My kids now 22, 19 and 16 have been going to Dr. Penny since my oldest was one. They have always enjoyed going there, not nervous at all. Parents not going back helps the kids to learn that it is not a scary thing. Dr penny and the staff are very caring!!! Always make the kids feel comfortable and not nervous. I recommend Dr. Penny if you are looking for a pediatric dentist!! read more

I have so much trauma from this dentist. I asked my new dentist five times if he would stop if it hurt because Penny never did. And there's a good chance she messed up one of my fillings and I need a crown now. Andddd I just had a filling crack, which happens, however it was soooo close to my nerve that I barely escaped needing a root canal. read more

The office has an odd policy of not allowing parents to accompany their children (my son is only 3 years old) during the exam, cleaning, etc. While this alone is disconcerting, it was even worse when they performed procedures & applications without my parental consent. Dr. Dodson said she found a cavity. We got a second opinion. And lo and behold -- there was, in fact, no cavity. Parents, be careful here. read more

I strongly advise against bringing your kids here. While I love the staff that work in this office, Dr. Penny's work has turned out very badly for my youngest son. I have 3 stories to share: 1. My sons now go to a dentist in EDH -- we've been there now for about 1.5 years. We had a visit yesterday and one of his Dr. Penny fillings (about 2 years old) fell out and he had an abcess/infection. What's worse is that the dentist can't fix it -- Dr. Penny drilled to the nerve. He asked whether my son had been put under for the procedure and I think he wasn't. The outcome is that he has to have teeth pulled and spacers put in. When I told this story to friends I found out that several of them had bad experiences and botched procedures. Frankly, I'm surprised how well known the problems are with the office and nothing has been done about it. 2. On top of all this I've heard that pediatric dentists need an extra certification and I've heard (through another dentist's office) that she is NOT pediatric certified. 3. We went to Dr. Penny because my own dentist referred my son there, but that isn't happening anymore. They explained they heard many first hand stories like mine and their dental office NO LONGER makes referrals to Dr. Penny. read more

Below is my previous post about Dr. Penny. I have an update: My daughter who is only 17 years old needs a root canal now because of Dr. Penny's shoddy work! We were told that whoever filled her cavity went way too deep and hit a nerve. That's such a shame because it wasn't even a big cavity to begin with. I only gave Dr. Penny one star because you can't do 0. Buyer BEWARE! We took our two kids to her several times since moving here four years ago and never really had any problems. On our last visit, we were told that our son had seven cavities. We didn't schedule his appointment immediately, knowing that it was going to be pretty costly, and were pursued with letters and phone calls from their office to make an appointment. Then we got a letter from them saying we had been dropped from her practice for not scheduling an appointment. What? Who does that? Anyway, they say that things happen for a reason. I'm so glad it did because I took my son to a new dentist in El Dorado Hills named David Thompson who said my son's mouth was VERY healthy and that he had ZERO cavities! Wow! If you use her, I would definitely get a second opinion! read more

