I had a semi-urgent need for a dentist when an old filling fell out and the tooth cracked. Dr. Langberg was able to see me the same day I phoned for an appointment. The dentist I'd seen for 20+ years retired 8 years ago, and sadly I hadn't had my teeth attended to during that time (my old dentist was familiar and patient with all my various dental chair fears). Over the course of 3 appointments Dr. L treated the broken tooth (by extracting it and having me sit through a video presentation on dental implants) along with giving me a much-needed thorough cleaning and a full set of X-rays.
PROS: The office setting was relaxing and the actual extraction was absolutely painless. The staff was very cordial, and Dr. L was patient and took time to explain every procedure.
CONS: I had the same technician at each of my 3 appointments, and no matter how many times I corrected her (and she was constantly referencing my chart with my name right at the top), she still *continually* addressed me by the wrong first name.
What stands out about my 3rd appointment - the one after I'd had the thorough cleaning and X-rays taken - was that Dr. L began the consultation by looking at my file and announcing, "We're going to max out your insurance." I had told him at appointment #2 that I wasn't particularly interested in a dental implant to replace my extracted tooth, as it was behind my canine and not visible when I spoke or smiled. I was more concerned with simply getting any existing cavities filled. Despite that, during appointment #3 he *never* mentioned which teeth if any had cavities. Instead he told me that virtually all of my existing fillings needed to be replaced, and then returned to the subject of the dental implant. (Granted, all of my fillings *are* very old, but I was interested in first filling any new cavities. But he never mentioned whether or not my X-rays showed any cavities.) After visits #2 and #3, I received several email messages and two voice mail messages reminding me that my jaw bone was shrinking daily and time was of the essence to come in and get that tooth implant (at a price tag of over $4,000 that was not covered by my insurance).
Lastly, apparently it's part of his overall procedure to take Polaroid "before" photos of his patients and then "after" shots. I can understand that perhaps this benefits him (as a marketing tool) when it comes to cosmetic dentistry, but in my opinion such photos should be optional and up to the individual patient. They don't play any helpful forensic role in basic dental treatment (i.e. filling cavities). Yet although I protested verbally **four** times while he was readying the camera, he still took pictures. (Short of leaping out of the chair, I had no way of stopping him.) Not surprisingly, the resulting pictures were not me at my most photogenic, and the staff actually LAUGHED at the shots right in front of me as they reviewed them!! I was never asked to sign any sort of release, I'd not given permission to be photographed, and I just pray that some day they won't show up on the Internet as some sort of goofy meme.
In summary, I can't complain about Dr. L's actual treatment of my immediate dental problem. He was painless and comforting, so if you've got a dental emergency or a fear of drills, etc, I think you'll be pleased with his work. It's the up-selling of products and procedures along with the disregard of my non-photo request that influenced my decision not to return. read more
