My husband and I have been going to Roanoke Dental for a couple of years, but after my most recent experience, I feel I need to share this.
This office is part of the Smile Generation network, which is a corporate dental group. After what I experienced, it felt very clear that the focus is on revenue, not patient care.
To be blunt, I feel like this dental office straight up scammed me. I've never felt that way about a medical provider before, but they told me I needed procedures I didn't actually need and charged me for services I don't believe I truly received.
At one of my first visits, they said I needed a "deep cleaning" that cost over $1,000. But a true deep cleaning (scaling and root planing) goes under the gums to remove buildup and bacteria, is usually done in sections, takes longer than a regular cleaning, and requires numbing because it's not comfortable. None of that happened in my case. The appointment was the same length as a regular cleaning, nothing was numbed, and it didn't feel any different. My cousin is a dentist and said that's highly unusual. Looking back, it feels like I was billed for a deep cleaning but only given a standard cleaning.
After that, every visit turned into the same conversation about "bone loss," which they used to push a laser treatment almost every time. Based on their explanation, I trusted them and agreed to it repeatedly.
The final straw was my most recent appointment. Just three months prior, I had been there for a cleaning and a filling, and at that time they told me everything looked fine and never mentioned needing a deep cleaning.
Then suddenly, after they canceled my original appointment without notice and moved it, I rearranged my entire day to come in, only to be told I now needed a $1,200 deep cleaning instead of the regular cleaning I had scheduled. This is now the second time they've tried to charge me for a deep cleaning.
When I declined due to time, they canceled my appointment entirely and pushed me out another month.
At that point, something felt off, so I got a second opinion from a dentist outside of this network. He showed me everything on camera and told me I have no bone loss and do not need a deep cleaning. He also showed me that a filling Roanoke Dental recently did was done incorrectly and now requires a crown.
I emailed Roanoke Dental to cancel and explain my concerns. They never responded.
Between being pushed into expensive treatments, being told I had conditions I don't have, inconsistent diagnoses within just three months, and receiving questionable dental work, I have completely lost trust.
If you're looking for a dentist, I strongly recommend going somewhere independent. Based on my experience, this felt far more like a sales operation than a healthcare provider. read more