Just wanted to share an update about this horrible dental experience that keeps on giving. I noted n my prior review that my current dentist needed to check the post. Well, my post was put in crooked. So, we had been monitoring it for a while to see if it would perforate. My gums have never healed since this work was done back in Pittsburgh. Finally, it got the point where my current dentist recommended i get a check with a periodontist. At that appointment, he told me that the crooked post had perforated. There was no saving it. I would need an extraction and new implant. This should have been a simple root canal and crown due to a tooth that suffered trauma (it was impacted as a child and pulled to it's correct position with braces. It was not a tooth lost to dental neglect. In fact, I have excellent dental health other than this one tooth). It turned into 6 appts to root canal, two crowns, and an eventual extraction/implant. After this implant is done, I will have spent over $11k on this tooth and a decade trying to care for it. I am fine with the initial cost (root canal + crown), but the subsequent cost is due to poor dental work. A crooked post and oversized crown. read more

its almost a scam! This dentist, if you can call him that, has very bad practices, I just had the worst experience in his office and after reading the other reviews I realize that he has a modus operandi, he creates non-existen problems to his patients and that's when the real problem starts, I went for a cleaning and ended up drilling three teeth because according to him the food got between my teeth, he only put filling on one tooth and sent me home with the wholes on the other two, the filling he gave me fell out the next day and when I returned to his office without being able to cope with the pain he told me that I needed a root canal and that I had to see an endodontist, To this day I am still looking for a competent dentist who receives new patients to fix the painful problem that this incopetent and dishonest doctor has caused me. This man should not be at the service of any patient, he is incompetent an dehumanizes his patients read more

I generally don't leave bad reviews, but this experience was just terrible. I had some tooth pain and hadn't been to the dentist since the pandemic. Went to Dr. Runco and he asked which tooth hurt. I told him which one, he took an X-ray and found a small cavity on the outside of the tooth. Without telling me anything he stuck a piece of gauze in my mouth, then proceeded to give me 3 injections. Then without a word he drilled the tooth and filled it with a silver filling. He then told me it would hurt for a couple days and to make an appointment for a cleaning. I was completely numb for hours and when feeling finally came back I kept finding pieces of the filling in my mouth. For a week the pain never went away. Then the entire filling fell out. I called and got back in the next morning. Dr. Runco decided to take another X-ray. I have a sensitive gag-reflex and it is hard for me to hold the film in my mouth for more than a couple seconds. I warn dentists about this at the onset. Dr. Runco tried to get it, then shot me up with more injections to get the X-ray. He got it and said I need to have a root canal and tried to send me on my way. I had to remind him that I don't have a filling in the hole he drilled a week ago, so he put a temporary filling in and said to come back after the root canal. I went to a good endodontist who couldn't figure out why I was there as I don't need a root canal. She did say that the silver filling that Dr. Runco put in was the incorrect type of filling for where that cavity was on the tooth. Then I went to a competent dentist to get the temporary filling fixed. He found a very large cavity IN THE SAME TOOTH that Dr. Runco had completely missed. If I had visited the competent dentist first, it would have saved me 3 other dental visits and a lot of pain. Skip Runco. Go to a real dentist. read more

We were told my husband was going in for a cap to repair a slightly cracked tooth (not even a cavity). He went in expecting this and came out of this office with a mercury amalgam filling and lots of drilling that has caused him tons of pain and discomfort. The filling is uneven and he now can't chew on this side of his mouth. He never would have chosen mercury as the material and nobody at this office ever mentioned that this was what the plan was. I would never go back and suggest you avoid this place. Plus the office is pretty grubby. (The dental assistant at this office who cleaned my children's teeth in the past was kind and competent and amazing with children, however. But I still can't manage to give this place 2 stars.) read more

I had gone to another practice my entire adult life. I broke z tooth and my dentist was unable to see me for five days. I had heard nice reviews about Dr. Runco. I called his office and was able to go first thing the next day. His office staff and assistants were compassionate and rushed a cap for me and provided a thorough cleaning. I recommend this practice and Dr. Runco. In fact, I switched to his practice. read more

