Editorial policy

DentistsReviews is an independent online directory of U.S. dentists and dental specialists. This page explains where our information comes from, how listings are built, how we make money, how we use automation and how you can ask for a correction.

Where our data comes from

• Provider listings – the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) NPI registry, published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). We use the provider or practice name, credential, dental taxonomy (specialty), practice location address, phone number and the date the NPI was first issued.
• City population – U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 population estimates. We use them only to show how many listed providers there are per 10,000 residents.
• Health centers and shortage areas – the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), for federally funded health centers and Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas.
• Cost of living – U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities, used only as a general cost-of-living indicator. We do not publish dental prices.

Pages that use these datasets name the source and the data year next to the figures.

How listings are built

Every provider in the NPI registry with a dental taxonomy and a U.S. practice address gets a listing under the state and city of that address. The specialty shown is the primary taxonomy in the registry. We do not rank providers by payment or by any score: lists are sorted alphabetically. Map pins show the approximate area of the ZIP code, not the exact entrance.

The registry does not include opening hours, accepted insurance, Medicaid participation, languages or prices, so we do not show them unless the practice itself provides them. A listing is not an endorsement or a quality rating.

Reviews and ratings

We never write, buy or edit reviews, and we never invent ratings. A listing without reviews says so.

How we make money

The site is supported by display advertising. There is no paid placement: a practice cannot pay to appear higher in a list, and advertisers have no say over listings or articles. Claiming a listing is free.

Automation and AI

Directory pages are generated by software from the public datasets above, so a sentence such as “12 of them are registered for orthodontics” is computed from the data, not written by hand. Some explanatory text on the site was drafted with the help of AI writing tools and checked against the sources we cite. Our articles are general information, are not reviewed by a dentist and are not medical advice; please talk to a licensed dental professional about your own situation.

How often we update

Registry data is reloaded from NPPES periodically; the current snapshot was imported in October 2026. Changes a provider makes in the NPI registry appear here after the next reload. Information a practice sends us directly is checked and usually added within a few business days.

Corrections

If something is wrong – a moved office, a retired dentist, a wrong specialty – please tell us through our contact form. Practices can also claim their listing for free to add hours, insurance and photos. Note that the NPI registry is the official record: providers can update their own entry at NPPES, and we will pick up the change on our next reload. Looking for affordable care instead? See low-cost dental care.