I have been taking my 5-yr old to Dr. Penny since she was 3. We saw her about 4 times and although I always had concerns about the way she runs her practice, I figured I can put up with it since she is local and for teeth cleanings only.....until now! I will never return to this office and this is why: 1. Yes, the office is nicely decorated with movies playing in the waiting room and toys for kids to play with. So what? This is not a daycare facility. 2. No, she does not allow parents to accompany children during their treatments and only takes you back if she wants to discuss a treatment plan with you. This is a huge problem. I DO NOT know what goes on back there and would never want any parent to fall for this like I did. Kids need their parents with them for support, NOT video games and toys/candy/stickers. Moreover, apparently her oral exam is no longer than 1 minute long (according to my daughter) - but you have no way to confirm this, cause you are NOT there. $80/min is a great salary! 3. Yes, she will perform procedures without your consent. For instance, if you do not refuse fluoride treatment in advance by calling it out yourself, she will tack in on your bill as part of the regular cleaning procedure. If you regular cleaning bill is below $100, prepare to be surprised with Dr. Penny! 4. No, she does not want to deal with you when questions or concerns arise. She will communicate to you through her rude and unknowledgeable staff, who will say she is busy with another patient (even though it was YOUR appointment time). The only time I saw her is to talk about what I NEED to get done for my kid...which in my daughters case, were 2 fillings on cavities that did not show up on x-rays nor bothered her, nor changed in a year. I will be getting a second opinion, but 99% sure that these are not cavities at all. 5. No, you will never be seen on time. Out of the four times we visited her office, the average wait time was 30 minutes. 6. She will make you take ANNUAL x-rays on all kids over 4 yrs old, no matter what. Let's radiate the crap out of kids so that Dr. Penny can make extra cash! But here is the best part! If you do not follow her "recommendations" or treatment plans she comes up for your child...guess what? You will be DISMISSED as her patient! This happened to me and I was trying to be as nice as possible to her rude front desk staff, while Dr. Penny herself refused to see me. I hope this review will make others look past her fancy office decorations and see that she runs a dental practice as a cash cow business taking advantage of parents behind closed doors and dismissing patients if her treatment plans are not followed. Thanks for reading! read more

I only gave Dr. Penny one star because you can't do 0. Buyer BEWARE! We took our two kids to her several times since moving here four years ago and never really had any problems. On our last visit, we were told that our son had seven cavities. We didn't schedule his appointment immediately, knowing that it was going to be pretty costly, and were pursued with letters and phone calls from their office to make an appointment. Then we got a letter from them saying we had been dropped from her practice for not scheduling an appointment. What? Who does that? Anyway, they say that things happen for a reason. I'm so glad it did because I took my son to a new dentist in El Dorado Hills named David Thompson who said my son's mouth was VERY healthy and that he had ZERO cavities! Wow! If you use her, I would definitely get a second opinion! read more

We loved this place. Our daughter went there for 2 years before we just moved out of the area. True, they don't let parent's go back with the kids... but that is AWESOME. Parents get in the way and only increase the stress level all around, or so say my friends in the dental business. We've never had any trouble there. Our daughter was well cared for, well looked after and I would (and have) recommended Dr. Dodson all over the place. I never had an issue with staff being rude and never saw a sour exchange at the desk. The rooms are bright with lots of things for little eyes to get distracted by... they are fantastic. We just moved, but I hope we can find another dentist as good as these gals were. read more

We Love Dr. Penny! I had a terrible experience when I was a child with my dentist and it has caused major fear issues with me as an adult. I did not want this to happen with my son. A friend recommended Dr. Penny and I am so thankful we found her, my son loves to go to the dentist, No fear issues for him! The staff is wonderful and caring, the office is amazing and so fun. My son has had some pretty heavy procedures done (teeth pulled, fillings, etc.) but he still likes to go to the dentist so that says something. read more

This dentist does not let you to the back with your child because back there do they not only restrain your child. she does not use any numbing agent! This woman should not only be put out of business but in jail. Before she lets the child out to the parents she has someone talk them down for about 30min so the parent sees a happy kid. She will be working on the child and if the child vomits she instructs her assistants to suck it up and to keep going. This is pure torture and will result in years of being dental phobic for that child. if you care about your kids do not send them to this office. read more

If I could give this terrible woman zero stars I would. I went to this practice as a child and as a result of being held down I still have a major fear of the dentist. She's a condescending jerk and as a ten year old she asked me every time I saw her if I smoked because my gums were red. I've never smoked in my life. Reading other reviews I see she makes parents sign consent to restrain...I don't know if she did that 15+ years ago and if my parents did that but I guess I should have a conversation with them about it. I have severe lasting trauma over it. read more

