I did not have a good experience with Dr. Cave. Not only does he not have good bedside manner, he did very shoddy work on my teeth. I saw him several years ago and he advised me that I needed a crown. After the initial work, I went back for the permanent crown placement. He refused to use Novocain and I was in terrible pain for the 20 minutes it took him to fit the crown. He told me numbing medicine wasn't worth it for such a short period of time. I disagreed but he refused. The pain in my tooth did not subside for several weeks so I went back to have him look at it. He claimed his work was thorough and that the only problem was that I was doing a poor job of brushing my teeth. Fast forward to last week: I finally built up the courage to seen a dentist about this constant toothache, and it did take a lot of courage after the pain of the crown fitting, and there is indeed a huge problem. The crown was not fit properly, I have a massive infection and needed a root canal. In addition to this shoddy work, Dr. Cave is rude to his staff and his clients. I would look elsewhere for a dentist. read more

I have gone to Dr. Cave for over eight years. He has removed teeth and added implants, along with regular checkups, fillings and crowns. (I get a lot of work.) The staff is always friendly and helpful. Dr. Cave has always given me excellent advice on how to proceed with treatment of problem teeth. I also believe Dr. Cave tries to do the most economical procedure and will explain why something needs to be done. read more

I have been going to Dr. Cave for a few years now. His hygienists and receptionists are very nice, thorough and professional. Dr. Cave is the same, and hasn't tried to sell me on any unnecessary procedures or services. All I have needed was a small filling, which was pretty painless as far as fillings go. The office is good about getting you in and out pretty quickly. read more

Worst dentist I've ever been to. Talk about rude! He would barely look me in the eye, he cut me off when I was answering his questions, and when he asked how long it's been since I've been to the dentist and I told him about 1 1/2 years, he replied, "well, I beg to differ". He made me think I had horrible teeth which I do not. Additionally, I was there to see him for my first problem with tooth pain. Turned out I needed a root canal. He did it that day in his office and kept saying while the precedure was going on that it was a bad one. I left that day with no pain but began to have pain hours after the novicane wore off. I expected to have sensitivity for a couple weeks but when this continued, he dismissed me and told me that I'm not giving it enough time. 6 months later I'm still in pain and would not go back to him. I found a good dentist through referral of a friend. First, this new dentist told me I have beautiful teeth and has referred me to a specialist for the problemsome root canal tooth. The specialist now has to go back in and re-do the root canal that Dr. Cave told me would be fine. Dr. Cave may be someone else's choice for bad manners and service. I prefer to go where I can get respectful service and competant care. read more

I worship efficiency and Dr. Cave is incredibly efficient. Any marks off for "personality" by other reviewers is probably due to his terse nature. I for one like it. I don't need to be pals with my dentist. He is friendly, seems honest and does a good job. His staff is also really nice and incredibly thorough (in their work and in explaining what they are doing). Highly recommended. read more

Extremely punctual and professional. The first decent dentist I've found in the city, and I'm not looking any further.

Further update: I've recommended a handful of coworkers to Dr. Cave over the last couple years, and today I got a handwritten note and Starbucks gift card in the mail thanking me for my "continued support". Dr Cave rocks, people, and those of you who left him should have held out! He really does care about patients. read more

Dr. Cave is a great dentist. I have been seeing him for at least eight years. He is knowledgeable, professional, friendly, gentle, and truly cares about his patients. If I have a problem, he explains everything very thoroughly, and he is always open to questions or requests for clarifications. His dental hygienist, whom I have also been seeing for about eight years, is just like Dr. Cave, very gentle, professional, and friendly. Dr. Cave's front office staff are also professional. The office itself is extremely clean and organized. I would recommend, and have recommended, Dr. Cave to anyone looking for a great dentist. read more

I switched dentists to have my cavities filled, and while I was there, found out that Dr. Cave had diagnosed me with 2 imaginary cavities and only one real one. Best part was, when I got confused, my new dentist said she had been getting a lot of x-rays from "this guy's" patients who were saying he diagnosed them with 6-7 cavities that she never saw. Honestly, I wouldn't have even bothered writing an update for this d-bag, but between his glowing "reviews" and his disgruntle patients who had identical experiences to mine I sense something fishy is going on. I wouldn't be surprised AT ALL if he was paying patients/telling friends to write good reviews for him cuz he can't keep patients to save his life. Very sketchy, stay away read more

I went to Dr. Cave because of the positive reviews on Yelp and because he is covered by my insurance. I was shocked by my experience. The office was running way behind schedule, Cave was extremely rude, and never mentioned any possibility of complications I may experience as a result of the work he did. I will never go back to Cave's office again. read more

