Overall, I really like this clinic. I am surprised that others are having bad experiences. My…read moredentist is Dominique Winfield, DDS. She is sweet, kind, gentle, and listens. The hygienist, Kat, is fantastic! The best I've ever encountered, and I'm in my 60s. Prior to using this clinic and due to my own neglect, I had gum disease with pockets in the 4, 5, and 6 numbers. This required a deep gum cleaning every 3 months and brushing after every meal and using a WaterPik and professional dental pick. A WaterPik is much more effective than floss; I don't even floss anymore. I've been able to move my cleanings to every 6 months. Kat has done the deep cleaning 4 or 5 times. She is very careful, steady-handed, and gentle. I use a dental savings plan, Principal Dental Access Plan (formerly New Dental Choice), not insurance. In my experience and opinion, it's much better, less hassle for the patient and the clinic, and less costly than an insurance plan.
At my first visit in 2023, I was treated by Dr. Kringel. He was great, but has moved out of state. My previous dentist in another clinic had warned that a 2-year-old Cerec crown had a lip/edge bad margin and needed to be replaced. She had also said there was a cavity in another tooth. I adored and trusted her, but it was too expensive and they didn't accept the dental savings plan, only PPO. After the very costly out of pocket initial deep gum cleanings and a filling on another tooth, I changed offices to this one. Dr. Kringel said there was no cavity and the crown was good, no need to replace. That built 100% trust, because I told them what the other dentist said, and they could have gone along with the other dentist's findings and done unneeded work.
Some visits, I'm seen right away. Some, it's about a 15-min wait. At my first visit with Dr. Kringel, it was about an hour. I asked about it, and he explained they didn't have a hygienist at the time, and he was doing the cleanings too. Office staff should have relayed that to me while I was sitting in the tx room waiting and waiting. I know clinics also have emergencies that aren't on the schedule, or patients show up late and make everyone run late.
In 2024, the Cerec crown with the bad margin (done in 2021 in Mexico) cracked in half. Dr. Winfield showed me how thin the crown was to begin with and due to my occasional jaw clenching when stressed, Cerec crowns were not a good choice for me. She replaced it with zirconium. Four months after, there was intermittent pain with chewing in that tooth with the new crown. I went in for my gum cleaning. She looked at the x-ray and found tooth resorption. Dr. Davis gave a second opinion, and we all discussed a plan. Wait to see if it worsens and pull the tooth at a discount if done within a year of the new crown, or see if it doesn't worsen over time and leave it alone. At other appts, I had seen Dr. Davis talking with patients in the waiting room, and he always seemed so nice, very soft-spoken and gentle. This was my first interaction with him. I thought he was great, so again I'm surprised by the experiences some are having.
I am taking off one star for three reasons. (1) This coincides with other reviews. At my first visit after x-rays and seeing Dr. Kringel, the office manager at the time (Jennifer) came in and gave me a major pushy sales pitch. It really turned me off. I declined some things and Dr. Kringel came back in to do what I approved of - disinfectant flush and laser to help the gums heal faster. I wanted the laser with the former dentist clinic, but she didn't offer it. (2) In 9/2024, I had a temporary crown done by the dental assistant to replace the cracked Cerec crown (never had one by a DA before, it was a surprise that they can do them). The gum tissue swelled up and got red, with slight pain. I dug out a bunch of food, as the space between the temp crown and other molar was so big. The swelling went all the way down. At my perm crown appt, a different DA removed the temp crown and a tiny bit of food that was under the temp crown. She left the room. I smelled a bad odor like old food. She returned and looked and found two more globs of food that had been stuck under the temp crown. This should not have happened, it was a poorly fitted temp crown. I reported this to the office manager and provided a photo of the food on the dental tray. Dr. Winfield made absolute certain there was no food left before cementing the perm crown. (3) The receptionists do not smile or act friendly when I approach the counter. I'm sure they are often overwhelmed with phone calls like all clinics get. I am an office coordinator/receptionist with a heavy workload, yet always smile and am friendly to coworkers who approach me needing assistance. Good customer service means hiding from customers/patients that you're frustrated or overwhelmed.
