One of the most alarming experiences I've had with a pediatric provider. This office refuses to allow parents in the back with their children during procedures, which is completely unacceptable for a pediatric practice. No parent should be made to feel pressured into handing their child over without being present. Dr. Utermark pushed back extensively when I insisted on accompanying my son and only begrudgingly agreed to "allow" it after repeated insistence. That alone was enough to concern me, but my conversation with the doctor revealed several additional red flags that made it clear this is not a practice that values parental involvement, transparency, or patient comfort. The attitude was dismissive, controlling, and shockingly out of touch with what families should expect from pediatric care. There are FAR better pediatric dentists and orthodontists (who accept United Concordia- Tricare dental) in the area who understand that parents are partners in their child's care, not inconveniences to be managed. Do yourself and your child a favor: GO ELSEWHERE read more

Dr. Utermark did an excellent job on my 6 yr old. He had bumped his baby tooth years ago and it finally abscessed. She was able to get him in for an eval quickly and the got his extraction taken care of soon after. My son did great and he was willing to come back again the following month for a couple fillings too. She got him nice and numb and was able to do two fillings in his baby teeth. The fillings are smooth with no catches when flossing and Max said it didn't hurt and they still don't bother him. We made sure to get him the nitrous oxide to make sure he was comfortable. But I'm still so pleased with the quality of his fillings and the fact that he was willing to go back to see the dentist. Thank you Dr. Utermark and team! read more

I absolutely love the staff and Dr. Utermark. My children love coming here. They care about their patients and family. If you are looking for a pediatric dentist and an orthodontist this is the place. I am so glad to be apart of this family. read more

All of my children have gone to Dr. utermark for the past 6-7 (or longer) years. the staff and dr. Utermark have been nothing but kind and professional every time my children have been seen. one child has seen her for orthodontics and the other two have been for pediatric dentistry. read more

Both of my daughters have received both orthodontic & dental care from Dr. Utermark. She is wonderful & did a fantastic job! Her office staff is amazing as well. read more

My daughter's smile looks amazing! Thank you to Dr. Utermark and her team. Everyone is kind, caring and professional.

I never thought I would be typing this comment 20 years later. Reading previous comments that I found on yelp has me in actual tears. I still struggle with the trauma I endured at this office when I was a child. I am currently 25 years old. I was strapped down tortured each and every visit. I was told each visit that I had a cavity or some type of work that needed to be done and I would just cry because I knew each visit would get worse and worse. Terissa Brown , 20 years later I still remember your face as you would call my name to the back. I remember I would stay up all night knowing I had an appointment the following morning... TERRIFIED! I'm not sure how this place is still up and running. Maybe they've changed... doubt it. These people take advantage by working with kids because they have no voice and don't know how to express what's actually going on and if this is normal. I currently have to be sedated to get ANY & ALL treatments even if it's a basic cleaning. As a current mother, I'm begging you to PLEASE KEEP YOUR BABIES PROTECTED AND AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. I will forever live with this trauma these people have caused and you will reap what you sow. read more

My daughter went here to get a tooth extracted. I found out from my daughter, after the procedure, that she was in a lot of pain during and, when she told the attending tech and dentist, they brushed her off and demanded she keep still. What child can keep still when they are in pain and what individual looks at a child hurting and lacks the compassion to provide care?!!! I was disgusted with the inhumane treatment my 8 year old child received, especially since she generally loves the dentist. To top it off, she was in a lot of pain, outside of the normal, afterwards and for several days after. This dentist is often the first dentist you are referred to if you are military so please beware and look elsewhere. If I could give her zero stars I would!!! read more

They gave me a quote for my sons dental work! Five visits for I think 6 "cavities"... he was 4 years old! They wanted to use restraint and sedate him for each visit. Quoted me over $1100.... I knew we brushed/flossed frequently. Plus I wasn't alright my child being put under five times! Went to another office.. Only two cavities! They said they would use laughing gas only! Paid $200. Rip off scam sham read more

Horrible bedside manner. They don't let you go back with your children and they are not friendly if you have smaller children that need to come with you to an appointment. My daughter told me they are very rude to the kids back there and parents wouldn't know because they don't let us back there. read more

She was my childhood dentist for a long time, and genuinely the reason why twenty years later I still require sedatives to get even a procedure as small as a filling. I don't get anxiety for anything...anything! Except going to the dentist. Tough deadline at work? Don't worry, I got this. ...Skydiving? Great! Let's do it! ...Dentist? Oh god please no. No no no. Hell, I'll take the gynecologist any day over that. Many tears were shed in Dr. Utermark's chairs -- like not using nearly enough novocaine sometimes, and opening that thing that props your mouth open too wide to the point that I felt as though my jaw were breaking for the duration of the procedure. I was otherwise a well-behaved and mellow kid, so you'd think if I couldn't stop crying the entire time that maybe, just maybe, something might be wrong. Of course that was about two decades ago. Maybe she's changed since then. I sure hope so if you let her put sharp objects in your kids' mouths. I am thankful for the gentle and understanding dentist I have now, and perhaps moreso for the nitrous oxide which I will probably require for the rest of my life. Edit (2015): Had a random conversation with a friend about going to the dentist. At some point she mentions something like "I had such an awful dentist when I was little." I say "Me too! I went to Dr. Utermark." She says "NO WAY. ME TOO." I say "Thank you for confirming that I wasn't just making this sh*t up in my little kid head." If only my little kid self had been able to articulate what was happening to me better than "Mommy, the dentist hurts my mouth a lot. Please don't take me there!" If your kid ever says this, do your best to look into it. Maybe it's normal, since the dentist isn't typically fun. But there's discomfort...and then there's trauma. read more

