Honestly, the only reason I'm giving this place 2 stars is because I didn't end up going to Dr. Siegel for braces. From the moment I walked in, I had an uneasy feeling. I'm not sure why, but I knew I was going to be walking out of there with this place crossed off my list.
First thing's first, I had already had a consultation for braces with another place, so I kind of knew what to expect. The first thing out of my mouth when I was taken to the back was "Just so you know, I'm not interested in Invisalign at all." She proceeded to ask why and insist I watch their little video that explains what it is. Fine, I'll watch it. Dr. Seigel comes in shortly after the video is over and the assistant tells him that I didn't want Invisalign. He proceeds to glance in my mouth and tell me I'm a great candidate for it. Glancing in my mouth? Red flag.
Oh, before I forget. One of the other things I asked the assistant is whether or not they'd have to cut that skin on my upper lip because of my gap. She looked in my mouth and said it looked fine. So, back to the consultation. I'm talking to Dr. Seigel and I have a baby with me. He's getting fussy and I went to pull him close and he told me "Just leave him. I'll just ignore him." Ummm...what? If you let me just console him, he'll be fine. I just ignored him on this one.
The Dr. looks in my mouth and starts giving off notes. He's telling me my teeth looked awful and I needed a cleaning in which I reply "I know" as it had been a year since my last one. He tells me again, "No, you really need one." I tell him again, "I know." I'm sorry, but it had been a LONG time before I had a teeth cleaning and when I went for a cleaning, the women wasn't rude about it. In my head, I'm asking myself if I really want to trust this guy with my teeth.
I proceed to ask if they can give an idea of what my teeth would look like (as I was a little unsure of whether I'd go through with it) and as I'm explaining that I'm so used to my smile and my friends and family like my gap, he tells me to smile again. He then says "Oh no, you have horrible teeth. They're not pretty. Yeah, your smile will be MUCH better." and his assistant kind of laughs and seems kind of shocked and he goes "well it's true, the shape is ugly." Look, I don't need sugar coating. Honestly, I'm pretty blunt myself and had I not been there with the baby, I would have probably lost my cool at this point as he's just now beginning to piss me off.
You don't have to sugar coat anything, I'm insecure enough about my teeth, but you don't have to be rude. Especially if I'm going to have to see you for x number of months.
The Dr. then goes on to list all the things I need to do before we can start with the braces and the list includes cutting that skin (the assistant looked up and looked at me, knowing she had told me that wasn't necessary), checking for cavities and filling them (because he's apparently sure I have some....which, by the way, I've been checked since and I'm cavity-free!), a teeth cleaning, removing my wisdom teeth (something I was told wasn't necessary and could be done after) and a few other things. Oh, he also told me to consider veneers after the braces so I'd have a nice smile.
As I'm leaving Dr. Seigel is in the way as he's talking to several members of his staff. They just looked at me, didn't move and he didn't even say "bye" or "hope to see you soon". Nothing. Again, if you want me to spend thousands there, be a decent human being and don't act like I'm inconveniencing you to leave your office.
I had another consultation after this one (making that 3) and that person confirmed what the first one said. I opted for one of the other places I went to and couldn't be happier. (That review will come when I'm done.) The best thing about coming here and opting against is that this experience made for a great story that my friends and I laugh about. They're not quite sure how I stayed as calm and quiet as I did and they thanked me for letting them to know to avoid this place, because a few of them were looking for a new dentist. Again, I didn't end up coming to Big Smile after the initial consultation because (1) instinct and (2) the Dr. was so off-putting that I would have been upset with myself if I gave him a penny of my money. I found better payment options elsewhere, another factor. I'm paying a nice amount for braces, this wasn't about finding the cheapest place, but about finding the place that felt right for me.
Do some searching on the internet and you'll hopefully find the same things that made me feel better not going back here. read more