I find Dr Collins to be a very competent and experienced Dentist. His service in the Air Force I believe brings a level of expertise that is above average for most dentists. I was using a cane for my last visit; and every staff member was attentive to my safety and comfort due to this. Their new office (across from their old row house location) offers amenities unavailable before: spacious surroundings (safer during respiratory illness seasons) And a more organized space permitting better privacy for consultations/ discussions. Most insurance plans accepted (though Delta Dental seems the favorite) read more

I went to this dentists twice in my life. The first was for a screening. The second was to do further work. When I arrived to do further work in 2020, it was right when the pandemic started. I had Covid symptoms and I was told they could not see me that day. Fast forward to 2023, and I still receive a bill in the mail for $35 for a service that I never received. The receptionist told me that I did receive the service because otherwise they would not have my X-rays. However, I distinctly remember walking in and walking out on the date that they say I received service in 2020. Looking back on it I know for a fact that I received that initial x-ray and screening before March 2020. I ended up paying the receptionist $35 this year because I believed her side of the story but looking back on it, this dentist sent me a bill for almost three years for a service that I did not receive. And I ended up paying for a service that I did not receive. At any rate, I will never go here again nor will I ever recommend anyone here. read more

First of all, I need to say that every dentist I have ever seen at this practice, especially Dr. Collins, has been phenomenal. That said, I think it would be very helpful if the web site for this practice had links to send dentists direct email messages. The only email address listed is for a generic mailbox, and who knows who is reading/deleting those messages before the doctors ever get to read them? Had I been able to contact Dr. Collins directly, I would not be posting this; however, short of storming past the reception desk and risking arrest, I don't think there is a way to contact Dr. Collins directly. Hence, this posting . . . While I would love to give Dr. Collins and Charm City Dental five stars, this is his practice, and the proverbial buck must stop with him. Prospective patients, make no mistake: once you get through the boorish battle axe at the front desk, you will receive excellent attention and care. Of course, dental care is expensive and sometimes nerve-wracking, so there comes a point when the juice just isn't worth the squeeze anymore. It was a little more than a year ago when I decided that it was no longer worth the hassle to navigate the gauntlet to see the doctors at Charm City Dental. I had to cancel an appointment because I had the flu, and a very callous receptionist informed me that I had to wait 6-7 months for the next appointment. Honestly, it felt like I didn't matter to them and that I was being punished for cancelling an appointment. I thought cancelling would be better than spreading the flu to all of the people who would have worked on me that day. Silly me. Despite that, I recently referred someone else to the practice when he lost a crown. My exact words were, "Let me give you the number of the best dentist I've ever seen. Just know that you are going to have to put up with some rudeness when you call. Once you get into the chair, though, you'll be glad you went there." Just as I expected, when he told the receptionist that he wanted to get in right away due to the discomfort of having a gaping hole between his teeth, the receptionist responded with a complete lack of compassion and made no real effort to get him an appointment in a hurry. He was told that he would receive a call back, but no one ever called. He called two more times and was told that the soonest he could get an appointment (for what he considered to be an urgent matter) was two weeks away. Needless to say, he found another dentist whose staff took the matter more seriously. Why wait a year to post this? Well, yesterday I received a bill from Charm City Dental despite the fact that I haven't been there in a little over a year. The bill was marked "30 days past due", even though it was my first notice. Apparently, there was something last year that my insurance did not cover. I have no idea why it took a year for me to find that out. I've worked hard to build my credit rating and am about to buy a house, so the risk of having a "no pay" or "late pay" on my credit report was very disconcerting. I called right away to inquire about the bill and was told that no one could help me at that time since it was after 5 p.m.--completely understandable. The person who answered the phone (not the regular receptionist) seemed understanding and told me not to worry because someone would call me first thing the next day. Since I wanted to resolve this as soon as possible, I called the next day (today) at 9:00 a.m. Again I was told that someone would call me back (around 11 a.m.) to look into the matter. No one called at that time, so at noon, I called again. Deja vu! I was told that someone would call me back soon. I was determined to resolve this matter before the end of the day. About 90 minutes after my third attempt to reach the billing dept. by phone, I decided to go to the office in person to resolve the matter. The receptionist was on the phone when I arrived and did not acknowledge me at all. I suppose that is understandable . . . except I was the only person in the waiting room. After she got off the phone, she asked me if she could help me. When I explained that I came in person as a result of not hearing back from anyone after calling three times, the receptionist said, "[That's] because you called ten minutes apart." This was an immediate reminder of why I stopped going to this practice. Customer service at its finest! (See? I can be sarcastic, too.) Dr. Collins, if you're reading this, please know that I'm grateful to you for all the help you've given me as a patient. If I had ever managed to get past the front desk or if I had known your email address, I would have told you privately and directly that it's time to evaluate your office staff--especially the person who was seated at the reception window on the afternoon of 4/12/18--and to decide who you would rather keep around: rude staff who are not representing you well or your patients. As for me, enough is enough. I'm out. Best of luck to you. read more

