I went to get a normal cleaning, and the hygienist stated there was a cavity that was not there 3 months ago. Ok I get it, however, the dentist fix the cavity, and recommended I put a crown in she ended up cracking my tooth. Instead of troubleshooting the issue, she automatically sends me to get a root canal. With this painful procedure didn't fix my pain. I was in pain from December until March. She finally realize that she cracked my tooth and shaved my crown down to the metal. I lost my job and I wanted to do my deep cleaning which is scheduled every 3 months and she refused to give me a break on the price because I have no insurance then wants me to do a full x-ray without insurance. I've been going to this dentist for over 10 years and this is how they treat their long-term customers ? Is the medical world All about money? read more

At "Creating Frowns" I wouldn't trust them to cut my toenails! Like a used car salesman, they will try to sell you anything by telling you anything to make that sale! I wasted an insurance paid visit by letting them do a panoramic X-ray (can only get 1 every 3 years), bite wings and bogus exam just to get my teeth cleaned after a year of no dentist due to the pandemic. After filling out papers, waiting in the Covid exposed waiting room, letting them copy personal information, x-rays and exam, they said we can't do anything else before we do a $1,800 dollar deep clean. No routine cleaning for you Bub! PERIOD! As I spat on the sidewalk when I walked out the door, I went to a NORMAL dentist and got it done by a professional, reputable business! read more

The office staff that I spoke to on the phone seem seriously mentally deficient. I also feel I was ripped off because the oral surgeon who travels to the this location insisted he could not remove my son's baby tooth without a $300 CT scan because he could not tell which one was the baby tooth. So we got it. No insurance covered that. Then, because I was so frustrated with the office staff, I decided to go to a different oral surgeon 45 minutes away. Guess what? That doctor didn't even look at the CT scan. He removed the baby tooth - no problem. To sum it up, this place reeks of unprofessional care, and they have a huge focus on making cash. I would avoid it like the plague. Find another place, there are lots of good dentists out there. Also, why would a dentist have framed photos of herself as a model posted in her waiting room? Weird. Again, what is the focus here? It seems it iis not on the patients or their wallets. read more

Bait and switch on add in local newspaper as you do not get a ceramic crown for $600.00 like add states. You need an exam and build up at the very least and this cost. Might need a root canal and post so it might run closer to $2000 than the $600. stated in the add. read more

I have been with Creating Smiles since 2008. I am a 63 year old professional and have experienced more then my share of Dental Professionals. Dr. Yen Nguyen and her staff are the best Dental provider I have ever experienced. My oral and physical health have improved because of the great treatment plans they have developed for me and my wife as well. Most Dental insurance plans have deductibles that never seem to go far enough but for the out of pocket expenses I know I am getting great value for my money. I want to thank Dr Yen and her staff for all of there efforts. read more

Creating Smiles - General Dentistry Near Me - Lutz, Florida

Brought my 3 kids in , the dental assistant janet was awesome. My kids took to her and made there trip to the dentist memorable.

Kicking myself for not reading the reviews first because each negative review mimics EXACTLY what I just experienced. This place is incredibly unprofessional and practically a scam. RUN, do not walk, away from this place. As I'm completing paperwork, I had to listen to the front office staff talking negatively about patients and other staff members. As I was giving my paperwork back, the lady at the front desk began small talk with me about kids, etc and she made a comment about how "husbands are so retarded they are like having another kid". I was so put off and incredibly offended. I have a sister with down syndrome so I realize I'm more sensitive to the term than some but I couldn't believe she felt so free to say such a derogatory word in front of a client/patient. I was shocked at the unprofessionalism. At this point I was so uncomfortable but I decided to proceed to see if the rest of the appointment would be better. During my xrays, I had a lovely chat with the tech as she took pictures of my teeth. I thought maybe there was hope to turn my experience around, she was truly lovely, I wish I had gotten her name. I had made this appointment for a routine cleaning and had to decline the unnecessary $65 cancer screening. I was told by the hygenist that I needed an expensive deep cleaning with anesthesia that would have been $141 out of pocket for me and would need to come back in three weeks for the routine cleaning. I asked if I could just proceed with a routine cleaning that was covered by my insurance and was told "that would be a very bad thing". I told the hygenist that I didn't understand the need for this 2 step cleaning process and felt uncomfortable and like I was being swindled and she literally rolled her eyes, sighed and said "I've already explained this to you". She also told me at my age, "between 35 and 40", is when this process is usually required. I had my husband on the phone and asked him, who is 39, if he's ever been told he needed this, of course to which he said no. She then said "it's not based on age". Huh?? After that condescending response I realized there are so many red flags with this place and decided to not proceed and left. I have now wasted an afternoon, have to find a different dentist and have to take more time off work. read more

