Editorial policy

This directory exists to help people in Los Angeles choose a dentist with real information instead of marketing. That only works if you can see exactly how the sausage is made, so here is the whole process, on the record.

Where the data comes from

Clinic profiles are built from each practice's public Google Business listing: name, address, phone, hours, star rating, review count and map location. Doctor names come from two public sources only, the practice's own listing name and patients naming their dentist in public reviews. We never guess a doctor onto a practice; every name on a doctor page traces back to one of those mentions, and each page says which.

How review summaries are written

The "what patients say" paragraph on each profile is generated from recurring themes across public Google reviews, gentleness, wait times, billing clarity, the treatments patients name. Summaries paraphrase; they never copy review text. When patients quote a review directly, it is labeled as a Google review excerpt. If a complaint repeats often enough to be a pattern, the summary says so, a summary that only flatters is advertising, not information. Star ratings are shown only where a rating actually exists; we never attach an invented star count to a quote.

Medical review

Blog guides that make clinical claims are marked "Medically reviewed by" a named dentist when that review has happened, with the reviewer shown on the article. Articles without that badge are journalism about costs, logistics and choosing care, not clinical advice. Nothing on this site replaces an examination by a licensed dentist.

Paid placements

Practices can pay for placement. Every paid position is labeled where it appears , "Sponsored" on sponsored slots, "Featured" on featured listings, and payment never changes a practice's rating, review summary or position in rating-sorted lists. Advertising and editorial are separate decisions made by separate rules.

Corrections

Ratings, hours and staff change. When a practice or reader reports an error, we verify against the public listing and correct it; substantive corrections carry a note. Practices can claim their profile to fix details directly, and anyone can report an error.

Who writes this

Guides are researched and written by the Dent Directory editorial team using current LA price data, the public sources cited at the end of each article, and interviews where noted. Automated summaries are reviewed before top pages ship, generated content is flagged internally until a human has passed over it.