This is a review for the first free consultation. Overall, the orthodontist's diagnosis seemed legitimate, but the clinic staff felt aggressive and unprofessional. I work in the healthcare service design field, and this clinic hardly is a good example of patient-centered service provider.
As I'm planning to get an Invisalign treatment, I saw 4 dentists and orthodontists in total to have different options. I specifically contacted the "VIP doctors" and "elite doctors (top 1% of the experienced Invisalign providers)" listed on the Invisalign website.
Pros:
The clinic is clean and easy to access from TTC. They provide x-ray and photo examinations in the first free consultation. Also, Dr. Chong's diagnosis seemed thorough, she explained my issues as well as treatment options in detail, and answered my questions in a professional manner.
Cons:
First, when I arrived, there was no one at the desk, so I had some water from the free-drink area and waited. Five minutes later the receptionist came over and said "you already helped yourself! I'm very proud of you! Very proud!" like I was 5 years old. I understand she probably was twice as old as I am, but when I am about to pay $7k, I expect professional attitude.
Then in the verbal question session, the assistant asked me if I have seen other dentists/orthodontists and their names, what their treatment options were, and how long they said it would take. It felt a little aggressive, but I answered the questions.
Finally, I saw Dr. Chong, who is supposedly working with Dr. Davis, but not Dr. Davis himself. This was the only clinic that I didn't see the doctor whose name was listed on the Invisalign website. Though her diagnosis seemed legitimate, here came the most aggressive part.
The assistant asked me if I wanted to start the treatment right away that day BEFORE she even mentioned pricing. When I said no, she told me the price and asked if I wanted to do one-time payment or instalments, and asked my next availability. Again, I have never said I'd love to start the treatment. I said I want to wait as I'm still getting a consultation with another doctor. Immediately, she got defensive. She asked if my appointment is with a general dentist or orthodontist. When I said it's with an orthodontist, she started explaining how orthodontists can provide better services, even though, again, I said I was seeing an orthodontist. Then she added "other doctors may give you cheaper, the same, or higher prices, but you get what you pay for."
Okay, that is a broken logic. Does that mean a doctor who gives a more expensive price does a better job? And if that is not true, it is also not true that a cheaper doctor does a less quality job. All I got was she was too eager to sell and pitch. I was very surprised because other doctors were happy to let me see other options, and actually suggested from their end that I should do so, sleep on it, and come back if I feel the most comfortable with them.
After all this, with my clear statement that I do not want another appointment, she made an appointment anyway and told me to cancel it if I decided to go with another doctor. It just created more work for me. read more