We have been going to Dental on Central for 2 years now. We have 2 very anxious special needs young adult boys. For every visit/procedure my boys have had to undergo, the staff has gone above and beyond in being patient and empathetic with them. They always work hard at reassuring and keeping them calm throughout the process! The doctors are professional, kind and thoroughly explain procedures to you and thoroughly address any questions or concerns you may have without hesitation! As a parent of special needs young adults, or just a parent in general, finding good medical and dental providers is stressful in itself! With Dental on Central, we feel confident, we have one less thing to stress about! read more

Yelp Review I first encountered Dental On Central for a root canal and was so impressed with the staff, the quality of care, and the follow-up that I elected to continue routine treatment there. Unfortunately, that's where the positive experience ended. Months later, I had a prolonged and frustrating experience trying to complete a routine dental cleaning at this office. Appointments were repeatedly scheduled and canceled after I had already arrived at the office because of preventable issues, including discomfort during treatment setup, cold air blowing directly on me, a chair position that caused gagging, a hygienist I perceived as condescending and dismissive, unexpectedly time-consuming x-rays during a routine cleaning appointment that caused the appointment to be rescheduled, and ongoing confusion about insurance coverage. The insurance issue was handled poorly. I repeatedly received conflicting information from both the office and my insurance provider regarding in-network status and spent months following up with calls, texts, and emails to clarify basic eligibility and coverage. After the in-network question had supposedly been resolved and my routine appointment was scheduled again, I arrived only to be informed that the office was actually out-of-network and the visit would be self-pay. Then, when the office manager again stated that the visit could proceed, I was informed there would be an additional $60 out-of-pocket charge for a hygienist assistant, without a clear explanation for why this was necessary. Communication was inconsistent, sometimes with weeks between calls, texts, and emails, and the overall approach felt reactive rather than organized or patient-focused. There was no real sense of accountability from either the office or the insurance provider regarding the repeated scheduling failures: no apology for the three appointments I showed up for that did not take place, no resolution of the ongoing coverage confusion (ultimately caused by an incorrect tax identification number on the part of the dental office), and no recognition of the significant time I had invested in resolving an issue that was not caused by me. After multiple failed attempts to complete a routine cleaning, I agreed with the office manager to discontinue care at Dental On Central and will seek care elsewhere. read more

I have been a patient here for many years but I would not recommend it to others. I go back because I love my hygienist and have been satisfied with the dentists I've seen over the years and do not feel like starting over somewhere new. While I do not have first hand experience with this aspect of their practice, it does also appear that they are quite good with the special needs community and I do respect their efforts there. However, there are multiple very frustrating things about this office: - They are extremely focused on money and will shove it down your throat at every turn. I realize this is the sad state of affairs at most facilities in the health care field, but it is still quite off-putting. Again, I have been a patient for many (10+) years. Never once have I not paid a bill, no-showed for an appt, etc., yet the focus is always first and foremost on collecting their money before they start pretending to care about you. - Their appt confirmation process borders on harassment. Recently at least they have finally started to accept text confirmations rather than a phone call requiring you to speak to a person (not leave a message) in order for the confirmation to be accepted. But I still receive and respond to multiple texts to confirm my appts. I'm also reminded with each text about their cancellation policies and no-show fees. I realize these are likely automated texts, but as a patient for 10+ yrs who has never caused a problem with bills or appts, it's quite annoying to receive multiple texts with this information for every appt. - It is nearly impossible to determine what insurances they accept; and what they do actually accept changes significantly every year. They do not list this info on their website and also will not provide it if you call or ask in person. They will tell you to call the myriad insurances and ask them if this facility accepts their plans. That is outrageous and never once has any other health care office suggested something so preposterous. Not only that, but several times over the years I have confirmed with both the office and the insurance that my plan will be accepted, only to be told at my next appt that it is not. So many years I have paid for insurance that I cannot use and then had to pay out of pocket at the office. This has happened once again this year - I switched insurances for 2026 and verified that my plan would be accepted. Now I'm told that it is not and Dental on Central is blaming the insurance company for having an outdated list . You know what would solve this problem? PUBLISH A LIST ON YOUR WEBSITE LIKE EVERY OTHER OFFICE IN THE COUNTRY. Again, I have continued to put up with the crap because my hygienist is wonderful. But I may finally be reaching the end of my rope with this place and am considering starting the search for a new provider. Save yourself the headaches and just go elsewhere. read more

