So, I went to the dentist today, first time to this guy. I walked in the door to the sound of a little girl screaming. Everyone looked embarrassed. Finally, the receptionist came out into the waiting room and told a blonde woman, "She might do better with you in there." The blonde said, "No, she would be worse," and continued sitting there. The little girl screamed more. Everyone looked even more upset. I began wondering if I should hit the road and find another dentist.

Finally, the little girl, who I thought was maybe 4, came out, she was at least 10. She was giving her mom dirty looks and holding her jaw.

It was now my turn. As I walked into the back, I noticed the dentist was a BYU graduate.

They took xrays and cleaned my teeth, then the dentist came and deadened my mouth. I then waited for over an hour and a half to have two fillings. He asked if my mouth was still numb, then did the work in about 10 minutes and was really rough. He barely said one word to me.

I need LOTS more work done and am scheduled to go back, but I don't want to. But he's the only dentist within 200 miles that will take my miserable insurance. I had to drive over 100 miles to see him. I couldn't help but sit there and wonder if he was always like this or if it was because I'm a woman and obviously not Mormon. Am I being paranoid? SHould I go back? I'm tempted to just pull the teeth that need fillings with a string tied to the door rather than go back...advice?

EEESH...that sounds terrible! I've always hated dentists myself but I recently started going to my husband's dentist that he's had since childhood and I tell you, the difference is dramatic! If it was me and you really felt like he treated you so poorly because you weren't mormon then I would switch. Waiting 90 minutes is ridiculous especially since he numbed your mouth first! I would've definitely complained. I think a person knows when it'll take a while and can wait to apply the medicine. That was just inconsiderate and if it had diminished then would've subjected you to more medicine that wouldn't have been necessary in the first place had he performed in a timely manner.

The fact that the little girl was screaming obviously means that his manner is rough. I had a dentist like that who would be so rough. After numbing me, he would stretch my mouth and skin so much because I couldn't feel it and then afterwards when it diminished I would taste blood from all the stretching.

My ex for whom I have no affection is a very good dentist, but my youngest son is even better-explains everything completely, extremely confident , graduated near top of his class, and he is very good and gets people in and out in good time. He owns 3 practices in the SL area, one in So. Jordan, one in Bountiful, and one on about 1400 E. and 80th South. I mean this kid is really excellent and very successful. Patients love him. He worked on me a few months ago, and I could not have been more pleased.( I waited until he had been out of school about 3 years, just to make he had all a lot of practice.)

All my boys are dentists, but the older 2 specialized, one an orthodontist, one and oral surgeon. Maybe it is in the genes, they are all very successful, just like their dad, and would never care one hoot about your religious views. Anyway, if you want someone good, I can give you a great referral, even if I am his mom. UNLV told us when he graduated that he was one of the most talented students to go through their program, which was really not a surprise to us.If you want to send me your private email I will contact you. Good luck to you, whatever you decide, but do NOT pull your teeth out. You need them all, it affects your bite and your appearance. The goal is to die with all of them in place.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2011 11:30PM by think4u.

I have to be anon for obvious reason on this one. I am a dental specialist. What many people call dental insurance is really just a discount program or a capitation program where a dentist gets paid more if you don't even show up. So seeing you costs him money. If it is real insurance it sounds like a crappy one. Anyway, most of the guys who sign up for these poor plans are despirate for patients. Take a hint - he was the only one on your plan within 100 miles. Probably bottom of his dental school class. There was a good 1/2 of my dental school class I would not trust with touching my or my family's teeth.
Get some good references from friends and pay out of pocket. You'll have a better experience and better care.

Thanks, Anonforthis, that's what I'm suspecting. Only problem is, I need about 2k worth of work and have no way I can afford that. But right now, as my jaw becomes un-numbed from the work, I'm wondering when I'll have to get those two fillings he just did redone. Not much of a bargain.

Thanks, Think4U, your sons sound exactly like what I need, unfortunately, they are even further away than this guy was. I live in S. Utah. I may end up over in Colorado, where I know there are some good dentists. I may contact you if I can't find anyone closer, though. Thanks again.

There is a guy in So. Utah that retired and then decided to return to work. He is very good and was very successful. I sent my mom to him and she loved him. I will try to remember or find his name for you. Tell the dentist if you are self pay and ask for a discount. Don't be afraid to ask, you have to know they are giving the insurance companies a discount and you should get one too, esp. if you pay cash as you go. Best of luck to you! And I will look for that name in the morning. I know this guy was very fair and good, pretty sure he is in St. George. Be sure to get the nitrous oxide, it makes everything so very much more pleasant.

