Dr. Tekle is the dentist who took over Dr. Elliot Shapiro's practice 15 years or so ago. He'd been in Silver Spring for decades, first on Alaska Avenue, NW, then to Silver Spring offices. Dr. Tekle learned office practice from the best.
Dr. Tekle is knowledgeable and interested. She teaches the dental patient, explaining carefully both procedures and outcomes.
Each and everyone been who has ever assisted in the office is knowledgeable, and interested in top-notch patient care, It is how they have been trained. Cleanliness is of utmost importance in this practice, it's greatly appreciated. Great care is taken to be sure that everything is sterile, tools that come in contact with the patient well-covered. I use the gas anesthesia--- even for cleaning. It's totally worth extra cost to me to be utterly relaxed, yet awake. While it has never been widely popular, it seems increasingly unavailable in dentists' offices, I've called around for a friend who has dental insurance---not many dentists use it. I simply don't understand--I guess they are using pills for sedation. Why involve your liver and stomach to get yourself relaxed for a dental session? ..dunno.... I have been using the gas for forty-three years, it is wonderful. Dr. Tekle employs state of the art equipment---there is a camera at the end of a probe, you can see the inside of your mouth on a tv screen. As with her predecessor, Dr. Tekle is willing to make longer appointments. The patient can have more work done, which eliminates frequent appointments. Combined with her exam that involves checking neck and glands, a patient feels that a full dental health evaluation is made with each visit, including when one only has a hygienist appointment. Dr. Tekle has a wonderful chairside manner. She is a compassionate dentist and a willing teacher. She agrees with me--as maddening as it is----a dentist will send you to the doctor, but HAVE YOU EVER HEARD of a doctor who will send someone to a dentist??? It is now known that lack of dental care leads to infection and inflammation that can effect the heart. Does any doctor make Routine the questions as to oral health when they see a patient???
******Here's an Update for even more superb work by Dr. Tekle....in 2011 she did extensive cosmetic dentistry for me. The sessions are long and involved, I keep apologizing for taking up so much of her time. The impressions and molds, the file-ing and fitting, the adjustments, it is all laborious and involved in the extreme. No minus' at all. Not even the ---gulp---cost. It is costly, but I knew that I would need it eventually. It is costly, but so is home renovation. It is costly, but the results are beautiful. It is costly, but I was able to use my Medical Savings Account because I paid one-half late in the year. Dr. Tekle kindly worked with that schedule so that some of the work would flow to January and I could pick up the second -half of the well-worth-it expense for 2012. Now would you tell me--- why didn't I get it done before this????? Of course, it was the cash and my inability to set aside money....but I was FIVE years before I started my medical savings plan---what part of dumb, is that??? The OTHER plus of medical savings accounts is that it allows for big expenditures, you don't need to rob the cookie jar or wait to develop some financial management skills. Yes, this was way--- way- worth- it.. I wish I had treated myself earlier to something that I knew, and Dr. Tekle knew, I would someday need....Crowns are covered by medical savings accounts, cosmetic dentistry is not.
For the reviewer here who had a dental insurance problem, I can feel your pain, but we have to know, things can change on a monthly basis. I wouldn't trust only the Insurer, or only its website, and certainly not trust a providers' office staff to give the most current information. It's confusing when you try to compare the plans, how could office staff keep up. When you have a written confirmation from the Insurer itself, you'd have an action if the Insurer gave you wrong information. With the Affordable Care Act, we can put an end to chaos and start putting professional healthcare on the front burner----billing chaos can end.
*******I would recommend this practice to anyone. Try it just for an evaluation and cleaning, you'll be convinced that Dr. Tekle's practice is top-notch as a family dentist, as a teacher, and she does superb cosmetic dentistry as well. Updating to add her phenomenal and informational new website, take a look,this is quality like you see throughout her office.
301-384-7800
http://www.drtekle.com/ read more