This has got to be the best dentist's office in the world. I was never a keep-up-with-the-oral-hygiene type, but I'd always gone to the dentist, like, consistently, but the minimum amount necessary. It never felt like there was much point. Like, you go, you maybe have a cavity, they fill it later, we all move on, you go back when you absolutely have to.
This is the first time I've ever gone to the dentist and they were like, ok, we're going to take a full look at every part of your mouth, starting from square one as if no one had ever tended to it before, and then we're going to tell you what kind of shape you're in, tell you what problems you have, and give you a road map from where you are to where you need to be to have as healthy a mouth as you can.
So they do that - a bunch of x-rays (included in the cost of the initial consult, if I recall correctly), go over all your teeth and all the improvements that could be made. They develop a treatment plan proposal, including ACCURATE quotes for (1) total cost, (2) amount covered by your actual insurance, (3) total out-of-pocket cost for each service, each appointment, and the full course of treatment.
They discovered what I'd already suspected - I'd had some crappy dental work (mainly cheap, poorly fitted fillings) on a number of molars. They were all coming loose and the whole thing was a mess. Not surprising - like I said, I'd never gone to any dentist that had given me any real confidence they had a plan, and so I just didn't go to the dentist much. The dentists I went to were cheap. So they laid out a plan for the course of like 18 months (scheduled around my insurance limits to minimize my out-of-pocket expenses) and we got started.
I just had four teeth basically gutted and re-filled today, and this is the first time in years that these teeth have felt normal, like as if they're as useful, healthy and reliable as the teeth that had never had cavities. Next steps will be caps, a thorough cleaning and stain removal (lotta plaque, lotta coffee and red wine, not much flossing) and a cancer screening (I smoke cigars).
Even if this practice weren't orders of magnitude better than any other I'd ever been to (and it is) this would still be the best dental practice I've ever seen. First of all, their facilities are IMMACULATE - this is the cleanest office of any kind I have ever seen. Second, their prices are eminently reasonable, despite this whole thing being like some sort of luxury spa-like setting. Third, everybody there is just noticeably friendly and nice, without being ingratiating. After my first appointment, they all remembered me and called me by my first name. They offer you cookies, water, soft drinks, juice, coffee or tea at your leisure in their waiting room. All of their consultation rooms have a Roku, so you can watch Netflix or Hulu or ESPN or just listen to Pandora while you're having your work done. They humored me while I put on a whole set of Guns 'n' Roses while I got my rebuilds done.
They bake homemade cookies IN THE OFFICE. That's a REAL thing they do. Their bathroom looks like it belongs in a luxury hotel. They have the most interesting sink I've ever used. And I'll be honest - and here I will stop to re-emphasize that every member of the staff exudes competence and professionalism, and that the biggest, first, and last impression anyone in that office will get from these people is that they're clearly on top of everything, very skilled and thorough and great at what they do. BUT - that being said - I would remiss if I didn't note that it doesn't hurt at all that pretty much every single employee there is young, female, and gorgeous. Some of their patient counselors and hygienists look like they ought to be making their living modeling instead of rooting around inside my mouth and being like over-the-top nice to me. It's crazy.
My wife recommended I go to this place or UC Dental (we're new to Cincy). I called UC dental thinking Seven Star was probably a little more expensive than necessary. I got a voicemail there informing me that they couldn't come to the phone (this was like 2:30 on a WEDNESDAY) but if I left a message, they would - and I am not making this up - "try" to call me back "in about three business days." Imagine my level of faith that they'd follow up, have an appointment, or even take the time to do a good job. Maybe they would've. But I gave this place a shot instead. My wife had said, amused, "someone on Yelp actually called this place a 'life-changing experience.'" So, of course, when I got out of my first consult, wifey asked "so, was it a LIFE-CHANGING experience?" tongue-in-cheek. I was like, "You know what? As crazy as this sounds, it kind of was." Because now I feel like my dentists know exactly what they're doing, will do every job right, have a big-picture plan. So, now I'm going to go to the dentist regularly and take care of my teeth - and you know what? That kind of DOES change your life a little. read more