Used to give rave reviews of this place but I will not be returning. Texted to confirm the appointment from their automated messages, called the MORNING of the appointment and confirmed the appointment, and showed up and they reported not having me in the system. I do not recommend this place as you will be disappointed in their lack of communication and follow through. read more

Worst dental office by far. The receptionist desk is a mess. The financial person named Norma is the biggest B I've encountered, she lies, doesn't give a S*** about anything you ask. They told me my daughter needed a root canal and it was almost $3k out of pocket. Went somewhere else and she didn't need anything! read more

The hygienist Logan was fantastic at helping my daughter with special needs cooperate with her dental cleaning. He was able to make her feel relaxed, and he talked to her in a respectful, professional way. He was the first person in 7 years to successfully clean her teeth without sedation!! Kudos to Logan!. Definitely recommend dental on central! read more

I have been seeing Dr. Herro and the hygienist for 2 years. Every visit has been relaxing and professional. The clearly know what they are doing. I have been to dentists' offices that were clown shows. These folks are very professional and start your appoint on time. I have not had any of the issue with comms that others mentioned. I walk in and out within 45 minutes beginning to end. And the staff is always friendly. Especially my hygienist. Highly recommended. read more

DON'T GO THERE!!! Horrible communication and they have rude office admins. They NEVER answer the Damn phone and when they do it's almost like an inconvenience. And there's a sheisty approach to the dentists here. One will say you don't need a procedure done and a different one will say you absolutely do. Don't take my word for it take a look at all the other reviews for this place. They aren't even trying to change. read more

about Dental on Central: They are a DENTAQUEST participating provider and I have a referral from my Insurer - so I called there with Pre-authorization in hand - the receptionist was a total compete b*#@+/ !! Barely speaks English, would not confirm my insurance Network authorization/group ID on file.. Just flat REFUSED me any information advice nor service and refusal to make me an appointment, as directed, is against insurance Network and likely ILLEGAL ! (which I will find & pursue) - for Others' protection from a medical professional with hideously Atrocious practices outlined here - do NOT give them any consideration - as you can expect maltreatment, both professionally (and potentially medically too). read more

Came here for dental implants. Their process is full of roadblocks that resulted in the initial bone graft that they did to deteriorate to the point of being useless. The proposed surgical solution now required me to see Four medical doctors and get Four imaging tests and an EKG. For dental work! The office staff can be rude, and denigrating. I will single out the anesthesiologist as the primary source of the attitude. After a full year of waiting, I found another dental surgeon to solve my problem. Guess what, it cost me half the estimated price at DOC. read more

Awful customer service especially from the office manager. Extremely rude and unprofessional.

Leaving due to the administrative nightmare of trying to book or keep an appointment with this office. It's now been five days since I requested my records so that I could seek care with a professional office who values patient time. They haven't arrived and the office was snide with me when I called with a reminder. I can't wait to be done with these people. read more

Dr. J at Dental on Central is excellent!! Dr j is very professional and has a warm personable manner. He is communicative in providing options for dental issues. (No surprises!) He is highly detailed and takes great care in obtaining the very best result. Each procedure that Dr j has performed has turned out beautifully. The staff is also very nice, friendly and professional. Overall an excellent experience! 10 stars!! read more

Horrible experience with the billing department. I called to schedule an appointment with an Endodontist for a root canal retreatment. The day of the appointment someone from the office calls two hours before to reschedule. I show up at the reschedule appointment and wait for over 45 minutes to be seen. Then after telling me the treatment plan they schedule a Saturday appointment and ask for a deposit. I paid upfront since the retreatment was in two days. I show up for the appointment and they tried to collect a double copay. I have to show them a phone copy of my receipt for the front desk person to let the matter go and correct it. No apologies at all for any of this stuff. The Endodontist was great and the treatment was quicker than expected; that is the only reason I'm giving them 3 stars. They ask if I needed to schedule the crown. I declined and said after all that I'll return to my primary dentist. Almost a month after this visit I am having to follow up multiple times chasing after a credit balance that is due to me because this dental office over collected. Due to this I adjusted my review down to 2 stars. read more

