I've been a long time patient of Dr Rizzo's for over a decade having moved my entire family over from another practice. I never felt like my teeth were sparkling clean and smooth after a cleaning until we moved to this practice.
With that being said I would get cleanings every three months for that great feeling and to be proactive since I didn't have dental insurance. Fortunately for the most part I'm blessed not to have dental problems so the majority of my appointments were for cleanings. More often than not I was assigned to a hygienist named Cathy.
I always knew what to expect with Cathy, especially as the years went on. She worked swiftly but meretriciously to descale, pick, floss, and polish. She limited chit chat to the beginning or end of an appt and kept the conversation relevant, sweet, and short. I always left with that squeaky clean feeling in less than an hour, even with my twice a year examination with the doctor.
Unfortunately Cathy left about a year and a half ago and two new girls were brought in to take her place. I've seen each 2-3 times now. I now have dental insurance and after my first two experiences have stretched out my cleanings because frankly I was so annoyed with the process and didn't leave satisfied.
The first gal, although nice, friendly, and very cautious makes you work. Hold this tool, hold the suction, etc. She also leaves you feeling like you had a spit shower, which I can't stand. When she sprays water goes everywhere and when she works on you the way she positions her hands puts saliva all over your face. I hated every cleaning I had with her and finally asked for a permanent note to be put in my chart not to book me with her. I know I'm not alone because hubby had the same experience and also requested to not be put with her.
The second gal isn't much better, and frankly is slightly worse. She is so slow, with a cleaning taking over an hour. She chit chats the whole time, even when I tell her I'm going to relax and take a nap. She stops working often when she's talking about anything and everything, but nothing relative to my appt. She seemingly expects a response, even when I have tools in my mouth. Her cleaning method seems to have no rhythm or reason. She picks this tooth, than moves to the top and picks another instead of moving straight across focusing on the top or bottom before moving on. She doesn't descale. When I run my tongue across my teeth they don't feel smooth. I've also asked not to be booked with her also, but was told there's no one else. Since neither clean exceptionally well I'd rather leave annoyed from the constant chatter than leave with dried spit all over my face.
Yesterday was the last straw. The constant talking was working on me. She had to know that with her mask and the fact that she talks low that I couldn't hear half of what she was saying. I mentioned multiple times I work two jobs and am just going to relax throughout this procedure, thinking she would get the hint. Nope, the chatter and stopping continued. I watched the clock as the time moved on and thought of a million other things I had to do and how this was eating into my time.
Than she snaps my permanent retainer. One I've had for years and tried to say it was loose. I call BS. Tells me I have to go to the orthodontist to fix it. More BS. Now I have a wire sticking out in my mouth and cutting my tongue. Dr Rizzo comes and tries to tell me it was loose. More BS. I told him it needs reglued now. His response was the turning point for me as he didn't seem concerned at all about my comfort. Claiming he sent his assistant home and "didn't know where any of the supplies were". I insisted it be removed because obviously I can't walk around and function with a piece of re-barb darting out of my mouth. He had the hygienist sand it. Pieces of powdery tooth filled the air. She hit nerves and skinned my gumline. He took a pair of pliers and forcefully yanked off the other side, leaving my entire mouth sore and feeling like my teeth are loose. He sands alittle to remove the remaining glue with even more force than his hygienist. She mumbled something about it was loose and was sorry I had to go thru this but never acknowledged it was her fault. I left in a huff now even more inconvenienced than before because now I have to somehow work an orthodontist visit into my budget and schedule. I had to take Tylenol to relieve the pain and now bleed when I brush my teeth, even though it's now the next day.
It really pains me to leave this practice because Dr Rizzo has been great all these years but I just can't endure another cleaning experience here, and whatever bill I get from the orthodontist I WILL be forwarding to them. read more
