Dentist recommendations - no insurance, just cash

Thought I'd have insurance again before needing the dentist, but nope, so this is new territory for me.

Looking for a Fresno-Visalia-Hanford area dental office that has openings, accepts cash payments, & is not going to be crazy expensive to get a couple X-rays & patch a cavity.

With my current/previous dentist, the cost was somewhere in the neighborhood of $800-1,000 for one session, and that is simply too much.

Tried getting in on Monday, but the places I called are all booked solid.

Others who've been in this situation - how long did it take you to find someone? Where did you end up going?

If any of our local dentist office workers would like to chime in, I'd appreciate it.