This place was awful. This dentist was covered on my HMO so I decided to give it a shot. First of all, scheduling an appointment was difficult. The secretary was incompetent: she hung up on me, wasn't informed or taught to handle insurance information, and usually had to ask the dentist to do all the work. I had a hard time finding the place, because it's JUST A HOUSE, next to other houses, remodeled into an "office." So, there wasn't a proper parking lot either, just a backyard covered in asphalt. When I walked in, I saw a toddler behind the counter walking around, who apparently was being "watched" by the secretary. As I filled out forms (some had typos) I asked the secretary for help on filling out insurance information, but she wasn't sure how to fill it out, either, so some of it was left blank. At one point the toddler went into the patient room and wandered around where I was sitting in my dental chair, at which point, the dentist told the secretary to "watch her" again. The dentist, there was only one, ran the entire place, even though there were three clients waiting to be treated. She was so swamped, that I was waiting an hour in that dental chair. During that time, the girl being treated next to me had a gum infection. The dentist, inspecting the damage, was unsure what to do and told the girl to wait as she called someone else to come in "for a second opinion." When I was finally seen, I was literally given about a minute to answer certain questions as she took two x-rays. However, they were "bad" x-rays because they did not show all of my teeth. Apparently, she "couldn't see" my wisdom teeth. She ran off questions: Do I smoke? Have I had braces? Do I want braces? (no), well, we can talk about getting them later if you'd like, Do you want your wisdom teeth taken care of? you'll have to schedule an appointment here, do you have any of your old dental files (no) etc. Then, I was humble enough to recieve thirty seconds (not even exaggerating; it couldn't have been more than one minute) as she poked around my mouth with a metal rod. She poked at about four teeth, and from that knowledge, concluded that I had two cavities and needed a "deep cleaning." I had "a lot of tartar build-up." She did not even check the sides of my teeth, or my sensitivity, or my gums, or anything that my usual dental visits in the past would check. She pointed to a gingivitis chart and then began listing everything I "need." A sonic electric tooth brush, which she gave me a brouchure (can be bought AT the office), and floss. She told me I needed two more appointments for a deep clean and one more for a cavity filling. She then led me to the secretary to deal with the rest of the information. But, since the secretary was totally inept, the dentist ended up having to show me AND the secretary how to figure out what I have to pay and how many visits to schedule. I was looking at around $200. The dentist left, and I was left confused about all the appointments. I asked the secretary what a deep clean was (never had one). The dentist had given me a page that had one paragraph about deep cleans, but it didn't explain WHAT it was. All she had said was that I NEEDED it done, and NEED to have it done before getting my cavity filled. I couldn't get the normal cleaning, I NEEDED the deep cleaning. When I asked the secretary what should I expect from a deep clean, she said "It's not that bad" but I need more than one visit. Realizing I wouldn't get any information from this secretary/babysitter, I left. Later, I found what I had signed up for was actually surgery. I'd be under anesthesia, had my gums cut open, and my teeth cleaned, then my gums stitched closed. That is why it is more than one visit. This procedure would be done in that little office, with the toddler running around. This procedure is usually NOT done on patients like me, especially since I was not even given a thorough regular cleaning or exam. She didn't even have my dental history. I was horrified and immediately called to cancel my appointments. I am calling my insurance company to find a different dentist. Please DO NOT go to this dentist; she paid no mind to my health and only seemed to care about getting as much profit as possible and getting me out of there as quick as possible. Save yourself the trouble!!!!
by jellymelly14
February 08, 2010