I have been bringing my 2 kids for dental work. It seems that they over book their clients. No enough Doctors to handle the demand. Dr. Lee seems to be the only Dr. Working. Trying to hang in there, but may have to look elsewhere. read more

Straight forward and nice dentist. Filled 3 cavities on same visit and got it done pretty quickly too. Office is beautiful! Staff is nice. Also, they take a "discount program" called Covington (I think) which made the services very affordable! read more

Updating this to add that the crown that I had placed by Michael Collins was placed incorrectly and I got an infection under my gums from it. It had to be completely reshaped and has cost me $600 in emergency periodontal treatment that could have been avoided. read more

I went there today for a checkup. They did an x-ray test and they said i have tartar. The dentist asked me to do a periodental scaling and root planing surgery. I don't know whether that's necessary or not since that seems like a very serious surgery. They didn't clean up my teeth and let me go. I feel very uncomfortable about this visit. And yes, they asked me to come back for surgery and the surgery will be divided up twice, which I don't know why. Overall, I don't like it. I think I am gonna change a dentist. read more

Dr. Collins is terrible - do not go. First, whatever work you need to have done, he will take no fewer than two visits to do it. If you have a cavity, he will look at it, give you a random cleaning that you may or may not need, then tell you to come in again another day to have your cavity done. This is because he wants a) more money and b) to schedule as many patients in one day as possible not leaving enough time for all your needs. If you have two cavities, he will again split them between two visits. After explicitly asking him to not do this and leave time for my two cavities in one visit, he STILL did the above. Second, he seems incompetent, awkward and unable to do a cavity painlessly without anesthesia. So if you don't mind coming in over and over again for what can be done in one visit, go right ahead. But I would not recommend it. read more

The new office is really nice! Quite an upgrade from the tiny one across the street. Sidenote - I like the new text message appointment reminders. I checked in upon arrival and was seen within ten minutes. The new hygienist Ambie (sp?) clearly loves her job, and does great work (never have I learned so much about flossing, seriously). They also seem to have expanded the practice... today I was seen by Dr. Lee instead of Dr. Collins. He was perfectly nice and happy to answer questions. Pleased with my visit. read more

I have always gone to a bigger dental office back home that was very clean and had excellent customer service and great people. I wasn't sure how Dr. Collins would be since it wasn't an office I am used to. However I was pleasantly surprised. The office is located on the Avenue in a small row home. However the staff are very nice and so is Dr. Collins. It was a "snow day" to most people in Baltimore but I had the day off of work previously and wanted to stick to my apt. The assistant working was extremely nice to me and while it was a big of a wait while he worked on another patient I do feel like I had a great cleaning. I told him about my TMJ issues and he wrote me a referral to a surgeon. Now I need to go back for a night guard and the lady I spoke with told me to make sure my insurance would cover it because they are expensive. Which I guess i had just assumed they would. They seemed concerned with their patients' well being. I have another appointment in a week. read more

I found Dr. Collins to be very professional and very nice. He re-glued an old crown and did a new one. The new one is very comfortable - he did a great job. read more

I don't know where all the bad reviews came from. I went to the dentist for the first time in seven years and it was a great visit. The staff were all friendly and professional and the hygienist was the best one i've ever had. I thought I was going to see Dr. Collins, but he was not there and I saw Dr.Lee, who I also thought was very good. I have to come back to have a small cavity filled, and they recommended getting a night guard. The filling will cost plenty, but it's less than I paid a Howard County dentist nine years ago. So I recommend this practice. read more

Worst Dentist! Dr. Michael Collins is the worst dentist that I ever met. He cleaned and filled four teeth for me within 45 minutes. I thought he was good at his job due to his dental speed and was intended to recommend him to my friends. but one week later, the truth told me Dr. Collins is a BAD dentist. All the four teeth were infected , need to redo due to his unprofessional "quick" cleaning process at the first time. read more

I have been here twice, the first time for an emergency problem with my tooth - they fir me in right away. the second time for a regular cleaning. The staff was professional and very nice! read more

