Please don't use this dental office! I went to Dr. Nikodem in high school, and after moving to the city and dealing with the south county location for a while without feeling comfort with the staff, I decided Nikodem Sr. Was totally worth the drive to North county. When I arrived for my appointment I was informed my former dentist had retired, and my appointment would be with Dr. Chandra. I should have run away at that strangeness, but waiting 6 weeks anywhere as a new patient didn't SEEM worth it. She announced several times during the appointment that she didn't have time for me, and they all acted like my scheduled appointment was a big favor they were doing for me. At some point, a hygienist came in to tell Dr. Chandra that her daughter was here for the wisdom tooth extraction Dr. Chandra forgot she said she'd do. Then she left and they said some horrid things about this lady asking for favors. She filled two teeth poorly. Overfilled both. When she was removing the scaffolding on my back molar, I felt a sharp click, and heard her sigh exasperatedly. I asked her what was wrong and she explained that I might have some bleeding. What she didn't mention, was that she snapped off a quarter of the tooth with the scaffolding. I told her the other filling felt high. She said it wasn't. I told her I could feel pain when trying to close my mouth, and that the edges were very sharp on both fillings. She told me this was normal, and that they would "wear down a little in a few days and feel normal". So, yeah, no. A week later I was still having sharp pain with the unknowingly chipped tooth and I called to get an apt to have it fixed. I told them it was a painful filling, done within a week. They told me they didn't have availability for 8 weeks. I felt this was highly unprofessional and began the hunt for a new, more qualified and professional office. These people are supposed to be DOCTORS AND SURGEONS. I mean, you can die from improperly done dental work folks, yikes.
After seeing another dentist a few months later, a qualified one, they informed me that the back tooth was sharply broken in the back corner, and you could still see the indentions of the scaffolding, meaning they hadn't been brave enough to try to sand the edges after they knowingly broke the tooth, otherwise it would be highly unusual to leave a new filling unfiled, with bits hanging over. The overfilled second filling was identified to be the source of my TMJ, and he explained that improper fillings can absolutely cause jaw misalignment and are not to be ignored by a dentist, even one in a rush.
Please, I know the pain of finding a new dentist, especially if you haven't been in a while you might be tempted to return to a old place that is familiar without having to hassle for a new dentist. This line of thinking cost me 2500 in fillings, replacement fillings and a crown on the tooth they broke that a more qualified, unhurried dentist could have filled without issue. After insurance. Beware. read more