"Dr" Jospeh Santoro injured me during his extraction of a tooth on 9-29. Instead of calling an ambulance when I was in extreme pain or having any idea of what to do in a situation like this this "Dr" proceeded to tell me "just go to the ER". This was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. I had to go to the ER via public transpiration. I was screaming in pain and the PA had to give me a dose of opioids to relieve my pain. On Friday the rest of the office staff rushed me out despite me being in extreme pain because it was the weekend, I was the last patient there and they waned to go home. My experience with the front office was not much better. Denae the scheduler for Dr Santoro lied on multiple occasions about putting in a pre-authorization for my insurance. She blew up on me one day when I was there at the practice to schedule the appointment and called my insurance to verify. She also lied to me that a CD of the CT scan I paid $150 for would be mailed to my house for my personal medical records collection. I found out from center administrator Holly Wright that Dental on Central does not give CD's only a useless panoramic copy which my new dentist says I have to retake and pay another fee again. The day of my extraction Denae called me to come in early for the appointment because she said I could be seen now. That was another lie as I rushed over and came in 30 minutes early and had to wait almost 30 minutes after my original appointment time to be seen. When I expressed my concerns to Holly Wright she gaslighted me. She offered no apology and went on to blame me for everything that happened. She sent me a dismissal letter from Dr Herro who is the owner of Dental on Central. All it was was a generic statement obviously prepared for by some attorney. There was no personalization to it. I already told them I had no plans to return to Dental on Central but I just wanted to give my feedback directly to Dr Herro and Dental on Central management as Denae had lied to me multiple times that Terri was the center manager I needed to speak with. Terri referred me to Holly and she was about the only DOC employee I had a pleasant experience with. Upon receiving my medical records I looked them over and noticed several false statements written by Dr Santoro. A lot was written in a way that left out important details as to what really had transpired. What also concerned me was he had diagnosed me with some dental issues that he did not personally tell me he had thought I had. Dr Santoro's lack of transparency in disclosing these conditions, his botched work on me and his complete lack of knowledge of what to do with a patient experiencing a emergency episode makes me highly suspicious of his credentials and capability of practicing in this field. I'll give Dr Herro the benefit of the doubt and assume he was not told about my situation or given false information about it from Holly, Denae and Dr Santoro given the aforementioned content of that letter. But the unprofessionalism of these 3 individuals. Dr Santoro, Danae and DOC admin Holly Wright and the complete lack of empathy, transparency and ethics displayed by them is a disgrace to healthcare. They have no business continuing to work in a health care environment or supervisory position of any sort. I hope this gets back to Dr Herro and he will make some positive changes to his practice. If you still must go here I would say avoid working with Santoro at all costs. Be aware Denae will lie to you about putting in your pre-authorization (among other things) so you will need to call your insurance and confirm it went through. read more

No communication. Time wasted. I took the day off to bring in my boys who both have Autism to this highly recommended special needs dentist office. I was told the only availability for sedation is on Tuesdays, so my boys were scheduled for the earliest availability which happened to be about 3 weeks out. We check in only for them to ask why we are there, and that they can't do sedation without clearance from their doctor. That's fine, but if that was the case, why were they scheduled so far out for a sedation day if they weren't even going to recieve that service? Speaking of services, no services were performed, as I already knew my boys would need sedation, hence me scheduling the appointment for this place to begin with. If my dental insurance is billed, Dental on Central will be in fact, be reported for insurance fraud. Once I returned home, someone calls me back to "explain" the process, but they keep stuttering and have very poor speaking skills when trying to convey what I already knew. Overall a bad experience. I don't appreciate bad communicators and time wasted when I go out of my way to find the best care for my boys. Parents of special needs children, beware. First impression is all you need. read more

Don't waste your time at this place. I had asked the lady do they accept AHCCCS and she said yeah but you have to be disabled mentally and physically for the anesthetic. I told her that I was mentally disabled and she basically told me I wasn't. What kind of dentist has their nerves to tell somebody over the phone that they're not mentally disabled when they don't know nothing about you. In other words this is not a place anybody should go to and you should take your business somewhere else. I would not recommend this place to anybody especially if you're on AHCCCS. I guess they prefer upper class people than people on AHCCCS. read more

