Best Dentists in Tauranga

We assessed 51 dentists in Tauranga and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 2,031 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 Tauranga

The top 5 dentists in Tauranga are #1 ER Dental, #2 The Dentists, #3 Beyond Dental Papamoa, #4 Tooth Fairy Dental, and #5 DentalPlus, ranked by Top5 Score.

  • 1

    ER Dental

    ★ 4.9 433 reviews Score 181 -1
    Highest
    5★ 411 4★ 14 3★ 3 1★ 5

    ER Dental works well for people with dental anxiety, covering hygiene cleans, tooth extractions, and complex surgical procedures across a team that includes dentists Shivani and Ben alongside hygienist Martina.

    10/83 Pyes Pa Road, Pyes Pa, Tauranga

    Call 0800 541 673 Map Is this your business?
  • 2

    The Dentists - Tauranga

    ★ 5.0 232 reviews +2 Score 180
    1.1 behind
    5★ 226 4★ 5 1★ 1

    The Dentists pairs patients with individual dentists, including Alistair for complex or anxiety-prone cases, Graeme for a human-first approach, and Bodon for extractions, with hygienist Kailey handling ongoing cleans.

    344 Otumoetai Road, Otūmoetai, Tauranga

    Call 07 576 4895 Map Is this your business?
  • 3

    Beyond Dental Papamoa

    ★ 4.9 312 reviews Score 173
    7.9 behind
    5★ 304 4★ 3 3★ 2 2★ 1 1★ 2

    Beyond Dental Papamoa gets nervous and long-lapsed patients through wisdom tooth surgery, extractions, fillings, crowns, and sedation procedures in a clinic built around keeping anxious patients calm and without judgement.

    7/33 Toorea Street, Papamoa Beach, Papamoa

    Call 07 987 2825 Map Is this your business?
  • 4

    Tooth Fairy Dental - Mt Maunganui

    ↓ 1
    ★ 5.0 143 reviews +1 Score 170
    10.4 behind
    5★ 140 4★ 3

    Tooth Fairy Dental covers implant procedures, fillings on front teeth, hygiene cleans, and general check-ups across a team that includes dentists Grace, Kevin, Belinda, and Tom alongside hygienists Christine and Jazmyn.

    2 Kupe Avenue, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga

    Call 07 575 6278 Map Is this your business?
  • 5

    DentalPlus Mount Maunganui | Dentist & Orthodontics

    ↑ 3
    ★ 4.9 146 reviews +3 Score 170 +8
    10.8 behind
    5★ 141 4★ 2 1★ 3

    DentalPlus handles implants, crowns, fillings, extractions, and braces across a team that includes dentists Dalton, Chris, Nicola, and Booyse, with anxious and long-lapsed patients consistently leaving more confident about returning.

    41 Girven Road, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga

    Call 07 575 5808 Map Is this your business?

More rankings

More services in Tauranga 6 links
Dentists elsewhere in New Zealand 5 links

Before you choose a dentist in Tauranga

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 322 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 fees unregulated and varying between practices. A standard check-up and clean runs between $100 and $250, and a basic filling between $150 and $400.

Crowns can reach $1,500 to $2,500 or more, and root canals sit in a similar range depending on the tooth. If cost is a barrier, Work and Income New Zealand offers emergency dental grants for eligible people, and anyone under 18 is entitled to free basic dental care through enrolled providers.

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 holds a current annual practising certificate issued by the Dental Council of New Zealand, the statutory body that registers and oversees dentists, dental specialists, dental hygienists, and dental therapists. A hygienist and a dental therapist are not dentists, so their scopes of practice differ and they appear under separate categories on the register.

If something goes wrong, you can lodge a complaint with the Health and Disability Commissioner, which investigates breaches of patient rights under the Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994. For conduct concerns, the Dental Council of New Zealand can also investigate and has power to impose conditions, suspend, or deregister a practitioner.

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

Ask for a written treatment plan with itemised costs and clearly labelled alternatives before agreeing to anything, since reviews show that the better Tauranga practices do this without being prompted. X-rays and intraoral photos are a reasonable standard for justifying recommended work, and one practice noted here uses intraoral photos routinely so patients can see exactly what is being proposed. If a treatment feels unexpected or expensive, a second opinion from another registered dentist is entirely reasonable and any reputable practice will accept that without pressure.

What are the warning signs of a dental practice you should avoid?
  • –Pressure to commit to expensive treatment during the first visit, with no time to consider or compare options.
  • –No itemised written quote provided before work begins, making it impossible to verify charges afterwards.
  • –Final costs that exceed the original estimate without prior explanation or approval.
  • –Rushed appointments where the dentist does not explain what they are doing or why.
  • –Poor pain management during procedures, with concerns brushed off rather than addressed.
  • –One reviewer described feeling their entire treatment was rushed with no meaningful aftercare, which signals a practice prioritising throughput over patient outcomes.
What should you ask before booking a dentist?
  • –Ask what the first visit and any x-rays will cost in total, so there are no surprises at the counter.
  • –Ask whether you will receive a written treatment plan with cost options before any work is carried out.
  • –Ask how the practice handles after-hours or same-day dental emergencies, since several Tauranga practices have fitted urgent cases in quickly and that access matters when pain strikes on a weekend.
  • –Ask whether you will see the same dentist at each visit, as continuity helps the dentist understand your history and reduces the chance of conflicting treatment advice.
  • –Ask how the team supports nervous patients, since reviews across multiple practices here show that a calm, non-judgmental approach makes a measurable difference to outcomes for anxious people.
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About this ranking

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

433
reviews held by the #1 ranked business
146
reviews held by the #5 ranked business
4.5
lowest rating among the 10 listed
1.9%
of their 2,031 reviews are one-star

We first assessed dentists in Tauranga in June 2026 and have rechecked the ranking three times since. ER Dental has held first place at every check, and The Dentists and Tooth Fairy Dental have been in the top 5 alongside it throughout.

What has changed since June 2026?
Oct 2026

Beyond Dental Papamoa entered the top 5 at #3. DentalPlus entered the top 5, up from #8. ER Dental at Seventh left the top 5, down to #8. Team Dental left the top 5, down to #6. Tooth Fairy Dental Papamoa entered the list at #10.

Sep 2026

Team Dental entered the top 5, up from #9. Tooth Fairy Dental Bethlehem left the top 5, down to #7. DentalPlus entered the list at #8.

Aug 2026

Team Dental entered the list at #9.

Jun 2026

First check. ER Dental #1.

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

How are the top dentists in Tauranga chosen?

We build this page from Google Maps results for dentists in Tauranga. 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 Tauranga?

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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