I was about to leave before my scheduled appointment because my son and I had been waiting over an hour past our appointment time. Once we got in, everyone was very professional and my son felt comfortable with all of the staff which isn't common. I'll keep going as long as they can keep wait times down in the future. read more

I took my 3 year old to the Dental Ark and I was not happy! They didn't let me in the room with him and after sedating him and not being able to do the work, they still charged me for the sedation! They said we would need to take him to the hospital to put him under so they can do the work which would have cost about $4,000. I went for a second opinion to the Smile Center For Kids and what a difference! So much better customer service with myself and my son. He let them do everything without extreme measures. They were friendly, attentive, and patient. Most importantly they said my son didn't need as much work as the Dental Ark said he needed. They did the same with my 9 year old. They said he needed more work than what he actually needed. My 9 year old had 4 crowns put in at the Dental Ark a year ago. Makes me wonder if he actually needed so much. Don't take your children here! They are not patient, they don't allow you to be in the room which is very weird, and they want to overcharge! Also, expect to be waiting here for HOURS! read more

We had our first visit this week and all was well. The back of the business, where patients are seen is very clean and staff is very friendly. The only bad thing is that it takes a long time to get from the checking in and the check out! They ask you to sign tons of documents. I took my three kids for an appointment at 1:30 and was not able to leave the place until 4;30. That was for a cleaning visit. There is an adult room where you can wait for your kids and have a cup of coffee and watch TV. read more

Last visit was safer, fewer people. This time, too many people cooped closely together for too long.if anyone has covid, everyone will get it. Have been bring my kids for 10 years, am very disappointed this visit. read more

Don't bring your child here. Worst place ever your kid can be in the back having a panic attack because he or she may be nervous about the procedure they're having done and you'll never know until 3 hours later when they haven't done anything but send him home after wasting your time. You can't see your child you can't be next to them. Do unless you trust them to do right by your child better not being them here read more

This place takes forever!!!! If you have an appointment be prepared for at least a wait of over an hour just to be seen.

Don't go here!!! The staff are very rude and they treat the parents and the children like s**t.

Been bringing my daughter here for the last four years. The "back of the house" staff has always been kind, courteous and patient. The dentists and hygienists have always taken their time in explaining things and making sure my daughter has a positive experience. However, their front line staff leaves much to be desired. No friendly smiles when you walk in and their check-in process is also not very welcoming. They really need to make positive changes to their front line staff. read more

My daughter had a terrible experience. Not only did they say she had more cavities than she actually had, they charged me $221 for a "failed sedation" where after 3 hours of waiting and signing forms they did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING except my daughter bit her tongue so bad she was close to infection. They set me up for a future visit where they said she would have to be put under general anesthesia. Her anesthesiologist would be flown from Austin with his assistant. On that day other children including my daughter would be put under for their treatment. The cost for that would be $900 plus the dental work of $1850. I went for a second opinion with a reputable dentist who fixed her cavities without such circus. I learned my lesson. I will always use a dentist who has his name on the door of his business and not one of these dental factories. Stay away!! read more

They need to provide equal care to all children with all insurance companies they accept (Tricare). If not, then why accept it. I find too much of a coincidence that only my children had no TV to distract them, they had the most basic chairs, and had the fastest "check-up" I've seen. This is all compared to the other children there. No time to do a thorough check. They did the bare minimum to get by. Shameful. My recommendation to them would be to provide equal care regardless of how much money they receive from the insurance company. It's not all about the money. read more

