I was very disappointed with my experience with Athens Smiles and I would not recommend that anyone receive dental work there. I went in as a new patient having no insurance. I had learned of their insurance policy where you can pay $275 a year for free xrays and two free cleanings, among some other benefits. When I went, I told them I was there for a cleaning. They took probably about 30 xrays of my entire mouth which is never a fun experience with my bad gag reflux. I sat there gagging and they continued to make me gag while getting their 30+ pictures of my teeth. Then the hygienist did the exam by testing my gums. She then told me that I was on the verge of gum disease in my whole mouth, and that one quadrant of my mouth was already at the gum disease point. They measure it my millimeters and they told me I had mostly 3's, and some 4's and 5's. The dentist then came in to confirm what the hygienist already told me: that I would need a special deep cleaning to fix the gum disease. Of course this treatment plan was not covered by the insurance I had just purchased with them, and they stated that it would cost me $282, even with the 25% off I received through their insurance. It would have been closer to $500, but they would use one of my free cleanings to cover it, meaning that I would only have one left for the year. They also wanted me to come in again for the deep cleaning, and then about a month later for another regularly cleaning, meaning that about two months into my insurance plan I would have used up both of my free cleanings. Mind you, I am 23 years old and have gone to the dentist religiously every 6 months for my entire life and I brush twice a day and floss daily. I never have bleeding gums or any other symptoms of gum disease. I thought this seemed fishy, so I told them I wanted to decline that treatment and just take advantage of my regular cleaning that I had already paid for. They of course told me I couldn't do that. I spoke to the receptionist and the office manager, both of whom kept telling me that I had gum disease, this was a very serious thing, and they could lose their license. I talked to my previous dentist who told me there was no way I had gum disease, and I threatened to go back to him. They told me if that dentist was willing to risk their license then that was fine, but that they weren't. The office manager, Diane, even told me, "if you were my sister, I would tell you to get this treated because this is a very serious thing." I told them I felt they were ripping me off, and that I didn't have gum disease. They continued to tell me my numbers would suggest otherwise. They eventually gave me $82 back of my $275 since I told them I would not be going there. I then went to another dentist in Athens who not only confirmed that I did not have gum disease or anywhere close to that, but that they figured I had come from Athens Smiles because they had other patients say the same thing about them. I am extremely disappointed that Athens Smiles would do that to their patients, and disgusted that they are allowed to continue practicing dentistry. I would highly recommend staying far away from them as it seems to be a huge scam. I have no idea how they got 4.9/5 stars, but my experience was definitely not that. read more