I went to Dr. Ko's for an emergency consultation (called in the morning, they scheduled me the same day... no fuss, no muss). I was impressed from the initial intake phone call-- the receptionist and was calm, kind, beyond friendly. Dr. Ko himself is so zen, which is really refreshing given my past experience with negative dentists who would announce doomsday on the state of my teeth. I liked that he proposed a reasonable solution and a reasonable alternative to my tooth issues. He took the time to explain the processes and the rationale behind them. Not once did he try to badger me into any other services.
Today, I had a second appointment to get a (post-root canal) permanent crown. Both Dr. Ko and his assistant, Jim, were wonderful and frequently checked in with me to see if I was comfortable. The local anesthesia was as pain free as it could be. He uses a nifty little machine to administer it, which is seriously genius for anyone who is afraid of dentists/needles. There's no visual of a horrific oversized syringe coming for you.
GEEK MOMENT:
By far the COOLEST thing, ever, is witnessing firsthand the machines used by Dr. Ko to digitally scan, design, and shape the crown itself. After a digital scan of my entire mouth, bite, and of the affected tooth, a little machine in the back furiously began to laser out the crown from a block of ceramic. The whole thing was shaped in 20 minutes and the final product looked like a friggin' Jeff Koons piece.
My new crown has an incredible fit. Like the Rolex of crowns. My previous crown always felt wonky, but I figured hey-- that's just how crowns were supposed to be. Nope.
And if it matters, I don't have dental insurance and paid for everything out of pocket (back to the 'ole college ramen diet for me). Believe me, I had high expectations, and Dr. Ko exceeded them all.
One of my colleagues (whose father was a dentist) told me offhand that the best dentists don't work on weekends. The jury's still out on that theory, but I will point out that Dr. Ko's general office hours are Mon - Fri. The fact that he's willing to give himself and his employees time to rest and recoup tells me that he's committed to providing the best care. A burned out dentist working on your mouth is the last thing anyone wants. Been there...and I am not about that.
TL;DR: Dr. Ko and his entire office are one of a kind. Your appointment starts on time. The office utilizes up-to-date technology. More importantly, Dr. Ko is educated in said up-to-date technology. That, and Dr. Ko's incredible bedside manner, makes his and his staff's services worth every penny. read more