I've waited a long time to write this review because I didn't want it to come across as emotional…read moreor reactive. After several years of reflecting on my experience, I feel it's important to share.
About five years ago, shortly after moving to East Greenwich, I received a flyer for Mattioli Orthodontics and decided to move forward with treatment without doing much comparison shopping. They recommended a system called 3M Clarity Aligners. At the time, most people I knew were using Invisalign, but I trusted their recommendation.
Unfortunately, my experience with the aligners themselves was not great. The trays extended higher into the gum line and often had sharp edges from the molding process. They repeatedly cut the inside of my cheeks and were very uncomfortable. When I brought this up during appointments, I was told I could file them down myself if needed, which was surprising given the cost of treatment.
The most concerning part of my experience, however, was my interaction with Dr. Mattioli. Several months into treatment, I came into the office visibly upset. I had recently moved my mother to Rhode Island into a memory care unit due to Alzheimer's and was dealing with severe insomnia. I explained that I was struggling to consistently wear the aligners because I was grinding my teeth and having a hard time managing everything.
While I was in tears explaining this, Dr. Mattioli responded by raising his voice and saying, "If you're not going to wear the braces, what is the point?" and then walked away. I was left shocked and embarrassed. One of the dental hygienists later said something along the lines of, "I'm sorry, that really wasn't about you," which made it feel as though his reaction may have had more to do with his own frustration than my situation. That moment made me seriously question the environment within the office.
What made it even more difficult was that Dr. Mattioli never acknowledged or apologized for this interaction. At my next appointment, he simply returned to a cheerful "Hey, how are you?" as if nothing had happened. That disconnect felt disingenuous and made it hard to trust him moving forward.
That interaction completely changed my comfort level with the practice. After that, I avoided speaking with him altogether during visits.
In addition to that experience, I also felt there was a lack of clear guidance around care. I was never clearly told that only one set of retainers would be provided, nor was I properly instructed on how to maintain them. At one point, I was advised to brush them with toothpaste, which I later learned can damage the material and harbor bacteria. I was never informed about better cleaning methods, such as using an ultrasonic cleaner.
I have since transitioned my care to Frenchtown Dental, where I was re-scanned for Invisalign retainers and given significantly more thorough guidance, including options that accommodate teeth grinding. My experience there has been much more positive.
I'm sharing this not out of anger, but because I believe patients deserve both quality care and respectful treatment. Based on my experience, I would not recommend Mattioli Orthodontics