...to find a dentist that you have confidence in. I woudn't put up with heavy, clumsy hands in a dentist. My personal preference is for female dentists.

I found a female dentist who is also a dental school professor. I am very pleased with her.

Thanks, Think4U. Also, send me your son's name(s) in case I can get up that way. I don't know how to contact you offline for email xchange, let me know and I'll send you my email.

He did an extraction on a back molar and was very rough. He missed the nerve with the novocaine and I felt every bit of it, and tore the corner of my mouth so bad it left a trail of blood down my neck. When I emerged from there into the waiting room they hadn't even let me wash my face, so there I was with blood and tears all over my face- ugh! My husband (fiance then) was appalled. It was only a couple weeks before our wedding and I didn't have any close-up pictures because you could still see the tear at the corner of my mouth.

Then this @$$hat had the nerve to charge me an extra 50 bucks because it was "difficult"- not for me, mind you, but for HIM!

My dentist's office offers DVD movies for the patient to watch while work is being done. When I was offered this service, I asked if they had "Marathon Man."

Dentist and staff understood the reference and thought it was funny, but they didn't have the movie.

I had a great dentist do an extraction once, a wisdom tooth. I was 18. He was done before I even knew he'd started, and I couldn't believe he'd pulled it. Then I had the second one done and the guy was literally braced against the chair and it took him forever.

I switched dentists to save travel time. I also thought I was getting a cheaper dentist, (I bought some discount dental care at a ward auction). In reality I spent thousands trying to correct the problems that started after I went to his office.

Multiple crown replacements, bite adjustments and a root canal later, I finally went back to my original dentist, who immediately saw what the underlying problem was, corrected what he could, and got me to the right specialist. (Another 3-4K)

Get the best dentist you can. In Provo, I recommend Gary Matthews (father of several sons who also practice dentistry with him, but I like him better), if he's taking patients. He's conservative--won't try to get you do to more work than absolutely necessary, and will do a good job. If you haven't got a second estimate on the work you need, I would definitely get one, because some dentists try to get you to do more work than you need.

Also, he has good connections with the best specialists, and has saved me money (and pain) that way. Yeah, he did send me to one expensive specialist, but another one saved me money by avoiding dental surgury.

Rough dentist? NO WAY. You could damage your jaw that way, and THAT is expensive and painful.

Went to Dr. Matthews for many years starting when he was just out of dental school. Excellent dentist, considerate and gentle, and a quality individual. I'd still be going there if I hadn't moved out of state.

Apply for Care Credit : http://www.carecredit.com/

It's a way to finance your medical (and veterinary) bills. They pay 100% and put you on a payment plan to pay them back. That way, your credit doesn't suffer and you don't go into arrears with your healthcare providers, and you won't avoid getting healthcare that you NEED because of cost.

If you have crappy dental "insurance" then you might as well not have it at all. Next open enrollment, if your employer offers one, sign up for a healthcare savings account, or a Flexible Spending Account to put pre-tax cash aside for things that insurance doesn't cover... like 2K worth of dental work. I have waived dental insurance and done just that. Then you tell your new dentist that you are paying cash and do not have insurance. They will give you a discount. Until you can hook up with an HSA or an FSA (they are different and have different tax implications, so do your homework), try Care Credit so you can find a good dentist. Suffering like that is not worth it.

It must be frightening to be a nondentist in Utah. Sounds like there are a few left.

It's fair to judge this dentist based upon your experience. I would not judge a dentist simply by being on the cheap plans. There are a lot of good dentists just struggling to make it in Utah taking big discounts. Don't listen to anon4this. Sounds pretty arrogant to me. ;))

Disclaimer: I'm a dentist. But I won't hand out info. here. I'd rather keep business and mormon-bashing separated. :))

And that's that.

Try to arrange to have a couple of days off work and book with another dentist somewhere else.

Might save you some pain and time.

Actually, I with the others that say don't go back.

A friend of mine had dental work done at a dental college. Cost was minimal, work was excellent, and dentists were supervised up the kazoo! Very pleased.

(This is just hearsay as I'm a dentalphobe myself!)

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I called his office today and am having them mail my xrays to a local dentist who says he'll take my insurance. He has a good reputation. He wasn't on the list of providers, but I called him anyway. If he doesn't work out, I'll just go to Colorado.

