Most people pick a dentist from a recommendation, an insurance list or a map search. Those are reasonable places to start. California also offers free public tools that most patients never use, and they answer questions a review site can’t: whether a dentist is licensed, whether the license has been disciplined, and what you are entitled to before a filling is placed. This guide covers those tools and how to use them.
Step 1: Confirm the license
Every dentist practicing in California must be licensed by the Dental Board of California. You can check any license through the Department of Consumer Affairs’ online License Search. Search by name or license number. According to the department, each record shows whether a license is current or expired and whether it has been subject to disciplinary action.
Look at three things:
- Status. A license should be current and active.
- Discipline. If the record notes disciplinary action, read any linked documents, or contact the Board, to learn what happened and when. A past, resolved matter means something different from an active probation.
- The name match. Make sure the person you will see matches the record. Many offices operate under a business name, so search by the dentist’s own name.
The Dental Board also publishes “Hot Sheets,” summaries of its enforcement actions, on its consumer pages.
Step 2: Check the rest of the team
The dentist is not the only licensed person who may treat you. Registered dental assistants (RDAs) and RDAs in extended functions are licensed by the Dental Board and appear in the same search. Dental hygienists, including registered dental hygienists in alternative practice, who can provide some services in homes, schools and care facilities, are licensed by a separate agency, the Dental Hygiene Board of California. That board has its own verification and complaint pages.
Step 3: Understand “specialist”
General dentists provide most routine care. If you need a specialist, it helps to know what the term covers. The National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards, set up by the American Dental Association, recognizes 12 dental specialties:
- Dental anesthesiology
- Dental public health
- Endodontics (root canals)
- Oral and maxillofacial pathology
- Oral and maxillofacial radiology
- Oral and maxillofacial surgery
- Oral medicine
- Orofacial pain
- Orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics
- Pediatric dentistry
- Periodontics (gums)
- Prosthodontics (crowns, bridges, dentures, implants)
A general dentist may also offer some of these services. It is reasonable to ask where a dentist trained for a specific procedure and how often they perform it.
Step 4: Know what you are entitled to
California law gives patients a specific right before restorative work. Under Business and Professions Code section 1648.15, a dentist must give new patients and patients of record the Dental Board’s Dental Materials Fact Sheet before dental restoration work. Patients sign to acknowledge receipt, and a copy goes in their record. A dentist must also provide the fact sheet whenever a patient asks for it. Under section 1648.10, the sheet compares the risks, benefits and costs of the different kinds of filling and restorative materials. It is also meant to encourage patients and dentists to discuss the options. If you are about to have a filling or crown and haven’t seen it, ask.
Step 5: If you have Medi-Cal
Medi-Cal Dental is a large program. The California Dental Association says it covers half of the state’s children and one-third of its adults. Finding a participating dentist can take work: a March 2026 UCSF Healthforce Center brief reports that only about 15 percent of California dentists saw more than 100 adult Medi-Cal patients in 2019.
The state’s listing for finding a Medi-Cal dentist points to the Smile, California “Find a Dentist” tool and the Medi-Cal Dental phone line, 800-322-6384. Call the office before you go to confirm it is accepting new Medi-Cal patients.
Medi-Cal Dental funding and some adult benefits are scheduled to change on July 1, 2027, unless the Legislature acts. Families who rely on the program should watch for notices from the Department of Health Care Services.
Step 6: If you live in a shortage area
Access varies a lot across the state. At the close of 2025, California had 565 federally designated dental health professional shortage areas, and almost 3 million people lived in them, according to the UCSF brief. Most of these designations are at facilities, usually federally qualified health centers that serve Medi-Cal patients. In those areas, a community health center may be the most practical option for regular care.
Step 7: Questions to ask on the first call
- Are you accepting new patients with my insurance or plan?
- Who will I see, the dentist or a hygienist, and for which parts of the visit?
- Will I get a written treatment plan with costs before any work begins?
- For a larger procedure, how often does the dentist do it, and would a specialist be involved?
- What happens if I have a problem after hours?
If something goes wrong
The Dental Board accepts complaints about dentists and registered dental assistants online through the state’s BreEZe system or by mail. The Board can take disciplinary action against licensees. It cannot resolve fee or billing disputes, insurance coverage disputes, or requests for refunds or compensation, and it does not act on complaints about rudeness. For billing issues, the Board suggests contacting the office or your insurer, or getting legal advice. If you are in a dental HMO, the Board directs plan-related complaints to the Department of Managed Health Care at 1-800-400-0815.
The Board also investigates reports of people practicing dentistry without a license. If it finds enough evidence, it refers the case to the local district attorney.
Sources
- California Department of Consumer Affairs, License Search
- Dental Board of California, Consumers
- Dental Board of California, Complaint Information
- Dental Hygiene Board of California
- National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards, Recognized Dental Specialties
- California Business and Professions Code section 1648.15
- California Business and Professions Code section 1648.10
- CA.gov, Find a Dentist (Department of Health Care Services listing)
- California Dental Association, “Medi-Cal Dental funding protected for another year in new state budget” (June 29, 2026)
- Davis M, Mertz E. “The California Oral Health Workforce: Deficits and Opportunities.” Healthforce Center at UCSF, March 2026
