Do you have any pointers at all on picking a dentist? I'm currently trying to find one, and aside from Yelp (not very helpful) I have no way to make heads or tails of anyone...
In general, I would talk to family and friends and get a recommendation on a personable dentist that will actually take time with you. Word of mouth is really your best bet.
I would try and stay away from larger practices where a dentist owns multiple offices. Not that there is anything wrong with multiple practices, but it's a broad filter for getting rid of dentists who are overly profit focused.
I would only go to a dentist that thinks amalgam is perfectly safe to use. Largely because there is no science to support otherwise and removing amalgam fillings actually releases more mercury. I like medical providers to believe strongly in science.
In many states you can look a dentist up with the state dental board and see if any action has been taken against the dentist by the board. For example, North Carolina's can be found here: http://www.ncdentalboard.org/license_verification.htm and you can also find out if they've ever had their license suspended.
Here's a slight hack that involves a little effort: call up the dental offices in your area and ask them who covers the dentist's emergencies when they are out of town.
This should give you an idea of who is respected among the dentists themselves.
