I live in Modesto and make the trek to Turlock to have my children see Dr. Armita Akbarnejad or simply, Dr. A. Her office staff and dental assistants are so sweet, kind, and attentive to the children and parents. I initially reached out to Dr. A when a Modesto pediatric dentist recommended my son get anesthesia for a cavity or two. I am totally against that and this dentist wouldn't even consider laughing gas as my son is really good at dental exams. When I met Dr. A, she really listened to my concerns and recommended laughing gas to try at first. We did that and like I expected, he did so well! And Dr. A even recommended not working on the other concerns from the Modesto dentist, and he's been doing fine since then. I really appreciate and trust Dr. A and I love how they make the children as comfortable as possible and leave them with smiles on their faces with their balloon animals. Such a sweet and memorable touch! My children get excited about the dentist because they know they'll get their balloons! LOL! I highly recommend checking out Dr. A for your child(ren). read more

We have been going to see Dr. A for over 4 years. Her and her staff are the best! Both of my children have had great experiences even with difficult things like needing to have a tooth pulled. The staff is so patient with my son who is on the spectrum they let him see all the tools and explain beforehand what they are going to do. And after every visit they get a balloon animal. We highly recommend this dentist to anyone with young children. read more

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER Zero communication, discrepancies in all of our billing and insurance. They overcharge and only when I bring in my previous paid receipts and my insurance statement showing what I SHOULD have paid and request refunds do they own up to it. Then refusal to do a simple teeth cleaning even though I have bent over backwards to get medical paperwork signed and allergy testing done for my medically complex child! Scheduling is a nightmare, then they will call you 42 min before an opening in their schedule to see if you want to move your child's appt for a last minute spot. They will quickly get you in as a new patient and then make you wait weeks or months for additional appts to fill a cavity for example instead of leaving slots open for procedures. Very backwards and misleading because I would have chosen a different dental office for my children if I knew that. They were presenting me with fees the second I walked in today, and stating my kids needed x-rays, and that it wasn't covered (despite us having blue shield) because supposedly all their preventative care covered items was used already this year. STRANGE BECAUSE one of my children had ZERO of her dental benefits used at all this year due to their insistence on wanting medical paperwork signed. Which was signed and faxed over by our clinic MULTIPLE times. I had called to explicitly request that BOTH my children get a cleaning, and they waited until we were there and the appt was supposed to start to say they could not and would not perform a cleaning on my daughter. This appt had been scheduled for over a month!!!! NO COMMUNICATION ON THEIR PARTS AT ALL. Very unprofessional and rude service. My son has had a total of 5 or 6 appts at this dentist, and the office staff has always been rude. Then after one filling, the dentist had over numbed him and long after the 2 hours of no eating had passed, his cheek was so numb he accidentally chewed it up and was in a lot of pain for 3+ days. We are so over the poor service, poor treatment, poor scheduling, poor attitudes, poor communication, over charging (seems fraudulent and if I wasn't carefully going through our insurance bills and the receipts i wonder if they would have acknowledged they overpayments and issued back the credit.) Our family is COMPLETELY DONE with this dental office. My children will not be returning. We walked out today before we even saw the Dentist. This place is awful and I highly recommend you steer clear. read more

Giving this office four stars because of the billing department. So annoying not being answered my questions! The reason its getting ANY STARS is some of the staff. Delilah was such a sweetheart with my daughter. She was kind and patient, even put up with my daughter's cries long enough for me to relax her. She explained everything to me and answered all my questions. Their staff seems to be stressed sometimes, but i appreciated the patience and understanding i received. read more

Terrible, unprofessional experience. Very rude and not understanding at all towards my special needs child. We won't be going back. It's a shame, because they did have a dentist we loved for my son, but he left. I went here as a child, that's why I brought my child here. I wish I could say aorr positive review. But our recent check up was not good. read more

The entire staff here is wonderful. We are new to the area and were looking for a pediatric dentist for our kiddos. The appointment and insurance verification process was very easy. Their office is well appointed and inviting for children. The true gem is the staff. From the moment you walk in and are greeted in the reception area until you leave after your services everyone is warm and friendly. The hygienists made my son and daughter feel very comfortable and even managed to get tear-free x-rays from my two year old. Dr.A takes time to consult her young patients about their oral health. They have TV screens at each dental chair with a collection of movies to choose from, a prize box, and cheery decor. Everything I was looking for in a pediatric dentist. I look forward to working with them in the future. read more