Do yourself a favor and stay FAR away from this guy. He speaks (and on more than one occassion screams) at his staff like they are pond scum. I went to him for a couple years, while he made thousands tinkering with random procedures and humiliating his constant rotation of staff. I finally wised up and went to another dentist. The second dentist basically recommended suing. read more

I thought he was rude to me and to his staff. I put up with it for a while but after a few visits recognized the pattern. Finally, when he told me I had 4 cavities, I decided to go to another dentist for another opinion. The new dentist told me I really only had 1, and couldn't figure out what Cave was talking about. read more

Dr. Cave is the best dentist I have ever had. I was 62 (still working) and had very limited dental insurance. Dr.Cave treated me for two root canals and an upper denture. He is an expert fitter and always got the fit right the first time unlike other dentists I've seen. His rates are flexible. He gave me a 20% senior discount and a 10% discount for the work my insurance didn't cover. Dr.Cave is a perfectionist and somewhat intense but always friendly and caring. I am now 70 and live in a retirement home in Silver Spring so I am unable to make the journey into DC to see him. But Dr. Cave has spoiled me for other dentists. He is most unusual and independent and has clear principles about health care in general. He treats all ages so is an exceptional dentist for starting children off right. read more

I have been going to Dr. Cave for years. Although he is a fine dentist, his bedside manner needs improvement. In particular the way he treats his employees is abysmal. He just doesn't seem like a nice person. If you can ignore this, he really is fine. read more

I have been to Dr. Cave for several years and have always found him to be extremely professional and very competent. He has told me that I didn't need things that other dentists would have quickly jumped on to make extra money. He has always explained things to me clearly and I've never felt he was opposed to answering any question. I think he's great and have recommended several friends who also have been very pleased with him. I have no problems with his expectation that patients be on time - that's being respectful of all of the other patients - late showers delay everyone else for the rest of the day. He also takes my (somewhat crappy) insurance so I appreciate that too. read more

I agree with many others about Dr Cave. His professionalism and work are sub par. To start his office is hard to find. It is located in an old building where the elevators probably haven't been updated since 1942. Sad thing is, you can't take the stairs because you get locked in the stair well and have to wait for someone to come and let you out. The whole building smells like Subway because there is one located in the lobby. His actual office is small and cramped. Once you walk in and take a seat in the waiting room or any of the dental rooms you feel like one of the many stacks of boxes filled with patients files is going to collapse on you. Dr Cave comes off as being arrogant and very rude. He looks like he is getting ready to go out on a night on the town with his work attire instead of being a professional dentist. He talks down to his assistants whenever they make a mistake and he does it in front of the patients which makes the visit very uncomfortable. He also speaks down to his patients like they are 9 yr. old kids. While asking me to bite down once and move my jaw from left to right he visibly got annoyed and angry, stopped me, told me to look at him and listen to what he was trying to tell me, and then told me to move my jaw left to right. While doing this I thought to myself, I was doing exactly what you are telling me to and couldn't understand why he thought I was doing it wrong. I almost got out of the chair and left the office at that moment. He tries to make small talk with is patients like he actually cares about what's going on with them but it's obvious he doesn't as he turns to his computer and just nods his head after pretending like he's listening to you. It feels like he is just trying to rush you in and out as fast as he can. As for the work itself. I found that Dr Cave tries to advise for unnecessary services. He told me that I would need to get my wisdom teeth removed because they would cause me problems when I got older and that I should take care of them now. He told me when I got to age 50-60 they would probably be bothersome. I am in my early 30s right now. It seemed very unnecessary and like a waste of a lot of money at this time. None of my previous dentist ever mentioned getting them removed and my childhood dentist told me that I had plenty of room for them. My new dentist told me that it was an unnecessary procedure and a waste of money. He told me that I had two cavities that I would need fillings for. I had one of them filled last year and couldn't understand why he didn't do both of them at once. Luckily I never had the other procedure done and my new dentist could not find the other cavity he was talking about. After I got my last filling I experienced pain on the side of my mouth that he did the procedure on. I went back in a few weeks later and told him about it. He told me that it wasn't from the work he had done and that it was a crack in my upper tooth. Funny thing was that I never had any pain before the procedure and why did he not find the crack previously? He then went on to shave the crack in my tooth down and charged me $50 for it. Then he told me that even with it shaved down that the tooth would still cause me pain. Why do the procedure then? He should have told me that before and gave me the option to choose the procedure instead of just doing it. The tooth still bothers me to this day. I could have saved $50. He also told me that I would need to get a crown on one of my teeth. Once again, none of my previous dentist ever mentioned anything about a crown and my new dentist said that I did not need one. It feels like he's just out to make as money as he can off of you instead of taking care of his patients and doing quality work. Definitely not rec commended. read more

