I am a grad student at Brown and I needed an emergency filling done. Dr. Mahmoudi and his staff were super accommodating with my pain sensitivity. I cannot emphasize this enough. Dr. Mahmoudi also did a great job explaining everything while he worked which was nice. I actually had a few cavities as well and his team were willing to schedule me to take care of those very quickly (~1.5weeks). Overall, I appreciate Dr. Mahmoudi's bedside manner plus his staff was professional and nice. Especially as a person of color and new resident of Providence, I worried my needs wouldn't be taken into consideration, but I felt comfortable under his care and would recommend him to anyone in Providence or any student at Brown. read more

I had serious dental issues. Dr. Corino did a thorough exam, and afterward, he never gave me the results, although I asked for his report repeatedly. His office was rude, and he just unconscionably took my money, as though he were entitled to it. He NEVER followed up. I was glad to find a dentist who immediately addressed all my concerns. It is time for dinosaur dentists like Dr. Corino to retire. Old boy networks no longer work, as there are a lot of competent younger dentists trained in the newest techniques who are civil competent ad kind. read more

I first went to Dr. Carlsten's office about six years ago on the recommendation of a friend who had had extensive dental work done. I had been eating a sticky piece of candy a few months prior to seeing Dr. Carlsten, and it had pulled out a sealant from a tooth that had become rotted unbeknownst to me. So, I needed a dentist for some major work, and Dr. Carlsten was happy to help me out. He and his staff got me in right away, even though I didn't have insurance, and they happily accepted the discount x-rays I'd had done at CCRI. Dr. Carlsten and his staff were friendly, welcoming and very willing to explain everything that they were doing along with why they were doing it. I ended up needing a root canal and crown, which wasn't surprising, and Dr. Carlsten even called me a few hours later to make sure everything was going well and that I wasn't in any pain. Since that first major dental ordeal, I've been back for cleanings and small fillings (I have really terrible teeth). Every time I'm there they tell me exactly what they're concerned about, show it to me on an x-ray, and then ask what I'd like to do about it. I've never felt coerced into doing anything I didn't want to do, and when I recently had a crown break, they fit me into the schedule right away. Dr. Carlsten is also very, very good at administering novocaine (or I guess they use lidocaine now?). I've heard so many horror stories about dentists who are bad at numbing you up, but you don't find out until they want to start drilling. I can honestly feel it start to work almost immediately afterward, and I've never experienced a moment of pain. Everyone on Dr. Carlsten's staff has been there a very long time and clearly love what they're doing. Since I spent so much time there at one point, I feel like I really got to know them, and they are a genuinely lovely bunch. If I was a very nervous dental patient, they would put me at ease. I honestly have no complaints about Dr. Carlsten's practice. I've had good dentists and bad in my life, and I count him as one of the good ones. read more

Be careful. Almost every exam in the two years I went to this dentist resulted in 2 to 4 cavity fillings, as well as strong urging to get a night mouth guard (for teeth grinding while asleep), before I finally came to my senses. During my last visit, he told me I had 3 more cavities to fill. I brush and floss twice a day, so I became skeptical and finally went to get other opinions. Two other highly rated dentists in the area examined my teeth and both of them told me there was NOTHING WRONG -- no cavities, and no real evidence of teeth grinding at night. Needless to say, I switched dentists immediately. This dentist and his staff are very friendly and outgoing, and outwardly he appears highly trustworthy. Each of the 10+ times he filled a cavity ("area of decay"), he would show me the evidence in x-ray images that I am not qualified to understand. He received about $250 for each cavity he filled, between insurance and me. Additionally, dentists can make up to $1,000 from fitting/creating the night mouth guard which he consistently pressured me to do. I never actually did the night guard, but I thought about it. My wife, who also started going to this dentist at the same time as I did, had the same experience. Very good dental hygiene habits, no prior cavities/fillings in her lifetime. First visit with him: 4 to 5 fillings needed (which we did and paid for). Every other visit afterward, at least one filling. She switched to a different dentist when I switched, and since then she has had no cavities whatsoever. I have a generally high level of trust in medical/dental professionals and it took me two whole years to realize something might be wrong. I will leave it up to readers to interpret this information as they will. Dentistry is a trade characterized by a high degree of practice variation -- meaning that different dentists will have different opinions on work that needs to be done on any given patient. So, one could interpret his work as being more meticulous or careful than others'. However, such variation also creates opportunities for some practitioners to take advantage of trusting patients -- as I believe this fellow is doing quite handily (all while being extremely friendly and gregarious). Not only did it cost me and my insurance thousands of dollars, but I now have 10+ more holes drilled in my teeth than I might have had I gone somewhere else originally. read more

Office is in some rather run down house, antiquated equipment (I've never seen such old equipment in a dentist's office) and an arrogant, condescending dentist to top things off. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY is all this place is about. I had a decent cleaning by the assistant but then the dentist came in and began his one man show on how horrible my teeth were and the amount of work I would need just to prevent them falling out. I moved here from Denver where I had a well respected dentist for two years and before that in Austin where I had the same. I have cleanings done regularly and have never been told I needed all my fillings taken out and possible gum surgery. Complete bullshit. Plus he had the unprofessional audacity to attack my former dentists' stating "they must be blind if they didn't see the need for treatment." This dentist is unprofessional, rude and arrogant STAY FAR AWAY!! read more

