The episode received critical acclaim. Kenneth Nguyen from "The Age" commented "'A Trip to the Dentist', is perhaps the most complex, confronting installment thus far of a series that prides itself on being complex and confronting." The reporter went on to praise the "expertly scripted" reveal and thought Diane Ruggiero's "command of the tightrope high-school milieu seems pretty much spot-on. It is Ruggiero's resolution of the mystery, however, that will keep fans talking. Like the best resolutions, I suppose, it raises more questions than it answers."