I want to preface this by saying that this review is not a reflection of how I feel about Dr. Goodlin himself. I think he's knowledgeable, skilled, and cares about his patients. This review is instead spurred by my experience with his practice in general, particularly his office.
I came across his practice from the numerous 5-star reviews here. Unfortunately, my initial visit had a few issues:
1) The hygienist that welcomed me (and again on the second visit) was sullen and not particularly friendly (he would also later lay instruments on my chest during my dental work which I thought was... unprofessional?)
2) I waited 5+ minutes for the dentist to troubleshoot his computer
3) He'd disappear to go and work on another patient in the middle of our consultation. I found the detail he presented about my issues lacking. He'd simply say this one tooth had decay, then move on to the next issue, etc. (I'd say, "Ok, so what can we do about it? Is there a treatment?") Still, I felt he answered me satisfactorily when asked.
Yet with having no cavities for years prior to this appointment - I had also relocated from a city that believes in the science of having fluoride in its water, while Portland doesn't - I was shocked that he found four. I said I'd have to get a second opinion.
When I informed the receptionist I wanted to go elsewhere, I got a defensive vibe from her based on her terseness and tone. It was like she was offended I question their practice. I thought it was inappropriate but shrugged it off, thinking we all have our days. I asked for an estimate.
Surprisingly, the second dentist (who knew of Dr. Goodlin and spoke highly of him) claimed I had NINE - yet couldn't give me a prognosis on them individually or reference them on x-rays, instead insisting "they all be taken care of". At that point I decided I trusted Dr. Goodlin more. So I went back.
As I scheduled my appointment with the receptionist I asked if she could give me the estimate, saying I didn't believe she gave me it before. She replied with a cold, "I left you a message. Did you not get it?" I politely asked if she called from another number as I don't check every voicemail, and it turned out she did. Ok, great. I then scheduled the appointment.
Within a week, the receptionist asked if I could move my time due to a conflict with an "emergency patient". Her suggestion was that I move an hour earlier that day. I said that due to my work schedule I couldn't do that, but would still move my appointment to another day. She grew irritable and said not to worry about it, and that they would find a way to schedule their "emergency patient" as she stated, again - it gave me a distinct guilt-trip vibe, which I thought was ridiculous since I expressed a willingness to move my appointment in the first place... just not to her preference. (Not that I think it's acceptable to expect patients to accommodate other patients' issues to begin with.)
Later, following my four cavities, I sat down with her to get an accounting of the bill. When she told me the total, I asked if they had a discount for full pay. Several long seconds passed as she looked at me incredulously, then said flatly, "No, that's what insurance is for." Seriously? At this point she became officially worse to deal with than my cavities.
Ultimately, the adversarial nature of Dr. Goodlin's office is enough to make me look elsewhere for dental care. Considering I was satisfied with his actual work, I wish that wasn't the case. read more