I'm sharing this as my personal experience so others can make an informed decision…read more
I had been a patient of this dental office for years and was explicitly told that this was the same practice I had been seeing all along. At no point was I informed--verbally or in writing--that my insurance was now considered out-of-network. Based on those assurances, I reasonably believed my coverage, billing expectations, and standard of care would remain the same.
My first concern arose when I was scheduled for what would have been my third cleaning in the same calendar year. When I arrived, I was told the cost would be over $200 due to insurance coverage. This was surprising, especially since the appointment had been booked by the office with full knowledge of my insurance history. Again, there had been no communication that my insurance was no longer in network. I ultimately rescheduled for 2 weeks later, after the new year, once benefits reset.
When I returned, the cleaning itself was fine, but the experience felt noticeably different from what I had consistently received at this office in prior years. The technician took an unusually high number of X-rays because the images weren't capturing properly. The office claims a full set of X-rays was taken, which is fine and what I expected - but the tech repeatedly x-rayed the same areas telling me he was having trouble capturing the images. Despite being told this was the same practice, the overall experience felt different from what I had come to expect.
Based on those X-rays, I was told I had a cavity that needed filling. This was concerning because my prior dentist at this same office had been monitoring the tooth and believed it was coffee staining rather than decay. I understand that dentists can have differing clinical opinions, but given the recent changes, it gave me pause. When I brought this up to the front desk I was told Dr. Farahani noted a cavity in my chart - which may be the case (I haven't seen the notes) but what was verbally communicated was that the area was not of concern and to wait and see. I previously saw Dr. Norling who believed the area was stained from coffee and also opted to monitor the teeth rather than perform work. This was the case for years and never do I ever experience any discomfort to the teeth in question.
Despite my hesitation, I returned for the procedure because I wanted to trust the practice I had been loyal to for years. What was not clearly communicated until the day of the appointment was that I was now considered out-of-network, nor was I given a clear estimate ahead of time. This was especially frustrating given that I had been assured nothing had changed with the practice itself.
While I was already in the chair and desensitized, it was decided that an adjacent tooth should also be filled. These fillings were performed on my two front teeth, which made the situation feel particularly high‑stakes. When I asked for an updated estimate, I was told "I'm bad at math. Just double it," by the front desk. At that point, I felt pressured to proceed since the procedure had already begun.
I'm not confident that both fillings were necessary, and given that they were done on such prominent teeth, I now have ongoing concerns about future dental work on them. I worry that I may need continued treatment on these teeth over time, potentially even crowns someday, which is especially stressful considering their visibility.
During the procedure, there appeared to be miscommunication between the dentist and the assisting tech, who seemed new and required frequent coaching. While I understand training is part of any practice, it was uncomfortable as a patient to hear uncertainty while work was being done.
Afterward, my bite felt significantly off, and one of my front teeth was left uneven. The issue wasn't resolved during that visit. Rather than return to this office I opted to see another dentist two days later and pay additional money to have the tooth adjusted so my teeth would stop hitting each other when I bit down.
In total, I paid about $550 for two fillings, including the follow‑up adjustment elsewhere. I left feeling disappointed and frustrated, particularly because I had trusted this practice based on years of exceptional prior care and was never clearly informed of changes to insurance status, costs, or treatment expectations--especially for work performed on my front teeth.
Others may have had different experiences, but this one missed the mark for me, and I won't be returning.