It's funny how you learn to second guess yourself when you're not rip-roaring with self-confidence. My previous dentist was really good, but he retired. He was a Mormon, BTW, but he treated me with great care and was very nice. I somehow felt like my treatment with this new guy was tied to the fact that I'm obviously not Mormon (I dress like a hiker/mtn biker, wild t-shirts and my hair is really wild, though not by design) - Mormon women don't dress like I do, Anyway, he was the most heavy-handed dentist I've ever gone to, and it was crazy how fast he did two fillings, I swear in five minutes and he didn't even bother to talk to me about anything.

For once I followed my intuition. Thanks, everyone.

To add - I base my feelings on how he treated the others in his office at the same time, more like I would expect to be treated by a good dentist, though I can't vouch that his dental work was any better for them than me. But he spent time talking to them, etc., which he didn't me, I know cause they were in two adjoining rooms. And both his assistant and receptionist were very apologetic to me for his actions. The other two patients looked like TBMs, a man and a woman.

Point well taken, will call the ins. co. Thanks.

Be careful with this... sometimes it is a play on words. Make sure they are PARTICIPATING with the insurance/plan. Some will say "yes, we will take it" which is just code speak for "we will file it" with no guarantees of the insurance actually paying.

Nicolette Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Be careful with this... sometimes it is a play on
> words. Make sure they are PARTICIPATING with the
> insurance/plan. Some will say "yes, we will take
> it" which is just code speak for "we will file it"
> with no guarantees of the insurance actually
> paying.


I work in a dental practice that does this. We have a management company and they insist we tell callers that "we take their insurance" even if we aren't a provider. As you can expect, patients are totally pissed when they come and find out we aren't a provider AND have been lied to. Needless to say, they don't return. Our DDS says it's our fault that we didn't win them over and get them to stay and pay our fees out of pocket.

And if your "insurance" is a capitation type program, you can bet the DDS makes more money if you never show up.

My tip? Call a board certified Periodontist and ask for names of DDS's that do quality dentistry; believe me they know who does good work and who's a hack.

Hey he could have had a bad day. Some kids are just impossible and best referred to a Pedodontist. Maybe the kid got him frazzled. I know I've had some kids that got me so worked up after their visit I was shaking myself. Now, I don't deal with that and just send them off to be sedated by a Pedodontist. Dental insurance is a waste of money unless it's not your money ie work benefit. Pay cash if you need to and go to someone that a friend or family member has recommended.

I understand what you're saying, and I'm a very forgiving type, maybe to a fault, I always take such things into consideration. But having a bad day wouldn't really account for making me wait for so long and then not even talking to me (he was talking to his other patients), and then being rough and doing two fillings in record time. He didn't even bother to smooth them down. Argh...

That town is small enough I bet there's no Pedodontists. The kid wasn't really what I held against him, I know kids can be rotten sometimes.

1. Overbooked because he's on some HMO where he has to see a lot of patients and do quick work.
2. A prior patient showed up late
3. An emergency set him behind
4. Unexpected problem during treatment that had to be taken care of which set him behind - ie. during treatment the decay got too deep and he needed to start a root canal.
5. Combination of the above.
Reason for not talking:
1. Prior patient upset him.
2. Another upsetting event or call just happened prior to your being seen.
3. He has no personality.
4. Combination of the above
Reason for doing fillings quickly:
1. He has to in order to pay his bills.
2. He likes to work fast and sloppy.
3. He's trying to catch up so he can go home at a reasonable hour and not pay overtime.
4. Combination of the above.

Perhaps this is easy for me to say. I live in a metropolitan area where there's lots of competition among dentists and there are lots of choices.

I got references and chose well, with insurance not being the primary consideration. I could not be more pleased with the quality of the work, the level of service, and the bedside manner. In fact my dentist called me at home at about 9:00 PM last evening to ask how I was doing after having crown work done yesterday morning.

My advice would be to avoid the doc-in-the-box dental outlets. If you Google them you'll find lots of complaints. In most states, you can log into the state dental regulatory agency and check to see if dentists you're considering have any actions against them.

As for the child, probably just a brat. I get 'em in my business too.

Good luck.

Mods, this old post has spam in the middle, dated today. Thanks.

Yeah, but it's funny spam.

"1) If you want your ex back. And to stop HAIR REMOVAL/RASHES"

Everyone deserves to get a chuckle from it. :D

(2) if you have Hiv/Aids, Cancer and Hepatitis B and BIPOLAR.

Oy!

Get a second opinion. there are a ton of dentists in utah and idaho, more than the population can support.

They do a lot of unnecessary work to pay for their six kids, big houses, boats, and tithing

Ouch! I'd drive 200 miles to avoid him.