I'm still living with the nightmares of having trusted this dentist more than six years ago. they used scare tactics that i would get oral infections and pulled out all my teeth. they filled my mouth with bone grafts at $ 500 a tooth and the bone never grew. In one trip they got me financed for over $ 4000 (plus billed my Cigna insurance) that i ended up paying over 2 years. i couldnt visit another dentist for quite a while due to the fear the created, and I'm finally stuck with dentures for life from my early 50s! read more

I am a healthy 36 year old, non-smoker, no cavities. I came in for a general checkup and cleaning. I go to the dentist about once a year. This is the first time someone has tried to sell me a $500 cleaning. They flat out refused to do a regular cleaning because they state that I had gum disease. My measurements were mostly 3's, some 4's, and a couple of 5's according to their hygienist. I ended up paying $50 out of pocket for the X-rays and an oral cancer screening. I took the day off and now I have to find somewhere else to have my teeth cleaned. Do not waste your time at creating smiles. The only good thing I can say is that they were nice to my kids when they came here for their cleaning. read more

This is by far one of the worst dental experiences I have ever had, in terms of pain, cost and skill. No one should go through this.

DO NOT GO HERE! I should have paid attention to the other reviews. What a scam! At the beginning, they insisted on $95 worth of new X-rays and tried to charge me $65 for an oral cancer screening (I have never used tobacco products). I was refused a general cleaning unless they could charge me over $1,000 for a "deep cleaning". I'm mid-30's with good oral hygiene and regularly have my teeth cleaned. Now I will have to pay out of pocket for another dentist exam to have my teeth cleaned. read more

Worst experience ever! They are just out for the money and even when the insurance company overpays, they do not refund it to the customer that they charged. I had to go in for a crown and Gemma came in with paperwork stating that my copay would be $1080. I do not have problems with my teeth, so I had no idea if that was accurate or not. When I got home, I called my insurance company to find out that my co-pay was $185 plus an additional $50 due to it being a molar. Due to this discrepancy, I asked about the billing on my son's wisdom tooth extraction a month earlier where they had charged me nearly $800. My insurance paid the bulk of it and I was overcharged by more than $250 that they had no intention of refunding. When I called the office to speak to Gemma, she told me that the reps at the insurance company know nothing and she would call to speak to them. She refused to conduct a conference call stating that her office phone does not allow for that, which, I believe, was a total fabrication so they could come back and say they spoke to my insurance company and cleared it up and it would still be $1080. Because of Gemma's inability to initiate a conference call, I did it from my iPhone. When we got my insurance company on the line, Gemma became very rude, yelling at me stating that I was calling her a thief and that the office workers do not keep money and that was what I was accusing her of. She is totally off her rocker. She also would put the phone down and disappear during our call when the insurance rep would explain things to her. Long story short, they were trying to get me to pay for something my insurance doesn't cover, a "designer" crown. Had they come in and explained, this is the basic that is covered, but we recommend this one because... I would have been able to make an informed decision. They chose to be sneaky and charge me the most they could. Had this not happened, I wouldn't have found out about the overpayment on my son's extraction and they had absolutely no intention of returning it to me as they had the payment from my insurance company for more than two weeks. Not only do they overcharge and make up things to get more money, but they also cut a hole in my son's cheek and placed a crown in my mouth that is too large. I now have to pay to have my new, reputable dentist to fix. I am reporting them to the BBB as well as the state's attorney general and the American Dental Association. They are nothing but charlatans. read more

