TL;DR: Dr. Berman is far more interested in making money than in for your dental health. If you're looking for dental care and maintenance (i.e. not cosmetic dentistry), go elsewhere. I am reporting him to the Washington State Department of Health.
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To put this whole thing bluntly, this dentist lied to me outright about what treatment I needed. I was told by this office that I needed close to a dozen fillings, and have since confirmed with two other dentists that I need literally NONE OF THEM. That's right, I have not a single actual "cavity" in my mouth. Read on if you'd like the details.
I needed a cleaning and check up and had just moved to the area from Chicago. My husband had gone to Innovative Dentistry, liked it, and so I went without reading any reviews. Based on the fact that other reviewers have mentioned experiences similar to my own dismal one, that was a big mistake on my part.
Admittedly, it had been over 2 years since my last cleaning due to some insurance gaps over that time period, and I thought maybe I'd have a few things that needed fixing since I had not done the routine once a year cleanings. I had previously had one cavity in my entire life, when I was a little kid. I also do not drink soda, sugary drinks, lots of processed carbs (which are like sugar to your teeth as well), or anything else that would put me at significantly higher risk for cavities. Still, I thought maybe a few.
Dr. Berman informed me that I had ELEVEN teeth that needed fillings. I was shocked. Not least of all because the dental hygienist who had looked at my teeth indicated there were only "a few" spots she thought might need some work after doing the x-rays and gum examination. I know she is not a dentist, but they're not untrained in spotting these things either.
Further, Dr. Berman didn't point out all 11 "cavities" to me on my films, and I was in such a state of shock I simply did not ask. The estimate for all of this was thousands, only roughly a third of which would be covered by my insurance. After asking more questions a few days after my appointment, all through correspondence with the "care coordinator" Elisabeth, Dr. Berman admitted that at least some of the teeth were not actual cavities, but rather enamel decay that could likely be reversed with the right attention to my dental hygiene.
At this point, I decided to ask for my X-Rays. To their credit, they provided them via email without protest and offered that Dr. Berman would be happy to consult with any other dentist I saw at no charge. I should also note here that despite all of this, his staff constantly treated me with the utmost professionalism and were generally very pleasant. I shared these x-rays with my dentist in my home town, and she urged me to seek a second opinion, stating that from what she could see there were two spots of potential concern, that were probably nothing urgent and would need a physical exam by a dentist to determine if they were truly cavities or more surface enamel decay.
I sought a second opinion at Dr. Reite's office at the recommendation of several neighbors. He was fantastic, and I'll be reviewing him soon. He showed me on my x-rays all the areas that Dr. Berman had marked as needing fillings in my clinical notes and patiently explained why every single one of them did not need filling. He even went into detail about how filling a tooth unnecessarily actual causes far more issues down the road. He then helped me understand exactly what I need to do to reverse this surface decay.
So, in conclusion, Dr. Berman not only will recommend treatment you don't need, but treatment that will in fact cause you more dental issues in the future. He has hired a lovely, extremely nice staff and built a beautiful office complete with a "therapy dog" to distract you from the fact that he has no interest in your dental health, and only wants to make money. Perhaps the immaculate decor, pure bred therapy dog, and only the newest dental gadgetry should have indicated as much to me. But live and learn.
As I said earlier, I will be submitting a complaint to the Washington State Health Board about Dr. Berman's conduct. I cannot recommend more strongly against him for your routine dental care. Perhaps he is much better at cosmetic dentistry, but I personally won't be finding out. read more