My husband and I were patiets of Dr. Cave's for years. (We recenently left the area.) Yes, he is abrupt with his staff but they stick with him and his appointments run on time. We always found him to be very thorough and considerate of our needs. We actually liked him personally and professionally. His new office is nice with a great location and he never ever gave us any grief when we had to spread out some payments over a few months. read more

I'm not much of a dentist person but this was a really good experience. Dr. Cave was quick and thorough. My hygienist was SUPER patient with me when I kept gagging on the thing that goes in your mouth for x-rays. The staff at the front desk was friendly and efficient. I'll be back in six months for another cleaning. read more

Very fast service, great customer service, but have to agree with the other review in regards to the fact that Dr. Cave can be very moody or have a very negative attitude. In addition, he lacked detail in examining my problems and treats the patient like a numbered customer vs. a patient. I was in sooooo much pain from him performing uneccessary procedures or not the right ones. I had to switch to my old dentist that is very far away, but does an excellent job. read more

I have to agree with all the negative reviews of Dr. Cave. It's been many years since I went to see him, but I witnessed the same rude/condescending behavior to his staff (and in some degree to myself), and he had me undergo a whole series of new fillings without explanation (I hadn't experienced any dental discomfort so when I asked if it was because I had a cavity, his reply was, 'yeah, a lot' -- no explanation, no showing me on the x-rays where the problems lay). I had no dental insurance at the time so I had to pay for everything out-of-pocket (several hundred dollars), and I'm pretty sure all that work did nothing but weaken my teeth. He had been recommended on an online internal discussion board by someone in the company I then worked for, but after my negative experience, I started seeing some other co-workers post responses saying that they felt he was trying to over-sell them dental work they didn't need, and that they had gone for second opinions. I only wish I had. read more

Dr. Cave did work on my teeth about two years ago. I was very happy with my first visit, but had to come back later for a crown. I think, looking back, that I started to see some patterns around Dr. Cave's behavior even with that first visit. And by the third visit, I was sure that what I was seeing was more than just a "bad day" - he treats his staff very poorly. The best example was when I was getting the crown work done. The assistant was right there with Dr. Cave, and he continually berated her for her work. At one point, when he walked out of the room while she was doing something and then walked back in and saw her work, he actually yelled at her right over my head. A few minutes later, when they both stepped out, I heard him continue to yell at her. I don't care how fantastic a dentist is; I won't see someone who doesn't value staff. And I definitely need to get all stressed out during an oral procedure with someone yelling over my head. read more

Completely DISLIKED HIM! He was arrogant & rude. I couldn't TELL he was the dentist b/c of the way he was dressed. He seemed more concerned with being stylish than looking professional. I made an appointment for a general check up but when I got in the office he told me that it was a "problem specific appointment" which is wasn't, & refused to do a full examination! During this half done examination he knocked on my teeth with his tool & told me to tell him if it hurt. When I said 2 of my teeth in particular did hurt when he did that,he rudely told me that I was anticipating it & basically making it up! When I tried to explain what I was feeling,he told me not to explain it & just say yes or no, then he got very irritated because apparently I wasn't giving him the response HE thought I should have! Why in the world would I make it up when my insurance doesnt even cover half of whatever I would need done?! If anything, I would be saying it didn't hurt when it did! I told him I didnt like the way the appt.was going & his nasty, snobbish response was "I couldn't agree more". I walked out before he could finish and I WILL NOT BE RETURNING! I have never had such a horrible experience with any type of doctor in my life! I was angry & annoyed after that encounter. My feathers are not easily ruffled...I am usually a tough cookie! But that just gives you an idea of how horrible he is! read more

Terrible Terrible experience! Dr. Cave has an attitude problem. I went in to fix a chip in my front tooth and when he asked me questions he had a mean tone to his voice and talked to me like I was stupid. If you like being talked down to, go to him, otherwise STAY AWAY! After my procedure, my tooth hurt for about 4 days so I finally called him to ask him if that was normal... he finally got on the phone with me after me going back and forth with his secretary and asked me why he's even talking to me! How rude! I told him the problem and he said "I told you had a problem with the tooth, your front tooth is dying!" I was SHOCKED! Not only did he not tell me about any problems, he wasn't nice on the phone and didn't calm me down and didn't ask when I wanted to come in so he can take a look. After that I went to get a second opinion and my tooth was just fine. Please do not go to Dr. Cave - I have never met such a mean dentist! read more

