Best Dentists in Dunedin

We assessed 27 dentists in Dunedin and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 727 Google reviews between them. No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Last updated 22 October 2026. How we rank

Top 5 Dentists in Dunedin

The top 5 dentists in Dunedin are #1 Chew Dental, #2 Bell Hill Dental, #3 Pitt Street Dental, #4 Dunedin Dental, and #5 Dental Care Dunedin, ranked by Top5 Score.

  • 1

    Chew Dental

    ★ 4.8 118 reviews Score 163 -1
    Highest
    5★ 112 3★ 2 1★ 4

    Chew Dental draws a steady stream of dental-anxious patients who leave willing to book again, covering routine care, wisdom tooth surgery, and implant consultations.

    2 Jenkins Street, Green Island, Dunedin

    Call 03 425 0006 Map Is this your business?
  • 2

    Bell Hill Dental

    ★ 4.9 84 reviews Score 160 -1
    3.1 behind
    5★ 82 1★ 2

    Bell Hill Dental gets anxious and long-lapsed patients through fillings, extractions, root canals, and tooth repairs without pain, often on the same day they call.

    109 Princes Street, Central Dunedin, Dunedin

    Call 03 477 8387 Map Is this your business?
  • 3

    Pitt Street Dental Dunedin | Lumino The Dentists

    ↑ 1
    ★ 4.6 80 reviews +6 Score 159 +1
    3.8 behind
    5★ 69 4★ 2 3★ 3 2★ 2 1★ 4

    Pitt Street Dental takes in urgent cases, chip repairs, dislodged fillings, and broken teeth, often within a day and at early morning slots from 8.20am.

    10 Pitt Street, Dunedin North, Dunedin

    Call 03 477 0039 Map Is this your business?
  • 4

    Dunedin Dental

    ↓ 1
    ★ 4.9 89 reviews Score 159 -1
    3.9 behind
    5★ 86 4★ 1 3★ 1 2★ 1

    Dunedin Dental builds long-term treatment plans for patients arriving with significant dental backlogs, seeing cases through from heavy remedial work to ongoing maintenance.

    Dunedin Dental Building 1/169 Princes Street, Central City, Dunedin

    Call 03 477 4829 Map Is this your business?
  • 5

    Dental Care Dunedin

    ★ 5.0 42 reviews Score 154 -1
    8.8 behind
    5★ 42

    Dental Care Dunedin brings anxious patients through wisdom tooth removals, impacted tooth extractions, fillings, implant repairs, and night guard fittings with a level of gentleness that converts long-standing dental phobics into willing returners.

    504 George Street, Dunedin North, Dunedin

    Call 03 477 8751 Map Is this your business?

More rankings

More services in Dunedin 5 links
Dentists elsewhere in New Zealand 3 links

Before you choose a dentist in Dunedin

Dental fees in NZ are unregulated and vary widely between practices, so the same treatment can cost very differently across town. Ask for a written treatment plan with itemised costs before agreeing to anything, check whether the dentist is registered with the Dental Council of New Zealand, and ask how after-hours emergencies are handled.

The questions below are drawn from 198 customer reviews collected for this page.

What does dental treatment typically cost in New Zealand?

Adult dental care in New Zealand is largely user-pays, with no universal public subsidy for routine treatment. A standard check-up and clean runs between $100 and $250, while fillings range from around $150 to $400 depending on size and material.

Crowns can cost $1,500 to $2,500 or more, and root canal treatment sits broadly in the $800 to $1,500 range depending on complexity. If cost is a barrier, Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) offers emergency dental grants for eligible people, and anyone under 18 is entitled to free basic dental care through the Community Dental Service or an enrolled private provider.

How do I check that a dentist is registered and what to do if something goes wrong?

Before booking, search the public register at dentalcouncil.org.nz to confirm your dentist is currently registered with the Dental Council of New Zealand (DCNZ) and holds a valid annual practising certificate, which is a legal requirement to practise. The DCNZ also registers dental hygienists, dental therapists, and clinical dental technicians separately, so check the correct category for the provider you are seeing.