Dr. Carlsten and his team are wonderful to work with. Every time I go there I feel like a part of their family. Lynn in the office is always so please tell to deal with. Highly recommended. read more

Wonderful staff who give all clients the white glove service. I have been getting my teeth taken care of here for the past seven years and from the excellent magazine selection to the perfection of the hygienist cleaning my teeth, I have always received exceptional care. Dr Carlson has installed several crowns and they are expertly placed with great attention to detail. I actually enjoy my trips to this office and highly recommend it! read more

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this dentist office. Everyone that works in the office is super friendly and you can tell that they like their jobs. Dr. Carlsten is a great dentist - I never feel any pain. He and the dental assistants always make me feel more at ease. I actually hate going to the dentist but this office makes it a little more bearable! read more

I wish I had had a better experience with this dentist as his location is so convenient to my office, however I found his bedside manner to be subpar. When I am in for a teeth cleaning the last thing I want is a dentist leaning over my with bad breath himself. Not the worst, but not the best. read more

This is the best dentist with the best staff. I can't believe how helpful they have been and Dr. Carlsten is an excellent dentist. I am so happy to have found him and the office. While I hate going to the dentist I can truthfully say I love the dentist and staff, they are by far one of the best medical practices. If you are looking for a dentist in the Providence area, look no more!! read more

This place is clean, authentic, and personal. The staff here are very polite and helpful. Stop by and see for yourself!

Awesome place to get some great dental work done. Staff is extremely friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend these guys to anybody!

I knew I was going to just love coming here after I spoke with Lynn, the office manager there on the phone. She was more than welcoming and set up my information prior to me arriving so it was a very seamless process. The office itself is in a really accessible location, and just felt like it was really well taken care of. I was greeted by Lynn and Keri, who are just the kindest, most lovely women you'll ever meet! I was nervous about my teeth as I had been experiencing pain. Dr. Carlsten was very kind as well and thorough. He explained my teeth and their status in lingo I could understand and we talked about a treatment plan. They were more than accommodating in terms of explaining my options, pricing plans and my benefit allowances. Keri even took the time to print out what my insurance covered, and gave me the codes to call and ask about to make sure I wasn't setting myself up for a financial disaster. I can't recommend this office enough, between the fantastic care I received from Dr. Carlsten to the above and beyond customer service from the lovely ladies up front. Thank you!!! read more

My experience with this dentist was extremely mixed. I went in because I had broken a tooth, and it was an emergency. I hadn't been to the dentist in about 2 years because I had moved and never bothered finding a new one. This dentist was conveniently located so I figured I would try it. When I first went in, I felt extremely welcomed- it's an old converted house and everyone in the front of the house was extremely kind. They even had a dog running around! (Which I have mixed feelings about, even as a dog lover.) Then I met Dr. Carlsten- he was nice enough and I thought maybe I found a good dentist. He told me not only would I need the broken tooth fixed, I would also need a root canal in another tooth. I was able to set up an appointment for the next morning, and was scheduled for 2 hours. I arrived at 7:45am and waited until 8:30 in his chair until Dr. Carlsten was finally able to see me. When he came in he was in a huff about an insurance company and how he's sorry for the wait but he was trying to do ME a favor by fighting a company like that. This was a snowy morning and many of the hygenists had their children running around in and out of the rooms because it was a snow day. 7 HOURS of dental work later, the hygenist threw a crying fit, yelling at Dr. Carlsten in front of me, because I was going to want a cap on my tooth once they dug out the roots instead of coming back yet another day and she couldn't possibly stay with her child another half hour. Needless to say, I was sent home that night with a giant, uncomfortable, painful hole in my mouth and was prescribed vicodin. I would have to come back the next day, however no one was able to come in early to finish the procedure they should have finished the first day until I stood at the counter utterly frustrated and broke down. So I ended up having to take two days off of work for a broken tooth and a root canal. Needless to say my tooth was in severe pain for almost a month after the procedure. Even after all that, I don't believe I would have given only 1 star for the review, until this week. I had scheduled a cleaning and I had called several weeks ago to cancel, letting the office know I would NOT be rescheduling. They called me back, and I told them I was in the process of finding a new dentist. No big deal right? WRONG. Dr. Carlsten called me on my personal number during work hours to say "he was concerned, and he wanted to know why I was leaving" and to call him back. He also called two more times DURING WORK HOURS, on my PERSONAL PHONE NUMBER, that I gave to the office only for professional use. I was finally able to call the office after sending two emails telling them to stop calling me, and let them know that Dr. Carlsten needs to stop calling. Overall I am very put off by this dentists office, and I would definitely not recommend it. Update: those of you looking for a great dentist in the area check out Smith Family Dental in East Providence. SO professional and put my fear of dentists to rest after this experience. read more