RUN! Do yourself a big favor and get dental care elsewhere. Unless you want a guarantee of being over-billed, over-serviced and up-sold on EVERYTHING, find a prudent dental office. I'm so sure that they have staff meetings on how to up-sale the patients. Everyone that I encountered offered something "extra" that was not needed and surely not covered by insurance. The front office highly suggested that I purchase a new Panasonic electric toothbrush ($130) from them. The hygienist suggested a deep cleaning, panoramic x-rays and special mouthwash (collective $220) - none of which was medically necessary. The dentist herself charged $65 for an oral cancer screening- not covered by insurance. I'm a life long non-smoker and never used any tobacco. The dentist also charged $50 for irrigation and $12 for numbing gel - none of these were covered by insurance either. The Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from the insurance show that they billed for services that don't even exist or are not recognized by the American Dental Association (ADA). Needless to say, I was over-charged for several procedures. When I brought this to the attention of the office manager, Gemma, the con games really started. She gave every explanation in the book to justify the over-charging, up-sales and blatantly wrong billing. Gemma insulted my intelligence in every way possible. They "had the correct ADA codes, the insurance company had it wrong", "you really needed the deep cleaning ang cancer screening, it's routine care", "the electric toothbrush and mouthwash are necessary!". Oh, I (mature adult) also "needed fluoride because our drinking water does not have fluoride and I have an increased risk of cavities". That fluoride was $39 that was not covered nor is it recommended for healthy adults with healthy oral hygiene. In summary, you will have to scrutinized your services while in the office and for sure closely review the bill and insurance. They will provide services that you don't need, sale (or try to sale) you things at every turn i.e., up-sale, and they will submit invoices to your insurance that are not covered and procedures that aren't even legitimate. Read other reviews, common thread here. If you have had the same or similar experiences, you can complain to the Florida Board of Dentistry. Better yet, just find a prudent dentist. read more

Great dentist and staff! I drive well out of my way because I know I am in great hands with Dr. Yen!

I normally don't write Dr reviews, but I think the truth should be told. I went to Dr Nguyen for a couple of years at her old location (On Van Dyke Rd). I thought the practice was great and Dr Nguyen was very pleasant. Due to insurance changes, I had to go elsewhere for some time. I was happy with new dentist, but preferred to go back to Creating Smiles if I got the chance. In the meantime, Creating Smiles moved the practice to the current location. I referred my elderly Mom. After her visit, she told me they had told her deep dental scaling needed to be done. I thought odd, but assured her the practice was legit and she ended up going 4 times to complete the procedure, doing one quadrant each visit. She paid dearly for this and her gums were so sore. Eventually my insurance changed and I was able to visit the new location. I walked in the first time and found an "upscale" and much larger expensive looking waiting room. I was impressed. However, I didn't recognize the staff and definitely not the hygienist. I was told I also needed 4 visit deep cleaning scaling. WHAT?! I went to the dentist twice a year and have a beautiful smile. I KNEW I did not need the recommended scaling, which is not fully covered by insurance like a regular cleaning is. I told the hygienist I preferred a normal, regular cleaning, without the scaling procedure. She refused to give me a normal cleaning. This was based solely on the opinion of the hygienist. I never saw Dr Nguyen to confirm scaling needed. I walked out of the office and found another dentist. Would you believe that Creating Smiles billed my insurance for an office consult and I was stuck with a bill of $35. BIG SCAM! I guess she needs to pay for that nice new office somehow. No wonder people hate drs. read more

Hold on to your wallet when you go here. I scheduled a cleaning and they would not do it until I paid $788 for a deep cleaning. I heard the hygentist call out 3s and 4s on 80% of my teeth but they wanted to deep clean them all. Cost me $50 for a cancer screening and even then she shoved her finger nail into my tongue. No wonder you can get an appointment in one day. Save yourself the time and money and find a reputable dentist. read more

Just moved into the area. Pressure sales tactics were horrendous! They conducted all kinds of unnecessary tests in order to bill my insurance. After an hour of tests and X-rays they quoted me over $500 for a teeth cleaning. I will be driving to my old dentist. read more

This place is AWFUL!! Do not go here!! The oral surgeon won't even come in the room to meet you nor does he have the decency to even speak to any of his patients unless everything is in order. I made my appt 3 weeks out in mid January) & unfortunately my dentists office did not send over my xrays in time (they sent a referral, and all my other info tho) for my appointment however, they never called me to tell me this and waited until I got there at 5 o'clock on a Saturday to tell me this!! Then the oral surgeon would not even come in the room to meet me!?!? I don't know about anybody else, but I would like to meet the person who is about extract four wisdom teeth out of my mouth!! They couldn't make me a new appt that day because they didn't have the schedule for the oral surgeon!?!?? What?? therefore, I had to wait ( they said they'd call me soon as they knew his schedule for the month of March) well another month goes by and I had to call THEM back to find out what the oral surgeon's schedule was like and they tried to tell me they called me which is an absolute LIE!! In fact they didn't!! they have absolutely THEE worst customer service and the worst Oral surgeon in the world!!! I would never, ever, ever recommend anyone going here again this place is awful and the staff is even worse!!! read more

