The dentists are holistic and caring; however, the office policies, staff, and financial practices…read morelack ethics and are misleading.
I had an appointment here to get a treatment plan and quote for Invisalign, and I went in to get scanned; part of that included a CBCT scan, which apparently "cost" $800 a la carte. I say 'cost' because the practice owns the machine, and all they have to do is sit you in it and press the button. I was hesitant to even do the scan because I am claustrophobic, and I had perfectly good X-rays, but I was pressured into it. Once I got the results for the invisible aligners, I saw the cost and what it would break down to, and I wanted to wait a few months before starting treatment until I had more money to start the expensive monthly payments. However, I was told that if I waited, they would charge me over $800 for the scan! I was never told this beforehand and argued back and forth with Kim about it, and then ultimately was pressured to start the aligner treatment before I was ready to start it because they were threatening to charge me for the scan separately.
I gave it another shot and was going to take my child here for an exam and cleaning. The day before the appointment, she was sick with a fever and got sent home from school in the morning, and of course I called to reschedule. They want 2 business days' notice, or they charge me $150. I'm sorry, what parent has 2 business days' notice before their kid suddenly comes down with something? I offered to bring her in anyway to avoid spending $700 on an exam, cleaning, X-rays, plus a $150 deposit in the future, which is an unrealistic amount of money to just be able to drop when you are a family with no dental insurance. I scheduled here because Santa Cruz Children's Dental wanted to charge me $800 per child for the same thing!!! They said no I can't bring her in sick, so they would charge me anyway, and then tried to act like it was a "credit" for next time. No, it's not a credit; it's a penalty. Absolutely unethical, unkind, and INSANE business practices. They charged me anyway, and I disputed the charge on my card. I will not be making further appointments here and will take my business elsewhere.
They also recommended an invasive and expensive double JAW surgery for me, which, after seeking a second opinion from another holistic dentist, was completely unnecessary, as the clear aligner treatment alone is already doing the job of widening my palate and expanding my airway. This practice is questionable and ethically and morally wrong, given their financial and business practices.
If you are an uber-wealthy Silicon Valley transplant, go ahead and go here, but for the middle-class families of Santa Cruz... stay far, far away. They act like $150 is ten dollars. No big deal, why are you upset? It's the dentist's time, after all. Not to mention that they have a mile-long waitlist for cleanings, are booked out months in advance, and have probably already filled it. The dentist's time and the money the practice makes are the bottom line here.