Dr. Runco's office is friendly and fast. I like them because they're no frills and reasonable. They helped me figure out my dental insurance and were available for an emergency crown re-cementing. I did not give them 5 stars because their office was not as clean as I would have liked. But I will still be keeping them as my primary dentist. read more

Dr. Runco's office adds aggravation to the joy of dental work. I booked my first appointment online through the ZocDoc. When I arrived the office had no record of my appointment and asked me to reschedule. The subsequent visit went well enough. The oral hygienist was pleasant, if not particularly thorough. Dr. Runco stopped by and said hello for a few minutes. I received the bill for this visit four months later; my dental insurance had not been billed. This morning I arrived ten minutes early for my 10:30 am appointment. The receptionist informed me that my appointment had been at 10 AM. I showed her the confirmation text messages I had received from the office confirming my 10:30 am appointment. She shrugged, and stated that the office would have to reschedule me. I will reschedule, but with another office who knows how to make and keep appointments. read more

2 stars at best! I had to come back 3 times before I had to go somewhere else. This man is too quick, doesn't smile and has too many 1 and 2 star reviews here. I would rather not get into specifics but I would say NO! I would give 1 star but I don't have the heart . Good luck to everyone read more

Dr. Runco did a root canal and crown for me. A few weeks later it was still in pain. I went to another dentist and even the dental assistant took one look at the crown and xrays and said it was the worst work they had ever seen. I ended up having to get the tooth pulled entirely. Only good thing I can say about them is that they gave me back what I had paid out of pocket when I told them how things turned out. read more

Somebody that I know very well, got a horrible procedure that left mercury in their mouth in September that still affects and physically damages them, even half a year afterward, without any consent about the cavity, filling, and mercury. The story made me passionately furious, and I feel like there should be some sort of actionable consequence for this action, or at least to help repair that damage. Don't go. read more

Worst experience of my 95 year life! The hygienist told me I had "staining" on 2 of my restorations (Resin) and Dr Runco decided they should be replaced. I listened to him because I'm not the expert. Well, he replaced 2 side resins for amalgam. He said he wasn't familiar with the resin compound That should have been the biggest red fag and I should have stopped him there! HOW INEPT!. Long story short- I had to have 2 root canals done on those 2 teeth 6 months later. His repair infiltrated the palate canal and caused abscesses. I'm out lots of money I couldn't spare and that quack is still in business! BEWARE~~ read more

Dr. Clinton Runco has been my dentist for 30 years. This morning I had a difficult extraction, a tooth that had broken under a crown and had to be taken out in fragments. I am a person not much afraid of dental pain, and do not typically take novocain for tooth fillings, but I dreaded the aftermath of this extraction (the tooth barely extended above the gum line). When the novocain wore off this afternoon I was shocked to find myself pain free. I could not recommend a dentist more highly. read more

Back in 1995 I found this clown of a doctor who by my mistake let him do orthodontic work on me! To make a long story short I had consulted an orthodontist who informed me that his work was unethical and wrong. I later would hire an attorney to sue this so called dentist in arbitration. In the end I lost the case. I lost $2800 that I paid him. He extracted four teeth that should never have been pulled. I had to pay $2600 to an orthodontist to fix his work and another $1500 to have an implant installed. Run in Runco means run for the door! Run as far as you can from this dental school drop out!! Do your research on people before you see them. Don't believe in the term "general dentistry". Who cares if they have a degree hanging on the wall behind the counter. I had to learn the hard way. Beware. read more

