The only reason that this practice gets a star is because my dental tech (Sam, I think her name…read moremight've been?). She was so friendly and made me feel so welcome - I really appreciated that. The 1 star is for her, and her alone.
I had really high hopes for this practice - and it looks like many people end up happy with their care. Personally, I did not. I didn't walk out of my first appointment with much of a desire to return. My primary issues with this practice are: (1) They brushed over one of my main concerns; (2) For a holistic dentist practice, their preliminary recommendations weren't very conservative; and (3) Their receptionists are disorganized and unprofessional.
(1) One of my primary concerns was sensitivity that was very clearly coming from the surface of one particular molar. Dr. Ismael said she saw nothing wrong with the molar and that the discomfort was simply referred pain from my closest wisdom tooth. Which would make sense... except for the fact that my wisdom tooth has never caused me any discomfort in my life. Flash forward - two separate dentists confirmed afterwards that my molar was in fact the problem, and one was even able to mitigate the issue with a quick application of a topical product, which further confirms that it wasn't referred pain at all. The dismissal of my concerns left me unimpressed, and made me question the integrity of her other recommendations.
(2) I emphasized that I wanted to be as conservative as possible and not extract any unnecessary teeth. That partially informed my decision to see a holistic dentist to begin with. I figured that a practice focused on non-toxic products and holistic healing would also take a conservative approach with dental care and not remove teeth unless absolutely necessary. I also mentioned that I might be interested in orthodontia down the line. I think this was a mistake, because the second I said that, I was told five teeth would absolutely need to come out - four wisdom teeth and a molar. On a second opinion, I was told that two wisdom teeth needed to come out, but that while removing all four was typically recommended, it was not necessary. On a third opinion, I was told the exact same. I recognize that there are differences of professional opinion, and I'm sure Dr. Ismael wasn't pulling her recommendations out of thin air here (and to be completely fair/transparent, she did say an oral surgeon might think differently), but I do think her preliminary insights were cookie-cutter and neglected to take into consideration my own preferences and concerns. I'm grateful that I sought multiple perspectives and am not afraid to advocate for myself, and I encourage you to as well.
(3) While I was waiting to check out, the receptionists bickered over who would complete a set of paperwork. One audibly complained about not being able to go on her lunch break as early as she wanted to. They messed up on my paperwork the first time, and despite an empty waiting room, I was made to wait an hour before I could be checked out. I had to ask what the status of my check out paperwork was, otherwise I'd probably STILL be there! I'm patient, but an hour? Overall, not the best environment. I booked an appointment with a different dentist the moment I got in my car.
I noticed that Dr. Godes comments on a lot of negative reviews, so in anticipation of that, I want to say this: I stand by everything I've written here, and this is my honest and fair assessment of this practice. I really value holistic practitioners, and they've changed my life in many ways, so I was excited to make an appointment here. But ultimately, I didn't feel that my concerns were addressed, or that there was a good faith attempt to make a minimally invasive recommendation. I was also surprised by the lack of professionalism on the receptionists' part, and that makes me wary to deal with them again re: billing/appointments/etc. To whoever's reading this - I do hope you absolutely love your experience here, but I caution you to get a second opinion.
