This all comes down to shopping around and doing your homework. I do not feel that one is necessary better the the other and would be un–fair to make a blanked statement like that. I am sure that there are good dentist and bad dentist in both. Here are some suggestions you can do when trying to find a dentist.

1) Call the dental offices you have in your area that you may want to go to. Ask them all the general questions you may have.  This will help give you get an  idea of how they are.

2) You may want to just stop by. I have done this before. Just walk in and see what it looks like. Is it clean are the people friendly. Also talk to the people who are waiting. What better reference you can get. Ask them what they think of the dentist and the office. Most people will tell you the good and bad about their dentist.

3) You mentioned cost and not wanting to pay exorbitant amount for services. For this you may want to invest in getting either dental insurance or a dental discount plan.  Either will help you control your dental cost.

4) When you find a dentist you might want to go to,  find out what plans they participate in.  This way you can look for those plans.

5) Do not forget the power of the internet. You can do a search on the dentist to see if there has been any comments about the office or the dentist by others that went there.

6) Finding a good dentist takes time but it is worth the effort you will put into it.  Good luck to you in your search.