What a disaster. I bought a groupon for a cleaning knowing I had the need for a filling and that he would find it. Dr. Runco certainly did, so we scheduled another appointment. He told me it was deep but he wouldn't know if it was root canal worthy until he drilled... Fair enough. The procedure went well. Dr. Runco told me that it did not hit the root and I was lucky but some discomfort and sensitivity would be normal for the next few hrs. The next 3 days were the most painful days of my life. And by painful i mean drop to your knees and cry in front of your buddies kinda painful. The only way i could get relief was to keep water in my mouth... So i did... For the next 48 hrs. I could sleep for 10 seconds at a time until the water needed changed so the drooling and choking ensued. Unfortunately it was a weekend and I couldnt get an appt so my next stop was the ER to get through until Dr. Runco could see me the following day. I was prescribed mild pain pills and a mild antibiotic. Triple doses of the pills finally dulled the pain to the point I could stand it but when I called, I was pushed off another 3 days because they were too busy to do the root canal procedure (so I thought). Yes. Another three days of agony and when I walk through the door and explained to the doc that I've never experienced this kind of pain, he asked why didnt I call? I said I did and he embarrassing proceeded. So I now sit in anticipation for relief or a root canal... I waited 5 days, while wanting to die, just to be told in 5 minutes that he couldn't do the procedure and recommended me to a specialist after writing a heavier pain med and a power packed antibiotic. I stomped home, popped the meds and called the specialist to find out the procedure was $2500 just to remember that Dr. Runco asked me to come back for a $900 cap. $3400 for a root canal? I needed some time to figure out how I was going to come up w the $$$ so I popped more and more meds over the next two days and came to the decision that an extraction would be my only option. BUT WAIT. The pain is actually gone completely and I still have enough meds to fend a few days to get to another dentist if the pain comes back... Dr. Runco ensured me that the pain was going to come back in a couple days so I should be sure to carry on w the procedure and stop back in for the $900 cap. He would even help me apply for a credit card to pay for it. At this point I'm thinking since I'm going to have it pulled anyways, I may as well wait for the pain to come back before I go. After all I'm incredibly busy and who wants to go have a tooth ripped out of their mouth? *fast forward* This is currently week number 7 and I am still waitin for the pain to come back. His staff, although courteous, still put my urgent matter on the back burner. He never offered to refund my filling money or at least subtract it from the $900 cap amount. And he never called to check up on me to see how my experience went at the specialist he referred me to or schedule a follow up exam. I wonder if they will call back for my next cleaning that I paid in advance for?... UPDATE*** It's April and still no problems. read more

HORRIBLE. My husband went to see Dr. Runco and was told to get a root canal for a tooth that previously had a filling that had fallen out. Fast forward a year and he's barely got a tooth left. Dr. Runco butchered his mouth, grinding down both his top and bottom molar so that the crown would fit. He went in for at least three crowns and the last one was glued to his gum and just fell off. We've now got to pay a different dentist to undo the damage that Runco did and my husband may have to just lose his tooth. That being said, the hygienists are great and very knowledgeable. But for real dentist issues, avoid at all costs. read more

Just one more horror story to add to the list! This guy is terrible. i did the groupon thing too, wort mistake ever. he told me i had 3 cavities, so i got them filled, after i did i was in so much pain and one was left super jagged. i called to get them to fix it before i went on vacation, but he was on vacation, so i went anywhere that would see me quickly, and that alone didn't come cheaply, i was told that there wasn't enough tooth for a filling, and that i needed a crown... and not only that, the guy didn't even fill in the entire cavity! so i had to go on my vacation with a never ending headache, and no ability to chew on that side. when i came back i went to another dentist who also told me, i should have gotten a root canal as well, and one of the other fillings he did, he did not fill in deeply enough, so it has to be removed, and redone. the root canal sucked, but since they took out that crappy filling he did, the headaches have stopped. so overall, he filled in 3 fillings, and i have to have 2 of them removed, and a lot more work done, a lot more money spent, and way more pain then anyone should go through. do yourself a favor, don't go to this guy. read more

I began seeing Dr. Runco at a time when I had no insurance and he worked with me in a straightforward, nonjudmental manner to manage my situation in an affordable manner. I now have insurance and continue to see him. He does good work and the staff do as well in an amicable manner. I have been taken advantage of by dentists in the past and I have no doubts about Dr. Runco's integrity. I recommend the office to people I know. read more