Untrustworthy...period! We've been taking our kids to the Dental Ark for a few years now and I've noticed certain poor reviews in the past but didn't put too much thought into it until I encountered a similar situation. We had an routine cleaning appointment last week for our 4 year old and were shocked when they told us that our 4 year old had 3 decayed teeth and would need to shave down the teeth and put caps on those three teeth. They informed my wife that our 4 y/o would need to be sedated and given nitrous oxide. They also mentioned that my wife would not be allowed in the room during the procedure and my wife insisted that she be present. The Ark found a dentist that would allow my wife to view from a window and my wife scheduled the appointment. Later that evening, still feeling uncomfortable, we checked our daughters teeth a bit closer and could see nothing, we asked her if her teeth ever felt funny and she told us that they hadn't. My daughter always complains about the smallest things that bother her. We found this odd that she has never complained about her teeth after the Dental Ark's diagnosis. We requested her X-rays the following day and sent them over to two other separate dentists and they both mentioned that it was impossible to diagnose any decay because of the poor quality of the X-ray. Remember, I mentioned that we inspected our daughter's teeth that evening and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Mind you, I'm not professionally trained to diagnose any complications with teeth but if 2 separate dentists informed me that it would be impossible to diagnose ANYTHING with the poor quality of X-rays I was provided, surely the diagnoses of 3 decayed teeth would be able to be seen visually? Bottom line is this, There have been implications of the Dental Ark performing unneeded treatments on kids. I never experienced this until now. Before that things appeared fine, which reminds me, My kids have cleanings every six months. Why was there never a mention of "we need to keep an eye on this tooth or these specific teeth." The dentist that recommended the caps said the decay was too far gone to just do a filling. Surely, this should have been noticed at the last visit then? My honest recommendation is to find a smaller dentist office to send your kids to. This place seems to just care about how many people they can treat and will say whatever they can to bill for unneeded treatments. At the very least, get A SECOND OPINION. You will most likely have to pay out of pocket for it but aren't your children worth it? I feel they are banking on the idea of people not seeking the second opinion to call their bluff. I truly hope this review helps at least one kid from not going through unneeded treatment. How evil can people be to perform unneeded treatment on innocent children? read more

Would give 5 stars if the lady up in front was friendly. Didn't seem happy to be there. All the crew behind the scenes is amazing! Very helpful and informative. Get your front staff to smile and act like they want to be there and you'll get 5 stars!! read more

My boys have been going to Dental Ark for a few years now. They have had cleanings and dental work done before. This time around we were very disappointed! Both of my boys had dental work done on 1/22/18 and both of my children had complaints. My youngest (age 7) has bruises on his cheeks as if someone forcibly opened his mouth. He later told me that "the man squeezed my cheeks because I didn't want to open my mouth." I believe that was unnecessary, and after a full week bruises are still visible. My other son (age 9) was told to be quite during his procedure because he was crying. When we were being discharged I did bring up that concern. I later received a phone call about the boy's status and I also got an apology. We brought our boys to this facility because we heard good things about them. My middle son was traumatized with the other dentist he was going to. Now as parents we are concerned. Will they treat my son's like that again without us knowing? Is this why we are not allowed in the back, so they talk and treat them the way they want? After this experience my boys are not going back. I would not recommend this place. read more

This place is absolutely the worse place to take your child. I took my daughter in for some dental work and as I was waiting for her I had a very uncomfortable feeling. I asked to see my child. After I demanded to see her a few times they let me go back. What I saw will haunt me for the rest of my life. My daughter was strapped down in her chair behind some glass windows. I could hear her screaming. As I opened the glass door it seem as though my daughter was feeling everything. I asked the dentist to stop but she wanted to keep going. I demanded she stop and she did. She was in so much pain. I paid out of pocket for sedation but it really did not seem like they used any. Her body was shaking. Keep in mind she was 4 years old at the time. I then asked for the medical term of the type of sedation that was used. I phone Dr. Jim Bowden (who was her previous dentist) and told him what was going on. The sedation they use wares off very quickly (15 minutes). So she was feeling everything. When I followed up with Dr. Bowden the following morning he looked over her treatment plan and found that they were going to cap most of her teeth that did not need capping. I am writing this because there is a recent case in Florida that I ran across and when I saw the video I saw my child. These people are NOT pediatric dentist. They hurt children and parents are not even aware of it. My daughter is so traumatized that I can not even drive in front of the building without her screaming because she thinks I am taking her there. Yes the place is cheap and yes it has all these fun things for the kids but PLEASE keep my child in mind when you are thinking of going there. My reason for going there is because I have private insurance and the rates were cheaper. Also it was closer to home. After this experience I do not care how much it costs me my kids will never go back and will continue to see a pediatric dental specialist (which there are only 2 in EL Paso both on the West side) and I will make the hour drive across to get them there. If you do not believe me randomly ask to see your child in the middle of their dental work and you will be just as shocked. IT IS AWFUL!!! I wouldn't rate them with any kind of star but it will not let me post without selecting one. I bet the employees do not even take their children there. read more