I found Dr. Manunts while searching for someone that could repair a filling that broke after…read moreanother dentist "repaired" it a short while ago. (I wasn't willing to go back to that dentist - I take a lot of medication to get numb, but the previous dentist didn't really numb me all that much, plus provided what I consider to be a really subpar repair of a filling that had never bothered me before. I don't care if that filling would have been free; that dentist was not worth the trouble.) I didn't have dental care growing up, so dentists are a source of anxiety for me, but I can't avoid the fact that a massive chunk of one of my teeth was missing. After an exam of the broken filling three weeks ago, Dr. Manunts told me that I'd likely need a root canal, because she was worried about the pain I was in and some swelling around the gums, and while I wasn't exactly happy with that, she calmed my fears, helped me set up an appointment, and then encouraged me to research the procedure, stressing to me how important it was to avoid the horror stories. I was asked to call with any questions and absolutely challenge her with hard questions if I needed to. I was able to find some pretty great resources that calmed me down a bit and demonstrated the procedure without showing me actual video of it. When I went in for the procedure today, I wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but she again put me at ease, suggested I put on an audiobook or some music, and just let her work. She asked me whether I typically need a lot of numbing for procedures like this, and I know that I do, so I told her that. She then told me that if I feel anything beyond the fact that she was there - meaning if I felt pain - to just raise my left hand, and they'd stop and numb me more. That was important to me. The previous nightmare of a dentist I had here in Ithaca did not listen to my concerns that I need more numbing than most, and when I tried to let her know that I felt it, her response was essentially to suck it up because she was moving forward anyway. I have a chronic pain condition. I can take pain. The pain of that dentist "repairing" that filling was so much more than necessary, to the point that I stopped going out of fear she'd find something else wrong and put me through that nightmare again. So if that dentist ever wonders why I never went back, it's stuff like that. When Dr. Manunts started, I did feel it and did as she suggested, raising my left hand slightly to let them know that I felt pain. She then pulled out the more heavy-duty anesthetic, then tried again. I didn't feel it this time, so she proceeded, and I tried to relax and listen to my audiobook. When she got down to the point she'd need to go to perform the root canal itself, she realized that she was mistaken and told me that I would not, in fact, need a root canal, and that she'd be repairing the filling instead. That was a pretty pleasant surprise, so I of course let her proceed. I appreciate that she admitted that she made a mistake and that she didn't want to put me through an unnecessary procedure. A few minutes later, I had a shiny, new, repaired filling, and she told me that my teeth are actually in pretty good condition...I just need to get them cleaned more often to avoid the gum swelling she was worried about that caused her to think I needed a root canal (which I totally agree with! I was just so gun-shy after that last dentist). She also told me what to look out for in the future to determine whether it's standard sensitive teeth (which I know I have), sensitivity to heat or cold, or something more serious. Then she sent me on my merry way. I'll be coming back next month for a cleaning before we leave the area for good. I'm sad that I didn't discover Dr. Manunts before, but I am more than happy to leave this here to hopefully save someone the same fears I've dealt with since visiting a less competent dentist. She and her staff are incredibly pleasant, low-pressure people who care about making sure everyone gets what they need when they need it, with as little anxiety or pain as possible. She is not afraid to answer questions, and more importantly, she's not willing to put someone through a procedure they don't need. If you're new to the area, seek out Dr. Manunts first. You won't regret it, I promise.

My long-term dentist retired and I needed work done when some childhood fillings collapsed. Dr…read more Manunts is very stand-offish with non-existent chairside manner. She sent me to have three teeth removed. While I was waiting for those sites to heal I lost the tip of another. I went in to have the tip repaired and she also did purely cosmetic fillings on the outside surface with the warning it might not last. She was right. It didn't. I paid over $800 for a gloss that fell out after two weeks. It's been a year now and the tip repair has fallen out, too. I had a partial plate with six teeth built for almost $2K. I can't wear it. It gives me a speech impediment. She said, "Oh, just read the newpaper outloud." There is so much plastic I can't find my alveolar ridge to form an l, n, d, or t. There is even plastic on the back surface of the upper front teeth, that I can't form an Italian l either. I'm a voice professional and must be able to perform in Italian, French, and English as well as demonstrate to my students. The only positives about the office are the delightful woman in the front office and the very healthy croton that gets morning sunshine through the window. Avoid at all costs. I have spoken with others who unanimously share my opinions, but they don't seem to register reviews here.

