The recorded specialties are 31 general dentistry listings, 6 prosthodontics, 3 dental clinics, 2 endodontics and 1 orthodontics. Six prosthodontic listings in a list of 42 is unusual, and it shapes what this neighborhood is good for.
What is listed in Downtown
Post Office Sq is the center of gravity, with 19 listings recorded there and 6 more filed as Post Office Square. Federal St has 6, Devonshire St has 5 and Franklin St has 3. These are office buildings, so a single address can hold several unrelated practices on different floors.
Twenty seven of the listings are individual practitioners registered under their own name and 15 are organizations, meaning a practice entity, group or clinic. Twenty seven of the 42 have been on the federal register since before 2010 and the oldest registration here dates to 2006.
- 42 practices listed, mainly in ZIPs 02109, 02110 and 02108
- 31 general dentistry listings and 6 prosthodontic
- Post Office Sq 19 plus 6 more as Post Office Square, Federal St 6
- 27 individual practitioners, 15 organizations
- 27 registered before 2010, oldest dating to 2006
How to choose between them
This is a list built around people who work nearby. If that is you, a practice a few minutes from your desk is easy to keep up with, though it is worth thinking about what happens if you change jobs, since continuity with one dentist has real value.
For routine care the 31 general dentistry listings give plenty of choice. Compare on plan coverage, on how soon a new patient can be seen, and on whether the practice offers appointments early or late enough to avoid using a whole lunch hour.
The 6 prosthodontic listings are worth knowing about if you are facing dentures, implant restorations or extensive rebuilding work. That is a concentration of specialists you would not find in most neighborhoods.
If you need something Downtown does not have
Three specialties have no listing here: pediatric dentistry, periodontics and oral and maxillofacial surgery. In a spread out area that would be a problem. Here the alternatives are minutes away.
Elsewhere in Boston, about 1.3 miles away, we list 78 pediatric practices, 179 periodontic practices and 121 oral and maxillofacial surgery practices. Closer still, Chinatown has 475 listed practices 0.5 miles away, Leather District has 29 at 0.4 miles, Dock Square has 28 at 0.2 miles, Church Green has 26 at 0.2 miles, Downtown Crossing has 21 at 0.2 miles and Waterfront has 11 at 0.5 miles.
Ask that x rays and notes go ahead with any referral so imaging is not repeated.
Insurance and paying
In network means a practice has agreed a contracted fee schedule with your insurer, so you pay the negotiated rate. Out of network means you may still have coverage, but the practice sets its own fee and you usually pay the difference. It is a billing arrangement, not a quality rating, and it can differ between two plans from the same insurer.
For anything beyond a routine exam, ask for a written estimate showing procedure codes, the practice fee, the expected insurance payment and your share. This matters more than usual with prosthodontic work, which is often staged over several visits.
Our listings come from the federal provider registry, which records names, addresses, specialties and registration dates. It holds no fees, no opening hours and no insurance information, so this page cannot tell you what a visit costs or when a practice opens. None of the 42 Downtown listings currently publishes hours or a website with us, and none has been claimed by its owner.
If it is urgent
For a broken tooth, a lost filling or pain that has kept you awake, call early and say plainly that you need same day care. With 31 general listings and 2 endodontic listings in a few blocks, plus hundreds of practices within half a mile in the surrounding neighborhoods, something can usually be found.
Some symptoms need an emergency room rather than a dental chair: swelling spreading toward your eye or down your neck, trouble breathing or swallowing, a fever alongside facial swelling, or bleeding that will not stop.
To search by distance from wherever you are, use dentist directory.
Questions patients ask
How many dentists are listed in Downtown Boston?
We list 42 dental practices in Downtown, mainly across ZIP codes 02109, 02110 and 02108. Thirty one are general dentistry listings, six are prosthodontic, three are dental clinics, two are endodontic and one is orthodontic. Boston as a whole has 1,991 listed practices, so this is a small central slice.
Where in Downtown are most dentists?
Around Post Office Sq, which has 19 listings, with six more recorded as Post Office Square. Federal St has six, Devonshire St has five and Franklin St has three. These are office buildings, so several practices often share one address on different floors.
Is there an oral surgeon in Downtown Boston?
No oral and maxillofacial surgery practice is listed in the neighborhood, and pediatric dentistry and periodontics are absent too. All three are well covered elsewhere in Boston about 1.3 miles away, where we list 121 oral surgery, 78 pediatric and 179 periodontic practices, so referrals stay short.