In January of 2013 I went to one of the doctors in Dr. Collins office because this was the closest dentist who took my mother's limited insurance plan. Big mistake. The doctor who took my x-rays told me I needed to have cavities filled. We decided to do the procedure right then and there. My mother, who was with me, was a little wary thanks to the cramped conditions and potential health code violations going on as she walked back to visit me while I was waiting in the chair. She had to squeeze past a man who's mouth was wide open and being worked on in order to talk to me. I wasn't as concerned and trying to save some money consented to having my cavities filled. Part way through the procedure the dentist slipped and the DRILL SCRATCHED MY CHEEK enough to cause me to bleed slightly and leave a curved scab from the corner of my mouth to the middle of my cheek. The dentist barely acknowledged what she had done and just dabbed vaseline on my scratched cheek and proceeded. My face was numb and I had no idea exactly what she had done until later. When she finished with my fillings they were not filed down properly and my bite was off. Not only did we pay money to this dentist for a TERRIBLE job but my mother, in her guilt, paid for another, highly recommended dentist, to fix the problem even though we had to pay out of pocket. Luckily the scar left by the drill on my face went away, otherwise I would have to be reminded everyday how terrible this practice is. read more

Yucky atmosphere, rude office staff, lack of explanation about diagnosis/treatment, and the filling I got there needs to be re-done by a new dentist. read more

Do NOT go to Michael Collins--I just got back from what may be the worst experience I have ever had with a health care provider. Things started off badly in his cramped, dirty office, and after waiting an hour without anyone even bother to speak to me, it got worse. As the "dentist" consulted at length with his interior decorator, I asked him when I might expect to be seen. He proceeded to lecture me about how it was his office and how I could leave if I didn't like the way he ran things. I did just that. Don't waste your time with this creep. read more

Dr. Collins is great, runs a good ship. I have been going to him for years now. I think some of the reviews below are not accurate. He moved offices across the street, plenty of room and he hired another dentist. read more

Convenient Hampden location in a row house on 36th St. His office staff is terrific and responsive. I have no concerns about quality of dental care (we chose him because he was covered by our insurance). Be prepared to wait though - bring a book as he always seems to run late for appointments. Dr. Collins seems shy and doesn't engage in conversation or try to put the patient at ease. He is all "business." I would probably feel better with more communication. read more

I agree this is the WORST dentist EVER !! My insurance co. was over charged and I got stuck paying the difference. The wait was horribly long since he kept taking emergency visits before my scheduled visit. The dentist didn't act like he knew what he was doing. He ended up filling the wrong cavity ! read more

Wow, worst dentist office ever. I even went twice to give them a second chance. I chose them because they were under the JHU insurance, close to campus, and Dr. Collins had a dental degree from a good school (UPenn I believe). Located on the avenue inside a creeky row house, the service from the front desk was spotty. There were 2 dentist seats and the light above the chair was held up by duct tape. After a long wait, dr. collins came and did this really random cleaning and flossing of my teeth which took a total of 10 minutes. I told him I thought I had a cavity on my lower left jaw.He ridiculously asked me "WHERE do you think you have a cavity." I dunno, you tell me doctor! Then he proceeded to have the gall to "take x-rays" even though the machine was broken. So he charged me for xrays but didn't have anything to show me. He called a few weeks later saying the x-ray looked fine and i had no cavities. When I asked if I could see the x-rays, he got squeamish, and said he'd have to charge for another appointment. Even if he wasn't lying about printing the xray (which I believe he never took), this dentist seems incompetent and has poor customer service. read more

I have had several appointments at this office and one thing I have learned is they are never on time. So once you come to grips with that fact and are willing to sit for a while (bring a book) this office has potential. It is tucked into a tiny row house and you would never expect an office to be there. The girl at the front desk really was helpful in helping get my insurance and getting it straightened out. The other girl helping with the dentist took xrays and did so painlessly. Dr Collins is kind of hard to talk to. He runs from room to room but I have to say I never felt a thing when he numbed me and that means a lot to me! I have had fillings done on my front teeth and he did such a great job! You would never know anything had been done! think for this office to improve it would need more space physically...this office is tiny and sometimes you feel like you are sitting on top of each other. The other thing is Dr. Collins really needs some patient skills, like listening to the patient and things of that nature. read more

Been going to Dr. Collins for about 5 years. I started going when I was in grad school at Hopkins (Homewood) and I've been very pleased. He doesn't do unnecessary work, his equipment is quite good, and you can get a checkup and cleaning in the same visit. The new office is quite nice. When I was first considering Dr. Collins, I ran into one of my JHU Public Health professor there who had been going to Dr. Collins for about 10 years and he said he has always gotten great care. That to me was a pretty compelling reason to trust Dr. Collins if a professor would come all the way from East Baltimore to see a dentist in Hamden. Anyways, I've kept going back even though I live in Fed Hill now. I actually went to a dentist down in South Baltimore, but I had an issue with a filling sticking out and one of the other dentist at the practice fixed it without having to replace it. The fluoride treatment has helped with my sensitivity too. read more