I've been taking my kids her for years. The staff is great. Very friendly as professional. I recommend them to anyone with kids looking for dental treatment. Awesome! read more

The entire staff here is amazing! Dr. A is the the best children's dentist ever! My 8 year daughter had been to 2 other children's dentist and one general family dentist and had had terrible experiences. My daughter now asks when she can go to the dentist and really enjoys her time in the office. Dr A really takes her time to explain in kid friendly terms what she's getting done and ensures she's comfortable. I love it! read more

This place is a joke. The dentist my child saw was so unprofessional and not friendly at all. He did not introduce himself to me or my child. He just sat down, looked at the xrays and looked in my child's mouth for .5 seconds. Said to me "any questions?" To which I could barely understand him and asked him to please speak up 5 times!! He then stated my child needed to have a loose tooth extracted... who pays and puts there child through an extraction for a baby tooth that is already loose? My child had zero cavities so they had to make their money somehow. Sorry sir not happening. He then went on his way to the next patient... very bizarre how this place is run. It's like herding cattle.. ridiculous. The assistant that took the xrays was very impatient with my child and it showed. How do you work at a kids dentistry but not have patience! And they will tell you 99% of all their patients get laughing gas for their procedures. This is a one size fits all type of dentistry not individualized at all. Before you see the dentist, you speak to someone in a Separate room who asks strange questions with no relevance. How many times a day does your child have a snack? I said 2-3. She says ok your child is high risk for cavities so we will note that on his chart. Mind you she did not ask what kind of snack! 2-3 snacks of vegetables/ nuts is a heck of lot different then 2-3 snacks of cookies and candy! Again, bizarre. There is a lady who walks up and down the patient area (which is an open area with multiple patients being worked on, no closed doors or area) talking on a headset. They get mad if you don't like what the dentist tells you or if you want to break up your child's work into separate appointments. It is a crapshoot and not in the best interest of your child. Sure the waiting room is all kid friendly and has a ps4. But the waiting room is not what your here for your here for your child's teeth. read more

My son does great at this office which he never has felt comfortable untill coming here, however trying to reschedule an appointment they make you feel awful for doing so, forgive me if being a working single mom means sometimes having to reschedule an appointment. So if you are a parent that sometimes has to move appointments and juggle with a work schedule this may not be place to go. read more

I LOOOOVE THIS PLACE. So, most of the negative reviews are solely based around them being too "pricey". Now maybe I'm the only mom on the planet who thinks "you get what you pay for" is true but they are beyond worth every penny you give them. This place is designed for kids from the moment you walk in the door. That doesn't mean they have a toy or 2, I mean from the way the staff greets us to the way they interact with the children all the way to having the TVs mounted on the ceilings and prizes laid out on the counter. They go to extreme lengths to make this environment appealing to your child so they are never scared or nervous. If you want just any work done and you don't care about your child having a positive dental experience then by all means...go somewhere else. Now if you want you and your child to be treated amazingly and made to feel beyond comfortable then this is the place for you! My 5 year old needed 3 fillings done. They did use the funny gas on her but barely any at all being she seemed calm throughout the whole process. Every step of the way the dentist and assistant were calm, patient, and VERY attentive to her needs. She had a great experience and actually ENJOYED her visit! For a 5 year old getting fillings for the first time you would expect chaos, or at the very least lots of tears but the gentle and fun way she interacted with the dentist and assitants left her more than comfortable and calm throughout it all. I will never take my kids anywhere else. This place is magical and I believe they are worth every penny!!! Thank you so much First Step for being more than we could have hoped for! read more

Horrible experience with regards to billing. Nobody in the office can tell you what the charges are for, office staff is a joke. Dr. Bains was good but needs new staff running office. The sedation coordinator Genevieve is absolutely horrible she has no idea what she's doing! read more

Our 3rd visit here and every single person we have came in contact with have been absolutely amazing and informative. Dr. Doan and his assistant were so patient with my daughter during the whole process and explained in detail the treatment plan. I'm so happy we found first step dental! read more

Facilities are clean which is important to me. The staff are very friendly. This office is geared more toward children but they also service teens and adults. Dr. Freeman is nice he is my daughter's orthodontist. I love the customer service I get when I call in to schedule/reschedule/cancel appointments. To be able to receive good service even over the phone is important and they were always willing to work with me on finding the best appointment time for my busy schedule. read more