If something goes wrong, you can lodge a formal complaint with the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC), which investigates breaches of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights. For conduct concerns that fall short of a formal HDC complaint, the Dental Council of New Zealand can also investigate and has the power to suspend or impose conditions on a practitioner's registration.

How do I avoid being sold treatment I do not need?

Ask for a written treatment plan with itemised costs and a clear explanation of why each procedure is recommended before you agree to anything, because one Dunedin reviewer committed to nothing after being quoted nearly $6,000 for extractions and implants, then found a much cheaper alternative through a second opinion. Request that x-rays or intraoral photos be shown and explained to you, as practices that do this routinely make it far easier to judge whether the recommended work is genuinely necessary. If a dentist recommends an extraction, implant, or crown at a first appointment without discussing alternatives such as root canal treatment or a filling, that is a reasonable trigger to seek a second opinion before proceeding.

What are the warning signs of a dental practice you should avoid?
  • –Pressure to commit to expensive or irreversible treatment at the first appointment, with no alternatives discussed.
  • –No itemised written quote provided before treatment begins, making it impossible to compare costs or question charges.
  • –Surprise fees on the invoice that exceed what was discussed, or refusal to provide a cost breakdown when asked.
  • –Appointments that run significantly over time with no acknowledgment, or conversely, procedures rushed well short of the booked duration with no explanation.
  • –Poor pain management during procedures, with patient discomfort ignored or minimised.
  • –No clear process for following up when a filling, retainer, or other work fails shortly after the appointment.
What should you ask before booking a dentist?
  • –What is the total cost of a first visit including x-rays, and will you receive an itemised quote before any treatment begins?
  • –Will you see the same dentist at each visit, or does the practice have high staff turnover that breaks continuity of care?
  • –Does the dentist provide a written treatment plan with multiple options and their costs before you agree to proceed?
  • –How does the practice handle after-hours dental emergencies, and is there a direct contact number or an on-call arrangement?
  • –What specific accommodations are available for anxious or neurodivergent patients, such as breaks during procedures, clear step-by-step explanations, or a quieter environment?
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About this ranking

What the 10 dentists listed above hold, at the 22 October 2026 check.

118
reviews held by the #1 ranked business
42
reviews held by the #5 ranked business
4.1
lowest rating among the 10 listed
5.2%
of their 727 reviews are one-star

We first assessed dentists in Dunedin in June 2026 and have rechecked the ranking three times since. Chew Dental has held first place at every check, and Bell Hill Dental and Dunedin Dental have been in the top 5 alongside it throughout.

What has changed since June 2026?
Oct 2026

Faculty of Dentistry entered the list at #9.

Sep 2026

Dental Care Dunedin returned to the top 5, up from #7. Synergy Dental left the top 5, down to #7.

Aug 2026

Pitt Street Dental entered the top 5, up from #10. Dental Care Dunedin left the top 5, down to #7.

Jun 2026

First check. Chew Dental #1.

We updated the scoring method in August and September 2026. See what changed.

How are the top dentists in Dunedin chosen?

We build this page from Google Maps results for dentists in Dunedin. Each one is scored on its public rating and review record, using the same published method on every page. Businesses outside the area, or whose reviews describe a different line of work, are left out. Every category and city is rechecked on a rolling cycle, about every two to three months. See how we rank for how rankings are made and who is left out.

Are you a dentist in Dunedin?

No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Claiming and verifying your listing is free: it adds a small trust bonus (+3 points) to your score, for confirming a real operator stands behind the listing, and gives you a dashboard showing how your score is made up. A paid subscription adds a website link, a profile page and your ranking history. Claim your listing or see what a subscription includes.

Not listed? The usual reasons are a Google Business category that does not match, too few reviews to score near the top, or an address outside the area we cover. Check where you rank first, and if you think we missed you, get in touch.

How far is each one from you?

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