It may have been simpler in the pre-internet era. We used to tell people the best way to choose your dentist was to ask up to ten 10 people. Now there will always be one person out of the ten who doesn't like a very good dentist for some reason (usually a personality conflict). There will also be one person who loves a dentist that the nine others fellow potential clients have serious issues with. So the idea was to get a good sample size and find out what the nine out of ten people think. Do your homework.
It may have been simpler in the days before health funds developed strong bias. There was a time when the health funds would make a point of being impartial and encourage you to decide who your dentist should be. Now the health funds have their own dentists, some have their own dental clinics and all have their own agendas. If you go to your local health fund office, you can have a desk clerk tell you that you should use their dentist or their specialist without any real understanding of the complexities involved in your case. No understanding that the cheapest is often not the best and what bearing that can have on your particular health problem.
So our advice is don't listen to your health fund. Do listen to your neighbours, friends and family. Don't be influenced by TV ads, fancy websites, radio ads or newspaper ads. Anyone can talk themselves up in these settings. It is your own survey that will reveal the truth.