!! HORRIBLE - CROOKS - NO EXPERIENCE WITH DENTURES S!! I was sold a bag of goods by Gemmah for my case which required removal of all my existing teeth with denture replacement. We experienced a year and a half of total frustration and disappointment. Note the following: 1. Subsequent estimates by other dental professionals cited poor initial gum and bone reconstruction and preparedness for denture. 2.Payed a substantial sum of money and was falsely led to believe that we would be reimbursed by our insurance company after paperwork was submitted by them. Unfortunately for us that was just a ruse for Creating Smiles to secure the job!! 3. This dental outfit had no experience whatsoever to handle my case: in fact outside dentists were brought in as a favor to Dr. Nygen to finish fitting my lower denture: and as I did not see her my last 2 visits I imagine her embarrassment kept her away!! 4.BEWARE...BEWARE...BEWARE....There is so much more that could be written here about this morally and ethically corrupt company..Suffice it to say, a complaint against them is being filed with the Florida Dental Board. Dennis and Maggie S. read more

Do not go here! I went in just to get my teeth cleaned and they said that my insurance doesn't cover my cleaning, which I found out after that they do. So they said that I had to pay around $200 when all I wanted was to get my teeth cleaned so then they said it would only be $92. So after finding out that my insurance does cover my cleaning I went back there so they could resolve this problem, but apparently I sign up to get all these things done when all I said was "I just want to get my teeth cleaned." They said that I said it was ok to do all those things. They will find anyway to charge you for no reason. And I just received a very unprofessional call where this lady yelled at me for writing this review. They accused me of not explaining myself correctly. Apparently I should of asked if my insurance covered it even though they had my insurance information and I did ask if it covered it. The phone call ended with them hanging up on me after she finished yelling at me through the phone. Very professional. read more

My 13 year old daughter was suffering from a very painfully sensitive tooth. After 3 other dentists and 2 orthodontists couldn't tell us what was wrong with it we were advised to seek treatment from an endodontist for a possible root canal. This was obviously something I wanted to avoid so when I called up looking for yet another dentist's opinion the wonderful office staff squeezed my daughter right in. And I am so glad I called them! They were able to find a small hole in my daughter's enamel, caused by her jaw clenching, which they fixed right up and also redid her sealants which she had grinded off. They were able to find and fix a tiny issue that no other office was able to do. My daughter is now finally free from the nagging pain of the tooth and we know how to prevent future issues. Not to mention everyone there was super friendly and professional! read more

I love this office. Dr Nguyen and staff are always fantastic and friendly to me. I wouldn't go anywhere else.

I have had nothing but an amazing experience coming here. I had a horrible experience prior, which made me have a tremendous fear of going to the dentist. This, of course, caused some issues along with many dental issues caused by a severe health issue. Dr. Nguyen was incredibly kind, understanding, and extremely gentle. She also is very considerate of the fact that appearance is very important to her patients, and is a perfectionist with making sure the outcome looks identical to a naturally perfect smile. The staff has all been very friendly and accommodating; including, making sure I received care on a day they were closed while I was pregnant. They worked with my doctor on a weekend morning to make sure I wasn't in pain and treated while the office was closed. I can not say enough good things about this practice. read more

As everybody knows dentists love over charging patients and certainly hard to find honest one lately, but this place is special in scamming. Believe it or not the over charge is hand written. The office manager showed me my out of pocket charges $146.20 even though I should pay $0. The office manager charged my credit card $221.20 and never stated what the $75 extra came from. I asked her about the itemized bill. The itemized printout reflected $146.20. When I mentioned this is only 146.20, she added $75 infront of me BY HAND and never even mentioned what this is for. I asked to speak to the doctor who to my surprise stated that he has nothing to do with billing. I will dispute that charge to my credit card provider since I noticed the charge after the fact. Whatever you do, stay away from this office. Send me email if you have questions or concerns sosman60640@yahoo.com read more

If I could I'd give them a zero, I really would. I set an appointment for a Saturday at 10 am, I received a call a couple days prior to my appointment asking me if I minded if they moved me up to 9am due to the doctor having something going on. We said sure. We show up to the appointment at 9:00 and waited for 50 minutes !!! When I asked why they moved our appointment in the first place when it was originally scheduled for 10 they just told us they were sorry. We finally get to the back to have no one tell us who they are, the doctor came in didn't acknowledge either of us (my boyfriend and I both had appointments) then they gave us paper to sign with totals of hundreds of dollars on it and simply said sign here this is what you'll owe today shenanigans. They are completely money hungry , no bed side manner and their office is just a tornado. At one point I had roughly 6 people standing in the door way wanting to ask the doctor questions and I had no idea who any of them were. Never going back and I would never recommend. read more