cost or Free Dental Care:
ToothWoman.net Non-profit corporation helping people find low cost and free dental care. Excellent resource.
Free dental care for elderly, disabled, and medically compromised adults Find Donated Dental Services in your area. By the National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped.
Dental Schools in the United States Links to dental schools in the United States. If cost is an issue, these are worth checking out. Quality is generally high, but treatment may drag on for quite a while.
Give Back a Smile If you are a survivor of domestic violence, you may be able to receive free cosmetic dental care as part of the "Give Back a Smile" program.
In Canada
Directory of Canadian Dentists Not particularly comprehensive, but provides links to dental office websites.
Listings Canada Links to dental practice websites. Select your region, select your community, under "community services", select "dentists".
RateMDs.com Canada A site with ratings and reviews of medical professionals, including dentists (look for specialty: dentistry).
In Australia
Australian Dental Association - Find a Dentist Search by keyword, specialty, location, or name.
Elsewhere
Zahnarzt Angst Liste A database of dentists recommended by anxious patients covering Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
Zahnarzt Empfehlungen A dentist search engine based on recommendations (Germany).