I have been going to Artful Smiles for a while, and while the care is generally good, I am getting sick of them pushing random extra treatments, especially when they don't fully explain what they are.
They convinced me to do Invisalign a few years ago. Not covered by my insurance, and the only discount they offered was if I paid in full up front. So, sure, I did it, and yes, I am glad I did it in the end, but the process was very frustrating. They said I would be swapping out aligners over the course of about 8 months, but that it could take a little longer. They did not explain that they would be placing semi-permanent attachments on my teeth until I was sitting in the chair. I felt like, oh, this is basically the same thing as having braces again. I followed all of their instructions, but it still took about two years to finish the process.
At what I thought was the end of my Invisalign treatment, since they said it was the end, they had me sign a piece of paper that said they actually recommended further treatment. They'd been "fine-tuning" everything on the top, but apparently thought something else was needed on the bottom, but hadn't addressed that in the six months prior, so that I could have been wearing different bottom aligners, or something? I was vexed at this complete lack of information, only to have a hygienist sit down to put a wire retainer on the inside of my bottom teeth without saying ANYTHING. I had to ask, wait, what are you doing???
All of the Invisalign aside, they also recommended me for gum graft surgery to fix some gum recession, something that wearing those retainers for months/years actually exacerbates, yet another thing that was never explained.
The last two times I have gone in for a cleaning, I really didn't like the male hygienist at all. He was very heavy-handed, poking my gums to measure each tooth for recession, and then "check for bleeding," like, yeah, my gums might bleed if you're jamming a metal pick into them.
He also pulled up my X-rays and pointed at a couple of different spots and was like, "Yeah, these look like they're going to turn into cavities," before pushing some new spot-treatment. There was literally nothing on the X-ray to see, and I really wondered why the hygienist and not the actual dentist would be making calls like that. I've had one cavity in my entire life (of course, discovered and filled at Artful Smiles), so I was pissed off that this guy was pushing yet another expensive "treatment," yet again without any explanation of what it is, the cost or how long the "treatment" takes. After looking it up, I saw that it's very expensive, not covered by insurance, I guess approved in the US, but not widely used by dentists. Maybe it's great for some people, but I did not appreciate the aggressiveness. I shouldn't have to fend off unnecessary costs every time I get a cleaning. read more