I loved this place on my first visit. They have dogs! They got me in quickly! They were so kind and…read morefriendly! It was heaven in dental office form!
For context, I have freakishly good teeth. I've never had a cavity, didn't have wisdom teeth, and always get rave reviews from hygienists and dentists despite never flossing. At my first visit, they asked to do x-rays because I hadn't had any in over a decade (you'll understand why in a minute). To my knowledge, they made no effort to get my old records. But, okay, fine, I'll do the x-rays. Surprise, surprise, my x-rays looked great.
Here's more context: I'm a PhD researcher in a field related to neuroanatomy.
At my next visit, I declined x-rays. Why? Because of studies like this: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6341170/
which report things like this:
"This study showed evidence that the increased risk of head and neck cancer due to exposure to low doses of dental diagnostic X-rays cannot be ignored."
"Since the oral cavity is anatomically located near the head and neck, dental X-ray examinations seem to affect the brain and neck areas. The correlation of X-rays with brain and thyroid cancers has been reported for many decades and seems to explain this finding."
ALSO, American Dental Association clinical recommendations specify that dentists should order dental X-rays ONLY after they have conducted a clinical exam suggesting there could be a problem worth investigating. The full recommendations can be read here: https://bit.ly/420IMsr and are discussed in this NYT article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/21/well/dental-x-ray-health-risks.html
Commenting on the American Dental Association guidelines, the NYT article concludes:
"Under these guidelines, a low-risk patient who doesn't regularly get cavities may need X-rays only once every two to three years, Dr. Benavides said. Unfortunately, this is not what typically happens, Dr. Brenner added. Many people are given routine dental X-rays before they are examined, and that's 'not ideal practice,' he said. If a dental hygienist orders routine X-rays before you see your dentist, Dr. Benavides suggested asking them to hold off. 'I would say, "I would feel more comfortable if someone examines me first to determine if I really need these,"' she said. A dentist should always explain why they are necessary and how they will benefit your health."
Did Dr. Wendy Skulman examine me first to determine if I really needed x-rays? Absolutely not. Let's go back to that second visit:
I declined x-rays. The hygienist got VERY fussy with me and made me sign a waiver. The waiver is worded as though declining x-rays is a health risk, which is absurd because opting out of dental x-rays at every dentist visit is actually RECOMMENDED BEST PRACTICE in terms of reducing risk for head and neck cancers. I signed the waiver, even though it was blatantly inaccurate, because the hygienist refused to proceed otherwise. She then did my cleaning. Then Dr. Wendy Skulman popped in for LITERALLY less than two minutes. The hygienist told her I'd declined x-rays, so Dr. Wendy had me open my mouth for about 30 seconds, poked one or two teeth, and then left. Seriously. She definitely didn't do a full exam (which, again, should be a prerequisite for determining if x-rays are even necessary, per the aforementioned American Dental Association clinical guidelines). Moreover, Dr. Wendy showed me NONE of the kindness and friendliness I got on my first visit. She was cold and clearly irritated with me for not getting x-rays. I can only assume x-rays are a money-maker for them, especially for someone like me who doesn't have dental insurance. I was explicitly told that they would REFUSE to see me if I declined x-rays at my next visit. I couldn't help but laugh a little at that and told them I would happily go somewhere else. I'd sure love to find a dentist who cares about following clinical guidelines and reducing cancer risk for their patients.
TO SUMMARIZE:
1. In my experience, Skulman Dental is not following clinical guidelines regarding the frequency of dental x-rays for their patients or how to determine which patients actually NEED x-rays. Requiring x-rays at every visit is NOT in line with American Dental Association (ADA) guidelines.
2. If they're up-to-date on the scientific literature and clinical guidelines from the ADA, they are knowingly disregarding best practice and knowingly putting their patients at increased risk of head and neck cancers for NO CLINICAL REASON.
3. If they're NOT up-to-date on the scientific literature and clinical guidelines from the ADA, well, that's concerning too.
4. In my experience, if you decline x-rays, you will be treated like trash and told not to come back if you plan on declining x-rays again in the future. I've never had any issues with my teeth whatsoever, so I'm going to follow American Dental Association recommendations to reduce my risk of head and neck cancers.
Again: https://bit.ly/420IMsr
