Which Central Valley cities have the most specialist types?

Fresno, Bakersfield, Merced have the widest mix of the five dental specialties tracked in this report.

What does a dash in the table mean?

A dash means we found no dentist with that specialty in the current federal records for that city. It does not prove that no local dentist offers the service.

Are these counts dentists or dental offices?

They are individual dentists in the federal provider registry. One office may have several dentists, and one dentist may practice at more than one location.

Central Valley · 2026-09-19

Where to find dental specialists in the Central Valley

Compare pediatric dentists, orthodontists, oral surgeons, gum specialists, and root canal specialists listed in federal records. Updated 2026-09-19.

The widest mix of listed dental specialists is in Fresno, Bakersfield, Merced.

We found no dentist in the five tracked specialist categories for Gustine, Winton, Dos Palos, Los Banos, Chowchilla, Atwater, Livingston, Planada. That means no match appeared in this federal dataset; it does not prove that no specialist practices there.

City comparison

Cities with listed dental specialists

Cities with the widest recorded choice appear first. These are individual dentists, not dental offices, and the records do not show appointment availability.

Fresno

Fresno County

543

All dentists listed

Pediatric: 5
Orthodontists: 32
Oral surgeons: 4
Periodontists: 12
Endodontists: 19
Types represented: 6/6

Bakersfield

Kern County

392

All dentists listed

Pediatric: 3
Orthodontists: 22
Oral surgeons: 1
Periodontists: 5
Endodontists: 8
Types represented: 6/6

Merced

Merced County

All dentists listed

Pediatric: 2
Orthodontists: 6
Oral surgeons: 1
Periodontists: 2
Endodontists: 1
Types represented: 6/6

Modesto

Stanislaus County

272

All dentists listed

Pediatric: 1
Orthodontists: 15
Oral surgeons: Local offices
Periodontists: 3
Endodontists: 7
Types represented: 5/6

Stockton

San Joaquin County

265

All dentists listed

Pediatric: 1
Orthodontists: 17
Oral surgeons: —
Periodontists: 2
Endodontists: 6
Types represented: 5/6

Visalia

Tulare County

169

All dentists listed

Pediatric: —
Orthodontists: 12
Oral surgeons: 1
Periodontists: 3
Endodontists: 4
Types represented: 4/6

Turlock

Stanislaus County

All dentists listed

Pediatric: —
Orthodontists: 6
Oral surgeons: —
Periodontists: 1
Endodontists: 2
Types represented: 3/6

Madera

Madera County

All dentists listed

Pediatric: —
Orthodontists: 3
Oral surgeons: —
Periodontists: —
Endodontists: —
Types represented: 1/6

Area	All dentists listed	Pediatric	Orthodontists	Oral surgery	Periodontists	Endodontists	Specialist types
Fresno Fresno County	543	5	32	4	12	19	6/6
Bakersfield Kern County	392	3	22	1	5	8	6/6
Merced Merced County	96	2	6	1	2	1	6/6
Modesto Stanislaus County	272	1	15	View offices	3	7	5/6
Stockton San Joaquin County	265	1	17	—	2	6	5/6
Visalia Tulare County	169	—	12	1	3	4	4/6
Turlock Stanislaus County	91	—	6	—	1	2	3/6
Madera Madera County	84	—	3	—	—	—	1/6

A dash means no dentist with that specialty appeared in the current federal records for that city. “View offices” links appear only where the separate practice directory has enough matching local listings.

Common questions

Understanding the specialist counts

How to read the city comparison before choosing an office.

Which Central Valley cities have the most specialist types?: Fresno, Bakersfield, Merced have the widest mix of the five dental specialties tracked in this report.
What does a dash in the table mean?: A dash means we found no dentist with that specialty in the current federal records for that city. It does not prove that no local dentist offers the service.
Are these counts dentists or dental offices?: They are individual dentists in the federal provider registry. One office may have several dentists, and one dentist may practice at more than one location.

About the numbers

Where these numbers come from

A dentist, a dental office, a Medi-Cal location, and a license are not the same thing. Each card below names the local count and what it means.

Federal provider registry

5,452

Dentists listed in Central Valley cities

The city-by-city counts used in these reports · As of 2026-09-19

Medi-Cal Dental file

5,731

Enrolled dental locations

Butte County, Colusa County, Fresno County, Glenn County, Kern County, Kings County, Madera County, Merced County, Placer County, Sacramento County, San Joaquin County, Shasta County, Solano County, Stanislaus County, Sutter County, Tehama County, Tulare County, Yolo County, Yuba County · As of 2025-09-18

Dental Board licenses

4,061

Local dentists with a current California license match

Dentists in the Central Valley city data above · As of 2026-08-22

Federal shortage areas

Local offices with an exact current match

Exact facility or full-county matches only · As of 2026-08-22

Practice directory

1,593

Published Central Valley office pages

Office listings, separate from individual dentists · As of 2026-10-02

Browse dentists in nearby Central Valley cities

Start with a local directory, then confirm the specialty, insurance, and appointment availability with the office.

Dentists in Fresno Dentists in Bakersfield Dentists in Merced Dentists in Modesto Dentists in Stockton Browse all cities

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