I wanted to share my experience at Gentle Dentistry of Tamarac to help others navigate their visits…read morehere. The only reason this is not a lower rating is because the dentist herself was very sweet and professional during our initial interaction, but unfortunately, the rest of the visit was extremely off-putting.
I called in advance to set up an appointment for a standard cleaning and X-rays, and I double-checked that my insurance was accepted. Upon arrival, they took X-rays and performed an iTero scan, followed by a brief meeting with the doctor. However, the receptionist holding a clipboard with a price sheet informed me that my insurance "isn't great," that they don't get paid from it, and that it would only cover the X-rays.
She then claimed that due to a diagnosis of excess plaque, a basic cleaning wasn't covered and quoted me several hundred dollars out-of-pocket for a deeper type of clean, alongside a treatment plan for a retainer and Invisalign that totaled roughly $3,000. Knowing my benefits, I called my insurance company directly while standing right in the office, and my insurer confirmed that a standard, basic preventative cleaning was fully covered.
What made the situation more uncomfortable was the atmosphere. When I politely questioned the front desk about why I was diagnosed with something requiring a non-covered procedure rather than a basic cleaning, the staff began whispering to each other, and other team members started peeking around the corner at me. It made me feel alienated and embarrassed over standard insurance questions. Additionally, no periodontal probing or charting was performed during the entire exam to justify the upcharge.
I ultimately took my treatment sheet and walked out without getting the cleaning done.
I have since gone to a new dentist, and the contrast was night and day. My new provider completed a full head, neck, lymph node, and jaw examination, performed a thorough periodontal chart (showing healthy numbers of 2s and 3s), and confirmed my teeth look great. They even had to retake the X-rays because the images sent from Gentle Dentistry were not to their standards. Even paying completely out-of-pocket at my new dentist, the full exam and basic cleaning came out to just $150, far more affordable and transparent than what I was quoted here.
While the doctor herself was pleasant, the sales-driven atmosphere at the front desk, the lack of standard diagnostic steps like perio charting, and the awkward treatment from the staff made it clear this office was not the right fit for me.
