John J Andre, DDS & Associates, Louisa, VA. My husband and I were faithful patients of a dental practice in Northern Virginia for at least 15 years, and hoped to establish a similar long-term relationship with a local dental practice when we moved to the Louisa area. We selected the John J Andre & Associates primarily due to its location and the fact that they accepted our MetLife Dental Insurance (federal employee plan). We were both patients there during the 2022-2024 period. During that period, we had multiple visits, including regular (every 6 months) oral examinations and cleanings, and we received fillings and other dental procedures. We decided to leave the practice in late 2024. Some observations about our experiences follow.
*Teeth cleaning. There was only one dental hygienist. We both felt that our cleanings were rushed and he never gave us the thorough, deep cleaning of other dental hygienists in our joint experiences.
*Dentists. The dentists appear to be competent, and our appointments included what would be expected (bitewing and panoramic x-rays, cleanings, examinations, etc.). That said, the examinations were also relatively quick. The results of one expensive (even with insurance) dental procedure for me at Andre and Associates were very disappointing. Years ago, I chipped a front tooth that another dentist "filled"; the result lasted for about ten years but eventually chipped off again. A dentist in Andre and Associates re-fixed the tooth. It looked beautiful on the day of the procedure but broke off again about two weeks later. (I've since had it fixed again at another practice in Louisa County, and it seems to be holding (16 months in).
*Office environment. There was sufficient and free parking on-site, and the waiting room and restroom were clean. We were generally greeted by one of the staff at the front desk, and seen by the dental professionals relatively quickly. Even after going to the practice for a few years, we were never greeted by name nor did any of the staff or dentists seem to recognize us. Also, there was a lack of privacy in the examination area, with staff members (not the dentists) talking to each other while performing dental procedures.
*Billing. In spite of being a participating dental practice with our dental insurance, we had consistent hassles getting our bills reconciled from day one. From the insurance company's perspective, they claimed that the requests for payment weren't being submitted. The dental office claimed that they were submitting them but insurance was slow to pay. From the patient's perspective, it was a huge hassle because we would be getting bills from the dental office that should've been paid by insurance and having to do line-by-line comparisons for, at times, old charges. (Note that we had been using the same dental insurance in northern Virginia without any problems). The final kicker? We left the practice, and MANY, many months later got a bill for an exam/cleaning that my husband had received earlier. I checked the EOB from the insurance carrier and learned that they had requested additional information from the dental practice that apparently had not been sent. I sent the EOB to Andres' office. They sent the requested info to the insurance company, where it was denied because too much time had elapsed. So, without contacting us again, Andre's office sent the bill to collections. To make matters even worse, we were billed the full amount rather than the negotiated amount for a participating provider that would've been paid by insurance if it had been submitted within the window for submissions. Wanting interactions with this office to be done with, I paid the full amount out-of-pocket. (For context, we are an older retired couple who have NEVER had a bill sent to collections in our entire lives, until this incident).
*Social Media. There was a sign at the check-in desk that irked me. It encouraged patients to leave a 5-star rating on social media in order to be entered into a regular drawing for a water pik. I assume that reviewers who gave less than a 5-star rating would not be eligible. read more
