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toothlocal

How we know

Every statement on toothlocal comes from a public source we can point to. Here is what we use and how we check it.

Sources

  • Public business listings and 24.7 million patient reviews (Sep 2026).
  • The practices' own websites: services, prices, insurance named, languages (Sep 2026).
  • State dental boards: licence status, first licence date, sedation permits (Texas; Illinois licence status).
  • The NPI registry: which dentists work where. A dentist is shown only when their full name also appears on the practice's own website or listing.
  • Insure Kids Now (US Department of Health and Human Services): Medicaid and CHIP dental plans for children (updated Jul 2026).

What patients say

We count themes (for example “gentle hands” or “explains everything”) across every review with a written text, then check each theme by reading samples of the matching reviews. A theme is shown only if at least 9 in 10 of the reviews we read are really about it.

Counts on a page are the number of that practice's reviews that mention the theme. Quotes are copied as written.

Ratings

We show ratings as floors, such as “4.5+ stars in 500+ reviews”, rather than exact scores that change daily.

What we do not show

  • Whether a practice is accepting new patients: listings are often out of date. Call to ask.
  • Names we cannot confirm: a dentist linked only by address or phone is not shown.
  • Insurance networks: insurers named on a practice's website are listed as such, not as a network check.

Updates

We refresh listings, reviews, websites and public records every quarter. Each page shows its sources and dates.