I'm afraid I have to both update my 5-star review AND find a new dentist. Both these things make me sad.
After being a very happy customer for 5 years, I have to say that the quality of care at Dr. Zimmer's office has decreased in the last year or so ... I think due to the sheer volume of patients being treated at any one time. While the level of care I used to receive was very good, friendly, and super attentive, lately the Dr. always seems rushed.
This rushing may have contributed to my current SNAFU dental situation: an old filling fell out last fall. I went to get it re-done (appt #1), and was told that really it'd be better to come back and do a crown (appt #2).
After a couple weeks, the crown started aching so I went back (appt #3), and was told that the crowning process must have damaged the nerve, and was scheduled to come back for a root canal (appt #4).
[Side note: no one told me not to eat before the 3hr root canal appointment, and so half-way through the procedure I puked all over the dentist. I guess that's what you get for not telling a patient not to eat before undergoing conscious sedation!]
A month after the root canal, the tooth was pressure sensitive, so I went back (appt #5) and was told to wait and see if it improved.
Six months later (and now three months pregnant) the root canal started giving me serious sharp pains, so I went back again to get it checked out (appt #6).
I got an inexperienced dental assistant who kept screwing up my x-rays over and over and over -- after three failed x-rays, I got concerned about all the radiation exposure (xray + fetus = not advised) and the assistant just gave up.
That appointment confirmed that I needed to go back to have the root-canal repacked (appt #7). This time I got a dental assistant who couldn't get me numb. After four shots, I still wasn't fully numb -- "Looks like the baby's sucking up all that medicine!" she joked ... um, yikes?
Dr. Zimmer finally appeared and got to work with barely a hello. Half way through the root canal re-treatment process, he was called away to do exams for other patients. In comes the first incompetent assistant to try his xray skills again.
He failed, again. Ultimately, a more experienced assistant showed the guy how to do his job correctly, and I was told it would be another 10-20 minutes before the dentist came back because he was doing exams with three other patients (!!!).
At this point, I would have walked out, if it weren't for the fact that my mouth was blocked open with a half-done root canal re-packing hanging out.
Finally Dr. Zimmer returned, and got back to work. Despite all the shots, all of a sudden I'm in INSANE amounts of root pain, he says "Oops, looks like we broke through there," and gives me yet another shot (my 6th? I lost count).
At this point, I started crying and sobbed my way through the rest of the appointment, which was already running over half an hour overtime. (Hi, parking ticket!)
After another half hour, Dr. Zimmer started cleaning me up to leave ... and informed me that I need to return for another 90 minute appointment because "this is slow going." In other words, he ran out of time ... so I had to come back for my 8TH APPOINTMENT.
To be fair, Dr. Zimmer's office made special efforts to accommodate my final appointment, but come on: EIGHT APPOINTMENTS to deal with complications from what was originally just an old filling falling out.
I still think it's the most stylish dentistry office in town, but gorgeous art and an amazing view isn't going to fix a crown I'm not sure I needed that turned into a failed root canal, all topped off with incompetent dental assistants, and a rushed dentist with too many patients.
Sadly, I am changing dentists. read more