The doctors are phenomenal However the front office staff I. The other hand are horrible. Never return calls to follow up and procedures. The front office Bills incorrect copay's and when the front office manager was informed her comment was simply " why do you keep coming here" wow wished I knew who was above her so I could resort this. The manager had the nerve to snatch my kids paper worth with information off my hands .. read more

What a horrible place. My brother has DS and has been treated here a few times. I called to schedule his annual exam and cleaning 2 months ago and was blown off by the scheduler until I called back for an update last week. She (terri) finally scheduled the appointment for him after I signed and returned consent. It took a great deal of effort to coordinate his transportation and schedule as requested by Terri. Terri calls me 5 minutes before my brother arrives to inform me that the dentist changed his mind and was cancelling the appointment. She hung up on me so I called the administrator who emailed me stating to call Terri. By the way they over dosed my brother on his last visit (he couldnt wake up for more than 5 hours for a cleaning). Dear public - you have been warned. read more

This office has no communication what so ever. I should have known better when I first called with my referral and they were as rude as could be. My son was referred by our dentist to have root canal done. I call and the lady proceeds to ask what I would like her to do since she supposedly didn't have the referral which I was there when our dentist sent it to them. Am scheduling what I think is a root canal I take the day off of work cause mind you we have to drive out about 30-40 minutes. We get and they take an X-ray and proceed to tell me he needs a root canal. Ugh yeah we already know that. Fast forward to the day of the root canal. He goes back about 30 minutes later my son and the nurse come out and tell me they couldn't do it cause they couldn't get him comfortable. Ugh so why not put to sleep obviously. The nurse did say the anesthesiologist was there so????? No they say I need to reschedule yet again. I wait to try and reschedule and miss now a 3rd day of work for them to tell me all of a sudden my insurance won't cover everything so I need to pay out of pocket $700. read more

Awful Experience. Went to get a dental assessment as it has been a little while since ive been to a dentist (because I didn't have insurance and out of pocket is not an option). After having my X-rays done and speaking with the tech, the dentist came in and did a bunch of poking around, I had explained to them that I have a fear of dentists because of a horrible experience years ago and that I had VERY sensitive gums because of periodontal disease, Well did he do his best to jab as deep as he could to get me to bleed as much as he could. I could feel the judgement from him as he talked down to me about my poor gum health. It wasn't as if he was educating or telling me how to better brush and clean but was definitely talking down to me. Now, my teeth as not horrible by ANY means of the imagination, I definitely need a deep cleaning (scaling) and some filling, one tooth removed because its past a crown, and one that needs a crown. They handed me an estimate that would be nearly $3000 out of pocket and that's with TWO insurances covering another $4000 combined! I about fainted! He claimed I needed 9 teeth REMOVED and 2 dozen fillings! I was flabbergasted! And immediately called another dentist for a second opinion. Within a week I had seen another dentist and he was shocked to see that Herro wanted to pull perfectly good teeth and couldn't understand why he would do that. He found I needed a perio scale and root pin (full), one tooth extraction, one crown and 7 minor fillings and two larger fillings. My part would cost only around $300... Thats a fraction of what DOC and Herro wanted! Now, because of wanting to make sure both these dentists were right I went to another dentist for their assessment and cost comparison, not disclosing what the previous two had came up with and boy was I in for a surprise! This dentist (Dr Schuerman at Wild West Dentistry on Thomas) came back and said I needed a perio scale and pin (full), one extraction, one crown and 8 fillings... my out of pocket would be $113.50 (their pricing is a bit better than the previous ones so insurance covered more costs) literally EXACTLY what the previous dentist assessed and contradicting Herro and DOC. This went to confirm dr Herro is NO HERO at all and is just wanting to get as much money as possible from the insurance and patient as possible! Not to mention, claiming my insurances do NOT cover sedation or gas, but when they do! And was trying to make me pay out of pocket for that as well. I do NOT recommend this office at all and its best to steer clear of them if you want to keep your teeth! If you want to lose your teeth and get implants (as he was trying to get me to do, not included in the costs) then go ahead and go to his office! If you want to keep your teeth and save money, go to another dentist, and ALWAYS get a second opinion! read more

I've been going to Dental On Central over a year and I have nothing put good things to say about this office. Dr. Herro has assembled a very competent staff. I feel confident I am receiving the best dental care I need, my teeth feel amazing and I am very happy with the services. read more

