I had a good experience at The Adams Smile Center at first. Unfortunately, I felt the quality of…read morecare declined with time.
I have switched to a new dental office after being a regular patient of Dr. Chaudhry for 4 years.
To start on a positive note, the staff is very friendly (including front desk, hygienists, assistants, and both Dr. Chaudhry and Dr. Baha). I did Invisalign with Dr. Chaudhry and am very happy with the results. Dr. Chaudhry also recommended a Sonicare toothbrush which I love using and I notice a difference in my teeth and gums (less staining and gum inflammation).
However, I will comment that my main concern is that both doctors are not very thorough in preventative care and Dr. Chaudhry's cleanings are very rushed. Since I stopped going to the Smile Center for routine exams, I have seen 3 new dentists. These dentists have all done a thorough examination of my teeth, gums, mouth, and jaw, including periodontal charting, TMJ assessment, oral cancer screening, and airway health analysis. These were included in routine exams and dental insurance covers them. I do not know why Dr. Chaudhry and Dr. Baha never provided these services in my routine cleanings. It is concerning to me because I had signs of gingivitis (4 mm pockets with bleeding on most teeth) and airway health issues such as restricted tongue movement and chronic mouth breathing, which played a huge role in some of the dental and gum issues I was experiencing.
The cleanings also felt very rushed and inadequate. They would last 15-20 minutes, including quick scaling and polishing (usually no flossing). Because of this, I would still experience gum inflammation and tartar buildup on my bottom front teeth. Less than a year later, I had a cleaning at a new dental office that was very thorough (scaling and polishing that lasted 45-60 minutes). As a result, my gum tissue was no longer inflamed, my pockets shrank in size and I no longer experience noticeable tartar buildup.
Finally, both Dr. Chaudhry and Dr. Baha recommended very unnecessary treatment, including drilling and filling 5 small incipient surfaces. After this, I saw other dentists for a second/third/fourth opinion and they recommended "watching" the spots and applied fluoride varnish. New xrays were taken a year later and these spots remineralized. I felt both Dr. Chaudhry and Dr. Baha had an apparent drill-and-fill approach that discourages patients (myself included) from feeling confident in their oral health because every time they go to the dentist, the dentist will find something new to treat despite the patient's best efforts. Dr. Baha assumed I was not flossing (I floss every day) without looking further into the airway health issues I was experiencing that were contributing to my oral health issues. I understand immediately treating extensive decay, but drilling/filling small spots rather than focusing on preventative care like effective fluoride varnish, thorough cleanings, periodontal charting and airway analysis, just seems ineffective in the long run. As a result, patients are left not fully educated on preventative care and feel very disheartened, leading to dental anxiety and poor confidence. These routine services would be very helpful since deep pockets and mouth breathing can contribute to several oral diseases like tooth decay and periodontitis.
As a result I did not feel like my oral health was adequately cared for at the Adams Smile Center. I had to switch to a new dental provider in order to prioritize my dental and gum health, which has significantly improved thanks to the thorough cleaning and preventative care I am now receiving. I have been a patient of Dr. Chaudhry for 4 years and have spent over 5000$ on treatment, including Invisalign. To be a patient for this long and spend all this money and still receive inadequate care almost felt insulting.
I urge Dr. Chaudhry and Dr. Baha to consider putting a strong emphasis on thorough preventative care as opposed to keeping patients in a drill-and-fill cycle because this will prevent so many health issues down the road.