I switched to this dentist because they take Fidelis, which I changed to recently. I've found them…read moreto be very professional and proficient, and recommend them to friends and family. Dr. Singh is only in a couple of days of the week due to his working in another office in Cortland part of the time, but they've still managed to schedule me in in a timely way, so I don't have to wait for appointments. They call to confirm appointments the day before; if you miss the call they ask you to call them to let them know you're planning on coming in. All of my appointments but one have started right on time, and the one that started late happened to fall on a very busy day; I wasn't kept waiting for longer than about 20 minutes. The office staff and the folks who do the x-rays and so on are all really friendly. Dr. Singh, who's done two root canals, a filling, and three crowns for me, isn't a big talker. But I've always found it awkward to respond to questions when people are working on my mouth so I don't mind! He's very courteous and quick, as are his assistants. I've also had a filling done by another dentist there (I forget his name) and he was very friendly and told me a funny story as he was finishing up. Everyone here is working quickly and there aren't a lot of extra explanations - they just dive right in and do the work. But I've asked questions and they do take the time to answer. Also, one of my root canals was very painful - a general infection in the area that required antibiotics prevented the pain medication from being as helpful as it should have been. They took the time to give me extra lydocaine and didn't mind waiting a moment when I was nervous and wanted to give it a moment to take effect. Oh, and the location and parking are very convenient - it's near the mall and there's always lots of room in the big parking lot out front. EDIT: I just had a cleaning today with Lauren. She was super nice and fun to talk to. She did an awesome job at cleaning my teeth, checking her work and then going back to work again on a spot she felt wasn't just right yet -- I appreciated the thoroughness. After the cleaning she gave me a little bag of samples (brush, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash). She didn't try to sell me anything at all, just sent me on my way. Looking forward to coming back for my next cleaning and x-rays in another 6 months.

I just came from my first appointment here, and I am heartbroken. Insurance change made this office…read morean option, and I am disgusted and disappointed. I went for a simple cleaning; my teeth are excellent. But the hygienist was rude, brusque, and gave me the worst dental experience of my life. Apart from being literally SPRAYED whilst getting my cleaning, she missed my molars and only cleaned them when I asked why she hadn't done so. My teeth are close together, but she didn't even try to floss them. In total, she spent less than 10 minutes on this procedure. No apologies for spraying me, no acknowledgment that she had missed anything. In fact, I had to ask her "I should rinse now before you floss, right?" She huffed and puffed and handed me a squished cup half full of freezing cold water. Normally the cold wouldn't bother me, but given that she had just demolished my healthy gums (but missed my teeth?!) the cold water actually hurt. The dentist spent about 30 seconds with me, asked nothing, never identified herself, and had no interest in talking about my care. The receptionist was lovely, but the office is dirty and even smells funny. The waiting room was overflowing with patients and the entire space needs a thorough cleaning. Furniture is tattered, it's freezing cold, and there are visible stains on their outdoor carpeting (laid indoors, mind you). Now, I can live with an older office space, but this was just obscene. Country music was blaring over their PA and patient "offices" are stantions. Like an old fashioned cow barn. Do not go to this dentist. They do not do good work and don't even make eye contact with their patients. I am traumatized.

I just revived my Yelp account and added this business because I am THAT passionate about sharing…read morethis awesome resource with anybody looking for a dentist in the Ithaca area. I'm one of those people who's a little freaked out by dentists- I've avoided them, I've paid extra to go to "the best"- always been further freaked out, stressed out at the cost, and sorely disappointed. Years ago, I had facial surgery and screws are right near my teeth, so I've always been sensitive and would ask my dentists how that might affect procedures, etc. None of them had any idea or seemed to care whatsoever. Dr. Raggi was the first dentist to take his time in explaining to me how some of the symptoms I was having might be correlated, and how he would specifically factor this into his procedure and treatment plan. He was extremely thorough and happy to explain it all down to me- demystifying and making me far less freaked out than I have been for the first 30 years of my life. I appreciate that he came from a grounded, extremely knowledgeable and holistic framework, and didn't try to oversell whatsoever. The staff (Heidi) was really kind and wonderful too. Amazing resource in Ithaca!

I would like to start off by saying Dr. Omar was incredible…read more HOWEVER, the staff was very unhelpful, unprofessional, and unknowledgeable about how my insurance worked. I have an Excellus plan through the marketplace. They initially told me that I would receive a reimbursement check in 4-6 weeks... That time had passed so I called back and someone said they would get back to me later that day (no one ever did...). I waited another WEEK and had to call back again. When I spoke to a person this time they had trouble looking me up because the person initially taking down my information had it completely wrong... same birthday (month/day) but wrong year, same first name, but wrong last name, and the wrong street address (but the same street number...). Very odd and unprofessional - it seemed like they were trying to multitask or looking at information from two different sheets... It made enough sense to confirm it was me, but had SO MANY errors. Either way once that was resolved she said I would get a check for reimbursement withing a week. Another Week goes by and nothing so I call back AGAIN! And this time I find out that they cannot submit the claim because its through the state (I don't know how they missed that on my initial visit, but they did.) SO I had to call insurance and submit the claim on my own just to find out that Gorges dental was "out of network" - so now Im stuck paying "out of pocket". I WOULD AVOID THIS DENTIST AT ALL COST IF YOU HAVE INSURANCE THROUGH EXCELLUS, OR ANY PLAN THROUGH "THE STATE".