They are the best! Every hygienist has been amazing! They are gentle, comforting and provide excellent information. Their office is very clean and they uphold the highest standards and Covid protocols. And Dr J is the best! He provides sound recommendations and really cares about his patients. I highly recommend them! read more

They are so bad and have no morals. They only care about their money. I took my little sister who had pain in her tooth there and the scheduler (Briana) said that because she is on mercy care they will give her an appointment after a month, but if we pay cash they will do it the next day. This is the worst behavior I have ever seen in the U.S This is not the way to treat a 10 years old kid read more

Pluses: I have had great treatment by dentist and assistants. I like that they treat everyone, including special needs people. Office is very convenient. Big minus: their billing is, to put it positively, inaccurate. I was scheduled for a crown, and when I checked in they included a filling on the charge. Granted, I need the filling but didn't have time for the procedure then. I asked them to remove the charge. I was told, "why not pay it ahead of time, it's only $30." I asked for it to be removed 2 more times before I left the office. It finally was. I went back for the perm. crown. The charge was back although I was not getting the filling done that day. I had to repeatedly insist it be removed because I don't pay ahead for work. Then they over billed me for the crown, according to insurance eob. I called in Jan to get a refund. It's March and I still don't have my refund. Their billing is shady, I go back for the quality of work by dentists. read more

Pretty friendly Pretty expensive Nice that it's close to downtown Phx Nice that they specialize in special needs read more

Dental on Central - Oral Surgeons Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Beware! Dr. Santoro was extremely aggressive and short tempered with few choice words, the dental assistant was understanding and was excellent but this is not how humans should be treated, at no doctors visit should you be belittled shame on Dental on central and Dr. Santoro. This dentistry is supposed to be a special needs/Disability oriented dentistry and in no way shape or form is it. read more

This is the best dental office I have ever been to. I have debilitating dental anxiety and the staff is very patient and understanding to my needs. They are kind, pleasant to work with, accommodating and the dental work that they performed outshined every single other experience I have had. I had a crown placed here and it looks so good and was so painless I didn't even know which tooth it was on. Even after moving to the East Valley, I will always make the 30 minute drive to go here for my dental needs. Dental on Central should have 5 starts from everyone. Thank you for being such an incredible, conscious and friendly dentist. read more

My second time visiting, this time during covid. Very clean operation with several checks to insure customers safety. Thank you to the office staff for working with my ever changing work schedule and contacting me when spots opened up, I appreciate it!! Great teeth cleaning and doctor check up. An easy and on time appointment. Thanks! read more

I highly do not recommend this dentist. They are supposed to be great with children and they are complete opposite. Went to get my daughter a root canal and she couldn't get calmed down. It got to the point that the anesthesiologist literally wanted to get into a fist fight with me right there in the operating room and right in front of my daughter. He had to be restrained by the head dentist his son. I can't put into words what we experienced. Then to top it all off they basically kicked us out without showing any sympathy towards my family. Please choose another dental office for your needs. I wish I could give negative stars. read more

I found this place on Yelp because it takes many types of insurance. I was hoping it was a good dental place as well. I took my son there to get an evaluation. He needed a deep cleaning which was done by Eduardo. We really appreciate the time that Eduardo took with him to ensure a thorough job, free of pain. This place also works with you on pricing which is a big help. The ladies at the desk are very friendly and helpful. Eduardo, Kevin thanks you for your excellent work. read more

Just got my wisdom teeth removed yesterday today have no swelling and only slight pain, a vastly different experience than many people... have to thank my dentist for that, also the receptionists here are so sweet kind and patient they've been so helpful and supportive I really appreciate that, my hygienist that I've seen twice is also the sweetest and non judge mental would definitely recommend read more

Pretty unhappy with this establishment, Vanity the dental hygienist took it upon herself to CANCEL my appointment because I did not confirm. I showed up this morning at my scheduled appointment time and was informed that they were no longer able to see me. I took off a whole day of work to make the appointment I scheduled! I was informed by the very friendly receptionist that she called somone in early, I assume to make the schedule work better for her.... This is completely unprofessional and am very upset with this employee. read more