Dr. Penny said it was poor "genetics" but now I am beginning to see it was really a poor way of making profits! Misdiagnosis, terrible follow up care, poorly performed dental procedures, just to name a few of the issues we have had with this dentist. The last straw was when she filled a "deep" cavity...that abscessed, but went undiagnosed for 10 years!!! How do you miss that when a child is receiving regular cleanings & exams? I would love to ask her...but she has been mysteriously absent from her practice. Her replacement, Dr. Keith seems very apologetic...but also quite knowledgable. We'll see..or hopefully find a better option with a new dentist! read more

Today was my daughters first app. Dr. Dodson and the staff seem very professional. The atmosphere is very comfortable and every parent walking in with a child received the utmost respect! read more

My daughter has been going to Dr. Penny for most of her 13 years and thinks Dr. Penny is the greatest. How many kids actually enjoy going to the dentist? Mine does and I find that amazing. She really puts kids at ease and makes a potentially terrifying experience a pleasant one. 5 stars, AAA+++!!! read more

I give one star because zero is not an option. The kindest thing I can say about this woman is that she is a wolf in sheep's clothing. The staff and Penny (I will not refer to her as Dr.) were very welcoming. After tons of what I felt unnecessary procedures and HUGE bills even with dual coverage insurance, I was told that 4 of my 3 year old daughter's front teeth needed to be pulled. I got a second opinion and was told that ALL 4 of the teeth were healthy! After that I was, in my opinion, harassed with phone calls telling me how important it was to make another appointment. If you choose to bring your child to her PLEASE get a second opinion before letting her do any work on your child! read more

My eight-year-old daughter now has PTSD thanks to Mrs. Dodson. When parents are not allowed to go back with her children anybody can harm your child. They told us that they would do "gentle hand holding". I don't think that holding a child down, one person for each limb, while injecting with a needle into their mouth so they can't scream is anything short of a violent physical attack. If I could have her license I would; simply for the sake of saving every child the traumatic experience that my daughter had. It wasn't just a "bad experience", it was what we protect our children against. Don't trust this woman. Do not trust her with your most prized possession, your child. read more

Where to even start! This woman should lose her license! We went here for a few years with no problems then it went down hill very fast. The first instance that happened is that they don't allow parents into the back. So when they wanted to clean my two year olds teeth I said no, Penny Dobson came out and convinced me to let him go back for a check up and they swore they would take care of him. When they brought him out he was visibly upset and his face was red. They said he didn't want to get his teeth cleaned and it wasn't a big deal. By the time we got home my son had a bruise on his cheek that looked like a fingerprint. I called them, furious, and they swore nothing happened but I demanded further answers. They put me on hold for about 20 minutes and then came back on the line to let me know that actually he had fallen out of the chair because they were busy and left him unattended! I still don't believe that; I think they grabbed his face! That was definitely enough for me, but then my older son started complaining about a tooth that he had filled previously and I hadn't found another dentist yet and she was the one who filled it so brought him in. They said nothing was wrong and told me he was making it up, lying for attention. I took him home but he woke up in the night crying he was in so much pain. The next morning his pain was so bad that I took him to the emergency room where the doctor told me it was obviously tooth pain from a poorly filled cavity. Long story short my 8 year old son had to get a root canal because she filled his tooth wrong!!! This woman is terrible don't let her near your children!!!! read more

The worst. Parents are not allowed to go back with your children while they are being treated. My child was given treatment I did not authorize but they tried to use the miscommunication ticket! The receptionist was extremely rude and condescending. Dr. Penny even had rude comments concerning my daughter's underbite saying she has a thin upper lip and how "no one trusts someone with a thin upper lip, but that's something she can take care of with plastic surgery when she's an adult". Furthermore, police have been called to her office after children have been BRUISED after being restrained during treatment. If you love your child, make the drive to Dr.Weideman in Citrus Heights. A class act. read more

Please do not go to this dentist they can not and will not protect your credit or your identity. They will let people use your information with out verifying it is legitimate. Protect yourself do NOT come here!! read more