Fort Worth dentists

The same board covers everyone who works on your teeth in a Fort Worth office: TSBDE oversees dentists, hygienists, registered dental assistants and dental labs. Every Texas dental office must post TSBDE's consumer information sign in plain view, which tells patients how to reach the board.

Fort Worth dental specialists

Texas recognizes 12 dental specialties, including orthodontics, endodontics, periodontics, pediatric dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery. A dentist may advertise as a specialist only after an accredited specialty program of two or more years or board certification, and a practice must avoid implying its general dentists are specialists. Specialty status isn't printed on the license certificate, so if it matters, ask where the dentist trained.

Who cleans your teeth

Texas hygienists clean and polish teeth, take X-rays and can give local anesthetic under a dentist's authorization, but they may not diagnose or prescribe. A dentist can delegate your cleaning to a hygienist if the dentist examined you within the previous 12 months.

Delta Dental's national figures put a standard cleaning without dental benefits at $85 to $160. Tooth-colored fillings average $145 to $480 on front teeth and $165 to $530 on back teeth (2024 data), and an out-of-network crown $1,100 to $2,000 (2023 data). These are national averages, so call two or three Fort Worth offices for their own fees. Ask for a written treatment plan with each procedure code and fee before major work. The Texas dentists guide has the full table.

Texas has four dental schools with public clinics, and the closest to Fort Worth is Texas A&M's in Dallas. Its adult clinics screen patients for $120, covering registration, the screening and X-rays, with no fee if you aren't accepted. The adult clinics don't take insurance but charge much less than private offices, and visits run longer.

• Medicaid and CHIP. Most Texans 20 and younger on Medicaid or CHIP get dental care through DentaQuest, MCNA Dental or UnitedHealthcare Dental. Texas Health Steps helps families find a dentist at 1-877-847-8377.
• Other options. DSHS points people to 2-1-1 and to federally qualified health centers, some of which offer dental care.

Children's care has its own routes. Texas A&M's Dallas dental school screens children for $5 and accepts Medicaid and CHIP for them, and Texas Health Steps arranges dental checkups for enrolled families, Monday through Friday. Pediatric dentistry is one of the 12 recognized specialties, so a dentist advertising as a pediatric specialist must have the training to back it.

Statewide, about 19.6 million Texans, or 72%, drink water with adjusted or natural fluoride, according to DSHS. Fort Worth runs its own water utility, so its annual water quality report is the place to look up the local level; share it with your dentist when you discuss fluoride for your children.

For relatives who can't get to an office, Texas hygienists may work under a supervising dentist in nursing homes, patients' homes, schools and public health clinics. Ask a practice whether it offers visits in those settings.

TSBDE investigates complaints about quality of care, sanitation, professional conduct and patient abandonment. File by email to complaints@tsbde.texas.gov, fax or mail; anonymous complaints aren't accepted. The board doesn't handle fee disputes and can order restitution only in limited cases, so settle billing questions in writing with the office first.

This page explains how dental licensing and costs work and isn't dental advice; ask a licensed Texas dentist about your own treatment. For more choices, see Burleson dentists or North Richland Hills dentists, and the Fort Worth guide covers other local services.