How do I find the
best dentist for my child?

Here’s some insight to hopefully help you in choosing the best dentist for your child:

1. Pediatric Dentist versus General (Family) Dentist: There is a real difference between a pediatric dentist who has acquired years of additional formal training, caring for kids and has the specialized experience to do what your child may need many more times than a typical general dentist.
2. Type of Education: There are about 50 different pediatric residency programs and not all of them provide the same quality of education. Yet, it's quite difficult for a parent to know the quality of education their pediatric dentist has received. But, being a Board Certified pediatric dentist is a simpler way to know and verify that your pediatric dentist continues to keep their academic skills sharp while staying board certified. 
3. Technology versus Age: Younger dentists will typically be more uptodate on recent techniques and their office (if actually owned by them) will be newer and more technologically advanced. Younger pediatric dentists may also have a bit more patience with kids. The older providers will typically have diagnosed way more (less likely to make a mistake) and will have less turn over in their staff. That may mean better continuity of care.
4. Reputation: Referrals are key. Your friends and neighbors may be your best referral sources. If someone has a child or a scenario similar to yours and can vouch for a specific pediatric dentist, this is usually the best indicator of how your experience will be.
5. Professional Recommendations: You can also ask your child’s pediatrician, pharmacist or your own dentist for recommendations
6. Reviews: Online reviews can help but beware. There are so many different online review sites (google, facebook, rateabiz, angie's list…etc),  and none more popular than Yelp.  Read more than one source as some of these sites are paid to play (directly or indirectly), including the biggest of them. They will often contact the dental office and if the office does not accept their offer to advertise (or they advertise and cancel after several months), the good reviews disappear and bad reviews appear.
7. Team Experience: If you have a child with special needs, look for a pediatric dentist who is compassionate and patient. Ask if the dentist and staff have experience handling anxious children in difficult situations. Does the kids dentist have hospital privileges and experience? If an autistic child has a lot of dental work needs, they may need to be treated in a hospital setting.