Quality of dentistry is very high. My experience with this dentistry has been some difficult cases for treatment, and this office is highly skilled in that. General care is great too. My lower rating is a result of the office staff.
The downfall of this office is scheduling, and communication with billing and fees. Like most dental offices, payment is collected at time of service...the actual amount covered is not openly discussed or approved until submitted to insurance. This leaves you in the dark about fees unless you ask the office in advance about estimations. They do not bother telling you what things cost unless you specifically ask, whether payment is out of your pocket or not. There is no cash price or hardship break for patients. It feels taboo to even ask.
Insurance is most often limited, especially for services like crowns and root canals. I have never bothered to negotiate for payment plans here, but it would involve some shady third party credit broker with ridiculous fees they would have you apply for, I am told. Really?? Not classy. Especially as someone who spent two years not working, experiencing other severe medical needs.
Unknowingly, I needed to wait six months for my full dental coverage to kick in, but did not find out from the office until the week before I had a scheduled crown treatment, prematurely. Good thing I asked in advance. Only because I had come in for a covered cleaning.
The scheduling polices are as constrained as I have ever witnessed in any health care office. I once canceled an hour appointment both by message after hours and a live call the day of to reschedule, as I did not get a phone call back. Now they want a deposit of half ($500) for things like crowns, at the time of booking. My record states a "no show", so they still do this penalization process, as if it's completely my fault. I am now told there is a "rule" of canceling long appointments (hour plus) two weeks in advance, or I will be charged. What if you are sick??? Hurt??? When I do cancel by message (twice now), I do not get a call back. How demeaning can you be towards clients?? Additionally, the woman who handles records and billing does not have a pleasant attitude.
When I decided to reschedule, I asked about what was covered, only to find out that the $1000 I had prepaid months ago for that one specific crown treatment had been mostly used up (without my knowledge) on smaller treatments I had first for a small temp filling that kept coming out, as they wanted me to wait for too many weeks to go in for completion, only to overcharge me for each additional visit to rectify this. They then wanted me to reschedule for two crowns together in one appointment (2 hours +), which would cost me another $1200 out of pocket after insurance. I had no idea about their fees or intentions until I asked. I had remembered and negotiated only one. This is currently unresolved and unscheduled. It's as if everyone is a full ATM to them.
To make things more displeasing, the visits are scheduled 2-6 weeks out for the main dentists, sometimes longer for Dr. Ochi himself. Emergency visits are hard to come by as well, and the office staff acts like they are doing you a huge favor if you do get triaged in quickly. Don't expect to see Dr. Ochi for those appointments. He has reduced his hours considerably. The D.D.S. hours are very limited, as there are no Saturday appointments and only half days on Friday (2:30p). I have sometimes been placed on the short wait list, which usually only works if you continue to call and check intermittently, but then the office staff gets visibly annoyed.
All in all, I love the dentist staff, the high tech and the patience they exude. It's the unhappy office people and severe scheduling/billing oversights I could do without. read more