For the last 2 years and 10 months, my daughter has had braces through Dr. Utermarks Office. We have had the best experience coming to this office. We live in Thomson, and they even come here for appointments once a month from Augusta. My daughter was so self conscious about her smile, that she would hide her face and not want to take pictures at all. We just got her braces off and let me tell you. For the last almost 3 years, the transition has been amazing. My daughter has found a new self confidence about herself. We have been nothing but happy about Dr. Utermark and her staff. I went through a divorce during the time her braces were on and changes in insurance. They not once hesitated and not helping me or working with me. They were always so thorough in explaining what was going on and things we needed to do next. I would definitely do it all over again with them if I needed to. read more

Our entire family sees Dr. Utermark for everything from check-ups to orthodontics. They are prompt with their appointments and have even gone out of their way to make sure our youngest child, a toddler, is very comfortable with her dental treatments. Dr. Utermark is very thorough and goes out of her way to discuss all treatment options and her staff are very friendly and knowledgeable as well. If I could rate them 10 stars, I would. They're truly incredible and I'd recommend them for the whole family. read more

Let me start by saying that I have 4 children. I take them all the Dr. Utermark and they ALL love Dr. Utermark and her staff! They literally ask me: "When do I GET to go to the dentist?!" They love the kid's waiting room and the fact that they can go back to see the dentist together because she has multiple chairs in the same room. As a mom of multiples, I love this too! I never have a problem making an appointment, and they work with me to schedule all my children at the same time so that I don't have to make multiple appointments, even when I need to reschedule at the last minute. They always show me the kid's x rays and talk me through exactly what is going on with their teeth at the end of their appointments. I've never been more pleased with my interactions with a dentist and her staff! I'd recommend her to anyone with young children! read more

Awful.... very rude... and smart asses... after we told her not to strap him they did it anyways and when they were done and they let us back there they were off and Julian asked if they used them and she said well did you see them on him... Dr. Utermark. Her dental assistant told me that if His dad had a problem with strapping him then he should of came and not me and that the mom didn't have a problem with it and by this time I'm fuming and I said well it's ridiculous the amount of dental work y'all are doing on a five yr old whose gonna loose these teeth. She said well one was abscesses and they extracted it and I said yes I can def understand that but a root canal? Why can't you just pull it and she said well he has to have teeth to chew. Ohhh I wanted to slap that lady to next week. Then she said well I guess you can go back to the waiting room till you decide what your gonna do and I'll start my other patient.. But jp told me that they put him on the board(papoose) and strapped his head down and put two straps on each arm. I was just gonna take him but then all that started and they wouldn't talk to me so Julian had to come up there. After jp was done the dentist said I just think that all going on earlier has nothing to do with jp, I think it's something else(talking about the adults) and that we were there for jp and needed to focus on him. She said well I heard my assistant was rude to you, my ladies have been working with me for 11yrs and you know we're here for jp so I'm sorry about that. I said it don't matter it's all about jp. read more

My experience couldn't have been more different than Brandi's. Going to the dentist was never something I looked forward to but the technicians and Dr. Utermark were always assessing my comfort level. If there was something wrong or something hurt, I always raised my fingers and they knew and made the appropriate adjustments. My children both go see her now and don't hesitate a bit about going in. When my youngest was ready for her first dental visit, I was invited in and held her on my lap while Dr. Utermark examined her teeth. It was gentle and painless and that's saying a lot for a four year old. She would definitely let us know if she was uncomfortable. I am bewildered why Brandi (or her parents) would let her stay with a dentist as long as she apparently did if it was as bad as she mentioned. I understand anxiety for dental procedures but that would be for any dentist, not just Dr. Utermark. I cannot rate Dr. Utermark high enough - she has been wonderful to me and my children, always had plenty of time to speak with us about concerns even if it was not during normal business hours. read more

Basically everything Brandi said, complete with that torture device thing that cranks your mouth open. It was traumatizing. I'm in my thirties now, and my sister and I still talk about it today. read more

Dr. Utermark is a great and caring orthodontist that truly cares for her patients. My daughter loves going to her appointments and her teeth are straight now and will she soon be getting her braces off. I will definitely recommend Dr. Utermark to anyone needing braces for themselves or their children as there is not a better one than Dr. Utermark!!! read more