I'm unsure about this place. I've been in twice for routine check-up and cleaning, the stuff that insurance is supposed to cover 100%. I went in once before the pandemic and again in March 2021.
The good: the place is bright and clean with what appears to be up-to-date equipment. They took x-rays which I could see on the screen. Quick and painless.
The bad: I have the feeling, both times, that I was being up-sold. I understand that dental businesses don't make a lot of money on check-ups and cleaning, but that's the way it is. I don't make the rules. Both visits, they refused to do the insurance-covered teeth cleaning. They said I need "special cleaning." At times they called it "deep cleaning" and "gum scaling and root planing."
Also bad: the front desk woman was rude and condescending. I came in ten minutes early, but she seemed upset that I had not responded to an email asking me to set up on their new portal. She said I could do it now, but it would take a while and if it took too long, they would have to reschedule my appointment, OK? I replied, "No, that would not be okay," remembering that they're booking three months out and I've waited the whole pandemic before scheduling this appointment. Her tone was what I'd expect a bad parent to take with a naughty five-year-old. She gave me a post-it and pen and said, "...so you can write down your username and password, so you remember it." With the looming threat of rescheduling, I hurriedly filled out the lengthy online survey of my medical history, WHICH I HAVE DONE BEFORE, probably on paper. Remember, this is my second visit. I'm not sure what crazy procedures I approved or whether I listed everything that should be listed. I made it to the finish line in ten minutes and waited for my appointment to begin.
The uncertain: the dental assistant didn't seem convinced by her own sales pitch. She used vague language. She said that the routine cleaning wouldn't do any good. Last time she even said it would do more damage than good because it would just "stir up stuff." I asked if brushing my teeth and flossing was doing more damage and she seemed flustered. She listed a string of bad outcomes if I didn't approve the deep cleaning. I remember she mentioned heart attack.
I was there for 90 minutes, easily enough time for a thorough check-up and teeth cleaning, but only the check-up was done - and most of that was my gums. She poked my gums with a sharp instrument - 6 times for every tooth - three places inside and three places outside. After poking around each tooth and calling out the numbers (between 2 and 4 with a few 5s on a scale of 1-10) she said, "there appears to be some blood." I figured that might be from - oh I don't know - maybe having my gums poked 120 times! But she said it indicates that I was close to having gum disease.
I've moved on to another dentist. Both the hygienist and the dentist said I don't need the "gum scaling and root planing." Instead, they recommended waiting and showed me how I can better care for my teeth and gums. read more