Frequently Asked Questions

Use the search bar on the homepage or the search page. You can type a dentist's name, a practice name, a city, a zip code, or a specialty like "pediatric dentist." We'll return every matching practice from our database of 148,000+ dental offices.

The Vitals Score is a 0–100 rating that measures a practice's digital readiness and modernity. It factors in technology adoption (digital X-rays, CEREC, intraoral cameras), online booking availability, patient portal features, and web presence quality. A higher score means a more modern, digitally advanced practice.

You can request an appointment directly from any practice's profile page. The request is sent to the practice, and they'll follow up to confirm. In the future, practices with online booking tools will show real-time availability.

Yes — completely free, with no hidden fees, no sign-up required, and no data sold to third parties. DentalVitals generates revenue from dental practice owners who use our PRO tools to manage and enhance their profiles. Patient search will always be free.

No. You can search for dentists, view practice profiles, and request appointments without creating an account. There's nothing to sign up for as a patient.

We aggregate publicly available data from the NPI (National Provider Identifier) registry, practice website analysis, Google Business Profiles, and technology fingerprinting. No private patient data is ever used or stored.

Practice profiles are refreshed on a rolling basis. Core data like NPI records, Google ratings, and technology detection are updated regularly. If you spot outdated information, you can report it through our contact page.

No. Search results are ranked by relevance to your query — not by who pays. Practice owners can claim their profile and add details through DentalVitals PRO, but this does not influence search rankings or Vitals Scores.

If you notice incorrect information on a practice profile, please let us know through our contact page. Practice owners can also claim their profile to update their details directly.

We track over 50 data points including digital X-rays, CEREC same-day crowns, intraoral cameras, 3D imaging (CBCT), laser dentistry, online booking systems, patient portals, practice management software, and digital engagement tools.

ZocDoc focuses on real-time booking and insurance matching. DentalVitals focuses on data transparency — we show you the technology a practice uses, their modernity score, digital readiness, and operational details that ZocDoc doesn't surface. Both are useful for different reasons.

Healthgrades primarily aggregates patient reviews and provider credentials. DentalVitals goes deeper — we analyze practice technology stacks, digital readiness, modernity scoring, and operational data that Healthgrades doesn't provide.

Google reviews tell you how patients feel, but not what technology the practice uses, how modern their equipment is, or whether they offer online booking. DentalVitals combines Google review data with technology insights, modernity scores, and operational details for a complete picture.

Not yet — but DentalVitals is fully responsive and works great on mobile browsers. A dedicated app is on our roadmap for the future.