Dr. Zax is the best dentist in the area. Got me right in and with great music too!read more

I had heard a few rave reviews about Dr. Zax from some friends. Since my dentist of 20 years…read morepacked up and retired without a !?@%ing word to anyone, I was in a pinch to find a new one. Called up Dr. Zax's office and the appointment making process was pleasant and quick. That's where the positivity of this review ends. I also want to preface this review with the fact that I am NOT one of those people who is terrified of the dentist. I have never been afraid of any doctor. I spent nearly three hours at their office from start to finish. For a CLEANING! A Cleaning! Waited in the waiting room for a half an hour. Sat in the torture chair for an hour and a half. Waited another half an hour for the doctor to review the Grim Reaper's work. Waited ten minutes for doctor to get off of her cell phone. Listened to the doctor try to convince me for another ten minutes that I "might" have a cavity (I am 42 years old and have never had a cavity) and that I will need to come back and get it "fixed" for a few more hundred dollars. The rooms were freezing. Maybe they need to be, I don't know. The dental assistant proceeded to tell me everything that my previous dentist had done wrong in the last twenty years. Picked at my teeth with her mouth-hatchet for far longer than I've ever had anyone do in the past. My entire mouth was sore for two days (again, a first) and I had a headache for 24 hours after that appointment. The receptionist is very cheery. So thanks for that. Good music in the office too. Yeah, that's all I got.

First off no one would take me for a emergency except this office. Second no one takes my insurance…read morebut they spent 3 hrs getting me a affordable payment plan and treatment plan then went above and beyond and extracted a severely infected tooth the same day. Everyone was friendly and compassionate. Highly recommend.

I'm a home health aide for a woman in her late 70s, and accompanied her to a recent consult at…read moreAspen in Ithaca. It is no exaggeration to say that their business model is entirely centered around elder abuse and taking advantage of the most needy. Plain and simple. They used in-person pressure tactics and tried to make her sign up -- a woman with no insurance, on the spot, with zero explanation -- to sign up for a $5,000+ treatment plan. For extracting two teeth. FIVE GRAND. They didn't even provide us with a printout of the THREE-PAGE (!) itemized plan until I demanded it. She got the work done at a far more reputable office in Ithaca for less than $1,200. Before you choose a place like Aspen think to yourself, "Why would I choose a dental provider that doesn't even list a local phone number?" There's literally no reason to choose Aspen unless you enjoy being treated poorly, not having questions answered, and having your bank account emptied by thieves passing themselves off as medical providers.

I love this dentist. All the staff are the kind of people who are attentive to details so they work…read moreto accommodate you as if you were their guest. So, for example, you are anxious at appointments, they will help you with that issue and they have a male and female doctor so your entire family can be seen on the same day and they are expert and experienced Ivy League dentists so be polite and wear your best outfit because these people are high quality professionals and their time is valuable.

I had a phenomenal experience at Acahti Dental today. The staff were incredibly kind and competent…read more They were flexible with scheduling my appointment, and they were ready to see me once I arrived. Dr. Peterson was extremely kind and offered great dental advice. I cannot recommend Acahti Dental enough if you live in Ithaca.

Coming for a dental exam with Dr. Ng It's a very nice office…read morewith convenient parking lot. I am experiencing some sensitivities with my lower right molars. Dr Ng was very gentle and answered my questions patiently. I also made an appointment with them for my next cleaning appointment. Highly recommended

Great practice with excellent care for any kind of non-surgical dental issue. The office is…read morefriendly and everyone is attentive and skilled!

I went to Dr. Piliero for the extraction of a back tooth. The operation was almost…read more painless and the next day i felt ok. Two days later I didn't feel a thing, Also, thank you to the staff. They were very nice.

They never answer during office hours. It always goes to the service. Yes you can leave a message…read morebut I wan to contact them not have the office call me back.

Ithaca dentistry is so professional and i feel like i am taking care of when i am there . I do…read morerecommend them highly. susie

Many years lived, so many years of receiving dental care. My dentist retired, so I tried these…read morefolks out based on positive recommendations. So far, so good. Will update periodically.