It is a general dentistry neighborhood. Thirty five of the 45 listings include general dentistry and the specialist entries are mostly single practices. This guide sets out what is recorded and where to go for the rest.
What is listed in East Cambridge
Thirty five of the 45 listings include general dentistry. Beyond that the mix is thin and broad: two prosthodontics, two periodontics, and one each for orthodontics, dental public health, pediatric dentistry, endodontics, oral pathology and dental clinics. Practices can record more than one specialty, so the counts overlap.
First St is the main address, with 16 listings recorded that way and six more written as 1st St, which makes 22 on the same street. Hurley St has eight, Cambridge St seven and Rogers St two. The neighborhood spans three ZIP codes: 02141, 02142 and 02139.
Thirty six listings are individual practitioners and nine are organizations. Only 14 of the 45 were registered before 2010, with the oldest registration dating to 2006, so a majority of these are more recent registrations than you find in most neighborhoods. Two listings publish a website through us and two publish opening hours.
How to choose between them
Thirty five general listings gives you plenty of choice for routine care, and the deciding factors will be practical rather than clinical on paper. Ask what a new patient exam with x-rays costs, how soon an existing patient in pain can be seen, and which treatments are referred out.
The heavy tilt toward individual practitioners, 36 out of 45, means most of these are small practices. That tends to give continuity with one dentist but limited cover when they are away, so ask what happens outside their hours.
Because most specialties have a single listing here, your general dentist's referral network will do a lot of work. Ask at the first appointment where they send patients for root canals, gum treatment and extractions, and how far it is.
When you need something that is not here
The one specialty entirely missing is oral and maxillofacial surgery. There is no listing in East Cambridge at all. The nearest listed concentration is in Boston, about 1.5 miles away, where 121 such practices appear. That is a short trip and a very wide choice.
Endodontics, pediatric dentistry and orthodontics have one listing each here, so if you want an alternative in any of those, look at the neighboring areas.
Central Square is 1.4 miles away with 30 listings, the largest nearby pool. The Port has 15 at 0.9 miles, Mid-Cambridge 11 at 1.3 miles and Wellington-Harrington ten at 0.8 miles. Inman Square has eight at 1.3 miles and MIT three at 0.8 miles.
Insurance and paying
None of the 45 listings in East Cambridge has been claimed. Two publish a website and two publish opening hours, which is the whole of the extra detail available. The registry these entries come from records who a provider is and what they practice, and holds no fees, no hours and no insurance information at all. Claiming a listing is how a practice gets those details onto the page, which is why the claimed ones are more useful.
So ask directly. Give the full name of your plan rather than just the insurer, since insurers run several networks and the answer is different for each. An out of network practice may still file the claim for you, but the shortfall is yours to pay.
For crowns, implants or anything surgical, ask for a written estimate with the procedure codes. It is the only document that lets a second practice quote on identical work.
If it is urgent
Call at opening and be specific. Twenty two listings on First St means several practices are within a short walk of each other, so working down a list is quick.
Certain symptoms need an emergency room rather than a dentist. Go to hospital straight away if swelling is spreading toward your eye or down into your neck, if you are having trouble breathing or swallowing, if you have a fever alongside facial swelling, or if bleeding from your mouth will not stop.
Because East Cambridge covers three ZIP codes and sits close to both Boston and central Cambridge, dentist directory is often the better search. It ranks practices by distance rather than by neighborhood.
Questions patients ask
How many dentists are listed in East Cambridge?
Forty five practices, out of 259 across Cambridge. Thirty five include general dentistry, with single listings for most specialties. Twenty two of them are on First St, written either as First St or 1st St. The neighborhood covers ZIP codes 02141, 02142 and 02139.
Is there an oral surgeon in East Cambridge?
No oral and maxillofacial surgery practice is listed in the neighborhood. The nearest listed concentration is in Boston, about 1.5 miles away, with 121 practices. If you are referred for wisdom teeth or a surgical extraction, expect a short trip across the river.
Where else can I look near East Cambridge?
Central Square is 1.4 miles away with 30 listings, the biggest nearby pool. The Port has 15 at 0.9 miles, Mid-Cambridge 11 at 1.3 miles and Wellington-Harrington ten at 0.8 miles. Boston, 1.5 miles out, is where the specialist depth is.