I was mistreated by the only dentist in my small Appalachian town as a child and have had several dental problems follow me throughout life due to that childhood experience. As such, I am very leery of dentists and it is difficult for me to separate those who really wish the best for your dental health versus those who wish to do as many treatments as possible to enlarge their bottom line.
When I first came to Turlock, I was treated intermittently by a well known local dentist who prescribed un-needed treatments and whose staff kept pushing me to have a "deep cleaning" (the dental world calls this Scaling and Root Planing). In addition, that dentist missed a localized infection and missed a spot that needed to be filled. Because I was suspicious, I decided to search for a better dentist who might give me a second opinion.
After a bit of internet searching and asking around, Dr Antoine Varani's name popped up more than once. So, I made an appointment and found out that the Dr Varani mentioned by others was also my neighbor a few houses down the street. He quickly located the localized infection and cavity and gave me an idea for a possible treatment plan. As I researched more, I came to find that he was exactly correct and he did not charge me for giving a second opinion. Because of my initial favorable experience, I made another appointment for a cleaning and a treatment plan.
During that appointment, Dr Varani indicated that most of the gum pockets in my mouth were fine and that a Scaling and Root Planing was not needed in my case. I asked him about my missing tooth and he gave me several different options but also explained their negatives as well. Eventually, we decided on a dental implant, with a titanium post, abutment and zirconium/porcelain crown. Of course that is not the cheapest or easiest treatment method but he explained all the negatives in detail as well, and I never felt Dr Varani was trying to sell me something to pay his mortgage or finance his latest vacation.
Over the course of the last year, I underwent the appointments to have the dental implant installed and the procedure is now finished. I liked that Dr Varani was able to do the entire implant himself (in office) without farming me out to bone specialists (who add cadaver bone) or other dental middlemen who drain your bank account. (although, Dr Varani will send someone to a specialist when he feels the case warrants it) In my particular case, when the implant was finished and the crown was placed, the surface of the crown did not match the surrounding teeth, even though this was no fault of Dr Varani or his staff. (it actually had to do with poor manufacturing we believe from the crown manufacturer) Now, in some poor dental practices, the dentist would try to charge you for removing the crown to have it replaced and the color matched, but Dr Varani simply said that he wanted me to have the best result possible and never charged me. As a result, I now have an excellent implant with a crown that matches the rest of my teeth.
To say he has earned my business in an understatement. By being honest, putting the patient before his own profits and truly trying to help others out, I can say that he is a dentist which stands above any others I have encountered in my lifetime. Dr Varani also lives in Turlock and is actively involved in the community (as is his wife). He is not someone who lives in San Jose but only commutes over for his practice to The Valley. Since I realized we were neighbors, we have also gotten to know his children and come to realize that his whole family are quality people. I would without hesitation recommend him to others and to my own family members. You would be hard pressed to find a dentist half as good as Dr Antoine Varani anywhere else. Five stars across the board so far with my experience! read more