I just went to see Dr. Farber for a cleaning this past week and was very disappointed in the…read moreservice.
When I first walked in, the receptionist was extremely nonchalant and unfriendly, so I already had a bad vibe.
After being invited to sit down after 20 minutes, Dr. Farber invited me in. Though it was my first time meeting her, she didn't introduce herself formally to me, nor did she ask me how I was doing or make any attempt to get to know me as a person rather than just someone she needed to do dental services on. This entire appointment felt like a business transaction rather than a dentist-getting-to-know-her-patient type meeting that I was used to growing up.
The worst part about this appointment was that before I even opened my mouth for it to be examined, she explicitly said that she needed to take x-rays. I said I did not want to because I had just had them 6 months ago with my previous dentist, and I thought it was unnecessary. She responded, if I don't have x-rays, I won't know the condition of your teeth, so I cannot do your cleaning. I found this completely ludicrous - how can she not clean my teeth without x-rays? If she wants to know what my teeth look like, can't I just open my mouth for her to see?!), but because I had already scheduled this appointment and taken the time to come here (and was on new insurance, so I wouldn't get charged), I figured I'd do the bare minimum of four x-rays so that she could get what she wanted (and if you know the way the healthcare system in the U.S. works, you know that she is profiting off of those four tiny x-rays she did). So she took the x-rays, did my cleaning (which was actually a pretty thorough job), and then as I walked out, she said, "see you in six months!"
I'm definitely not going to see her in six months, or ever again after this experience. She was not friendly, had no desire to get to know me at all, and forced me to take x-rays for the sake of taking x-rays.
**And to make matters worse, I made this appointment via ZocDoc and posted a negative review there. Her office immediately saw the review, called ZocDoc, and asked them to remove my review from the ZocDoc site, stating that it was "inaccurate." I'm not sure about you, but I would say that this is a violation of freedom of speech, as any doctor/dentist could say that any negative review posted about them was "inaccurate" and then have that review taken down. This immediately becomes a problem of "he said vs. she said," and by removing my review of the dentist from their site, they are indirectly siding with the doctor.
UPDATE: I just received the Explanation of Benefits from my insurance this week for this dental visit. Apparently, Dr. Farber's office wanted to charge my insurance $165 for a "dental exam," $195 for the x-rays she bullied me into taking, and $250 for the cleaning. Charging my insurance $165 when she barely looked at my tonsils and spent less than 10 seconds "examining" my mouth is a real insult.
UPDATE 2: RE Response Below: Your patronizing words say more than I ever could. P.S. - It is great that Yelp doesn't let you call in to take down the reviews you don't like as you did elsewhere.