I've seen Dr. Cave a handful of times, and won't be going back. I found his staff and office quite nice, but I found him to be a weird dude who performed a bunch more work (more fillings) than he had said I needed done - and only "asked my permission" to fill them (and charge me) once I was numbed in the chair. He also messed up one filling pretty badly, so that I couldn't chew. I went back the following week, and he said it was too soon to know and I should give it a "few months" (of not chewing - awesome solution). Then when I went back again months later, still with extreme tooth sensitivity, he said the filling was fine and insisted that I wasn't even correctly identifying where the pain was coming from (he said it could be top or bottom, when it was quite obvious to me it was the bottom), based on some pseudo-scientific notions about the nerve structure of the mouth. On a visit home I was able to confirm it was simply a botched filling (why Cave couldn't just acknowledge the screw up and fix it, I do not know)... Cave also suggested I get a $800 crown on a wisdom tooth - as opposed to just getting it removed - odd. I've since found a great dentist in Georgetown who easily fixed the issue and otherwise recommended a much more conservative and reasonable course of treatment, so won't be needing to go back... phew. read more

Went in for my first visit this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised (no one ever looks forward to a dental visit, let's be honest). The waiting area was nice, although I was there for only a couple of minutes before being brought back, even though I arrived 15 minutes early. Sophia did a full workup of xrays and was very good about being quick knowing that they can be uncomfortable. She then cleaned my teeth and was thorough but gentle. She told me what she was doing all along the way so I was never surprised. Dr. Cave came in, reviewed my xrays, examined my mouth from the outside and then from the inside. Again, very thorough and professional, but also just a nice guy who talks and makes you feel comfortable. He mentioned a couple of things we need to keep an eye on, but didn't feel any work was necessary right away which is always appreciated. I would highly recommend this office, at least from what I know after this first visit! read more

I've been to Dr. Cave a total of 4 times; each experience gradually worse than the first. When I started, he was fun and friendly, though with each time, his temperamental attitude shone through. The last visit was the straw that broke the camel's back. The morning of my last appointment, I just arrived back in the country and things unfolded with my job that I couldn't avoid. I called first thing in the morning to cancel my appointment, and I was greeted in a very nasty tone by his hygienist with "you always cancel, we charge you $45, you can't cancel!" I was completely caught off guard and taken aback. I calmly said, "good morning, how are you? I hope you are having a great day. I've had to cancel before and no one ever mentioned a fee." She continued shouting that the fist time was a courtesy but since I "always" cancel (one other time), I have to pay a fee, its policy. Ok, I get it. I told her I'll pay the fee, and and shared she was being very rude. She argued that she wasn't rude, it's policy. I cancelled. After I thought more about it, I reworked my work schedule, called and told them I'll come in, but I'd like to speak to Dr. Cave about it. My issue is NOT the fee, but HOW the message was delivered. I went to the appointment as scheduled..and waited 30 minutes to be called to the back. Here we are with 30 minutes of my time wasted. The woman who called me to the back started shouting my name incorrectly before she was visible and when she came into sight, I clarified my name; she was unsure and had to double check. She confirmed, I went to the back. I asked how long the appointment would take. She said an hour. I said I was scheduled at 1:45, but its now 2:15, that's 30 minutes wasted, unfortunately I no longer have an hour. She said I'd need to talk to Dr. Cave. I thought, no problem. Five minutes later, I hear her explaining to him my issue, he comes in and says "what's up?" No hello, no good afternoon, no nothing. I say, hello, how are you? I have a bit of a concern...I proceed to tell him about the time. I look back at his computer that is in open and plain view, and see that my appointment on his calendar says 2. He snaps "turn around, don't look at my screen, it has patient's information on there!" My thought is - if it's private, why is it up in plain view? He then says your appointment is at 2, not 1:45, it was changed last week. I ask - I was out of the country last week, and did not call, why was it changed? He didn't know. In short, I didn't have time for the procedure and suggested to rescheduled - he said "yes, you seem agitated, I can't work like this". We walked to the front, I told him I expected not to pay a cancellation fee, he sneered and sat down to reschedule me. He then says, his hygienist wasn't rude its just that she's from another country and I misunderstood her. Little did he know, I would in international development, and 95% of my DAILY conversations are with non-native English speakers, I teach ESL and courses on culture, etc. Her language ability has NOTHING to do with WAY she spoke to me on the phone. He continued to argue that I was wrong and did not understand her. To make a long story short, he is quick to assume, lacks professionalism and customer service, and is simply, rude. read more

Dr. Cave is a deeply disturbed man who clearly does not know how to properly treat patients. The first visit I had with him was fine. When I went back to get a filling, he rudely berated me for being ten minutes late. This alone was odd but the surreal episode was exacerbated by the fact that he scolded me while standing over me with the novacaine needle in his hand. He concluded by commanding "OPEN YOUR MOUTH." It was the first time I'd gotten a filling and it was like a bad movie. His bedside manner was unbelievably inappropriate. I should have walked out right then. Instead, I let him drill and then told him I wouldn't be coming back because he made me so uncomfortable. He told me to be sure I insist on getting my other teeth filled, since other dentists may advise me that I don't actually need fillings. So basically, I let this nutcase drill my teeth and I may not have even needed any work done. STAY AWAY from this guy. read more