Ive Always hated the dentist (who doesn't) but this practice right here has an amazing staff who are very pleasant and efficient and they make me wanna come back each time. Dr Herro and Dr Santoro are just so very humble, understanding and have a great sense of humor! I highly recommend this office! read more

I have as terminal neurological disease, and the muscle spasms in my jaw and neck caused several teeth to break completely in half. Needless to say I was in extreme pain...but because of my special medical needs I require full sedation for the rigidity. so I needed to find a place to to sedation,that could get this done quickly. I am glad that an internet search on Yelp and Maps led me to Dental on central. The staff is wonderful..from scheduling all the way to discharge. Dr. Herro, actually both Dr Herros, were incredible. They were knowledgeable about extra steps that i would need due to my illness. The anesthesia part was easy...i dritfed off to sleep, awakened easily snd unfrighted. I am still a little"bruisy" but otherwise feel so much better too. If you have a condition where you need sedation like me, or whether you are just super nervous about going to the dentist...call these guys. You won't regret it! :) read more

Not happy with service today, having issues with a tooth This is a person who does not like to go to the Dentist hasn't been to the dentist in years finally went there couldn't get his teeth clean because he had to go to a specialist however they offer to remove the tooth for him he only had to bring a certain amount of money but then when he gets there they tell him he needs to spend more money which he wasn't prepared for so they sent him home with no service not happy at all. COMMUNICATION IS KEY! Let your patients know ahead of time so they can be prepared, people leave work early for dental appointments, lost pay and no service! read more

Awesome first time there with my daughter and they did a professional job on her they put her to sleep and I feel so comfortable

I am a 21 years Military Veteran who operates on a fixed income. I went to Dental on Central for a procedure in December, 2022. I was told during that visit that I would be getting a refund check within 4-6 weeks. After almost 3 months of waiting for my refund, my wife called the office and was told my refund was being put towards our next visit. The office decided to hold on to my refund and made a decision without my consent. No one from the office consulted us about their decision. When my wife heard this, she expressed her frustration and desire to receive the refund check, as originally agreed upon. The employee told my wife it would take more time to process the refund and they would call us when it was ready. Two weeks later I received a call telling me the check was ready and I should drive to Dental on Central to pick it up. On the afternoon of March 9, 2023 I drove to Dental on Central to finally get my refund check. I talked to a receptionist about the circumstances leading to the delayed refund and she referred me to the Office Manager. After a while someone named Holly Wright came over and asked me what was the problem? Since I relayed the full information to the receptionist I asked Holly if she was briefed about the issue and she said no. Again, I fully explained the situation to Holly and she cut me off several times with excuses and deflecting the blame back on my wife and I. I asked Holly to allow me to speak since two people cannot talk at the same time and have a productive conversation. She neglected to answer my main concern about our refund being held by the office and allegedly put towards our next appointment. Holly condescendingly said "well you know we can't just cut you a check and give you a refund during your appointment." She was loud, customers were hearing my whole personal conversation, I was so embarrassed. I left because all Holly wanted to do was argue. Holly's actions were aggressive, demeaning, and very condescending. I returned to ask for her name since no one had given me that information. She then gave me half of her name and I had to ask for the rest. She demanded to know who my wife spoke to and when I again reiterated this conversation was going nowhere as her actions were totally unprofessional, her response was: RIGHT BACK AT YA! My family has been going to Dental on Central for over 10 years, even before they moved to this current location. Today was the absolute worst, especially from someone who only comes into the office twice a week as she boasted. As an Office Manager, Holly Wright was unprofessional, rude, lacked tact; she argued with me in public to prove a point instead of discussing my personal matter with me somewhere more private, where other customers were not in my business. My family and I have never been to any entity where it's customer are getting treated this way. read more

I've been coming here for years! When we 1st relocated from Michigan we went to another dentist who basically said I needed unnecessary treatments and things, basically for money! I've always gone for 6 month checkups and take great care of my teeth! It was ridiculous! A friend recommended Dental on Central and LOVED them ever sense! Saturday appointments! Always fast and friendly! Highly recommended!!! read more

This dentist caters to special needs. The office is great. Dr Herro and Dr Santoro are excellent. You do have to follow up on your insurance approvals but once it's all worked out it's good to go. They accommodated my son and his anxiety to schedule, cancel and reschedule! Come here and you will be very happy!!! read more