I really liked the front desk staff, but other than that I have had the worst dental experience I've ever had in my 56 years with River Rock Dental at Mueller. To begin with, let me say that I began this with no mouth pain whatsoever. I've always taken care of my teeth and haven't had a cavity since I was a teenager. I moved to Austin 2 years ago and just needed a new dentist for cleanings. They were convenient and seemed nice, so I gave them a try.
Once they had me in the chair though, the dentist put on a full court press up-sell that I had ground and cracked my molars and if I didn't get them crowned immediately they might crack to the root and I'd lose the teeth entirely. They scared me enough that I agreed and prepaid $1200 per tooth to have the 2 next to last molars capped. The dentist then ground down my non-hurting molars and kept doing it wrong so that he had to grind some more. He took 6 hours trying repeatedly to get the temporary caps to fit. I left with teeth that were now in constant pain and very sensitive to hot and cold. The temp cap itself was thin and misshaped and cracked in half within 24 hours so I had to go back in to have another temporary one made which again they had a hard time fitting onto the stub they'd ground my tooth down to. This one chipped but didn't break entirely, but repeatedly came off while I ate even though I went back repeatedly to have it cemented. Finally after a month the permanent crown came in, but guess what? It didn't fit. They had to build temp crown #3 and order a new permanent one. When the 2nd permanent one arrived, I went to my appointment and sat in the chair for an hour only to then be told that the dentist wasn't coming in that day! We rescheduled for a few days later, I arrived for my appointment, sat in the chair and was then AGAIN told they would have to reschedule because the dentist wasn't available! TWICE! I went back the 3rd time and the dentist was there, but AGAIN could not get it to fit so I was AGAIN in the chair with my mouth open for 5-6 hours while he kept grinding my tooth more.
In tears and in pain I just wanted to get out of there and go home. The staff all knew that the entire thing was a disaster & kept apologizing and yet I had been very flexible and forgiving. What could I do after they had already ground away my perfectly good, non-painful teeth but to keep giving them chance after chance to fix their mistakes? I should have run to another dentist after the first day.
I began this with perfectly fine teeth and no pain and now I am in PAIN ALL DAY EVERY DAY. The permanent crowns do not fit correctly. They crowd the teeth on either side and food constantly gets stuck between them. Those teeth are INCREDIBLY SENSITIVE to hot and cold. Something about how they're shaped on the bottom CONSTANTLY irritates my gums. They have come out repeatedly- I will suddenly bite something hard in my mashed potatoes and lo and behold it's my crown! It smells terrible and totally grosses me out, but I have to wash it as good as I can and put it back on.
To add insult to injury, though I prepaid for both crowns, they are now asking for $800 more, trying to charge
me for extra time & materials that were only necessary because of their dentist's mistakes!
Hear me & be forewarned- BEFORE I went to River Rock Dental I had NO PAIN. AFTER going to River Rock Dental I still have CONSTANT MOUTH PAIN, all day every day even 8 months later! I need to go to another dentist to have them try and fix the mess River Rock made of my mouth, but am traumatized and am STILL MAKING PAYMENTS to Care Credit for River Rock. The front desk staff is nice, but that in no way matters if the incompetent dentist & assistant are going to ruin your teeth and leave you in constant pain or if the billing manager is going to upcharge the patient because of the dentist's mistakes. Like another reviewer noted, a lot of the dentists employed here are TEMPS, not even regularly employed by River Rock. I wish I had known that in advance.
There are lots of dentists in Austin. There is no reason to risk having the experience I've had with River Rock and be left for the rest of your life with ruined teeth and constant pain. read more