I took my 2.5 year old son here yesterday for his first dental check-up, and it was a great experience - they were so so good with him. All of the staff made the visit exciting, and his hygienist Rose and Dr. Salar were so kind and gentle with him! He actually wants to go back. They also have a video game, Disney cartoons, and vending machines the kids get a token for for a toy at the end of their visit. My son is also excited about his new little giraffe toothbrush. They asked me if I had any questions and were very open about fluoride/non-fluoride care - I really appreciate that I was able to stand there with my 3 month old (also breastfeeding her in the baby carrier) and watch my son's care and be involved with the visit. I'm so glad I found this place! read more

I was completely terrified to take my twins to the dentist. I finally built up enough courage to do it when they were 4. The staff at the office from scheduling the first appointment to follow up care were always really sweet and professional. I was able to get all the forms completed prior they had emailed them to me, so I could concentrate on being with my kids for their first visit. My kids had a great time, my daughter had a cavity and it was very affordable. My kids are excited for the next visit so they can pick a prize from the box. read more

From the first moment we entered the office I was impressed. Being that I come from a dental management background I tend to be more critical. Laura (receptionist) was friendly and introduced herself to me. Whereas, not many offices do that. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. They were very good with my daughter. I even had an insurance problem that Erica were more than happy to work with me to fix. Monica (one of the assistants) was amazing in the way she treated my daughter. Dr. Doan was great in examining and talking to my daughter. He throughly explained her treatment to me. I left the office very happy we found them. I will definitely recommend them to anyone I know! read more

Where do I begin???? Scheduling an appointment: I had been searching high & low for a great pediatric dentist. They aren't easy to find! I have great insurance, so that wasn't even an issue. I came across the Yelp reviews on a Friday, and got my daughter scheduled the SAME day! That is unheard of! Office visit: One of the front office staff seemed a bit annoyed with my special needs child but never said a word about her constant interruptions, outbursts & requests. The rest of the front staff was very nice. We had to wait about 45 min to see the Dr. but they fit us in so I didn't mind. Rose & Claudia, the clinical assistants were absolutely amazing!!!!! I truly cannot express my gratitude for them. I know my daughter is a lot to handle but they were absolute pro's with her!! They made her comfortable & got her to take pics & x-rays (nobody has been able to do that). Dr. A & Dr. Doan were also amazing!! Dr. A was able to get my daughter to open up & allow a dental exam. We have been to 4 other dentists & nobody has been able to do that! Prices & insurance authorization: The surgery ended up costing us $4000.00 LESS than our quote by Dr. Hart in Modesto. Sandy (sedation coordinator) gave me a quote & got authorization from our insurance within an hour of us being seen. Wow right? Surgery: Dr. Doan had an opening the very same week of her appointment. Her surgery was a success & her teeth look beautiful. Dr. Doan did a wonderful job & was so nice. Needless to say, this office and the staff are amazing!!! They totally eased mine and my daughters biggest fears and saved us a ton of money and extra grief in the process. Thank you Turlock First Step Dental!!!!! read more

My attempt to schedule my child's first appointment failed even before we had a chance to arrive to the appointment. This place needs to focus more on building s relationship with potential patients from the moment that, the appointment is scheduled not so much once the patient arrives. They need to be straight forward with their pricing. It seemed like they care more about the money than the patients. I'd rather drive to the Bay Area and get treated better than stay local at pay ridiculous fees. read more

I love this place and most importantly my kids do as well. Dr. A and all of her staff is so wonderful. They go about their ways to insure their visit is a pleasant, by being friendly, understanding and gentle with them to insure they feel safe. I would not take them anywhere else and highly recommend them to everyone. read more

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE! My five year old daughter had to have a tooth pulled and then some sort of spacer put in(forgive me, forgot what it is called in dentist terms). The staff seemed very friendly and when we got in the dentist chair everything was still fine. My daughter was given numbing shots which she did fine with. Then they gave her some of the laughing gas or what not to calm her down. This was my daughters second trip so she was less nervous than the first. they had my daughters mouth clamped open and I noticed once they began, she started to cry and say "Ouch daddy it hurts". When I asked the dentist why is she feeling it, they assured me shes just scared. They then waved the dentist tool by her tooth without touching it an asked if it hurts and my daughter said yes. The orthodontist woman told me "See shes just scared". I informed her this was not a good test, you asked her if it hurts, shes replying yes to the fact her tooth hurts, not to if she can feel you touching her teeth which you did not even directly ask her. Again the dentist disagreed with me an attempted to proceed with the procedure. As soon as they touched the tooth area again my daughter screamed in pain saying "OWWWW DADDY IT HURTS DADDY" and started crying again. At this point I almost lost it and told them to stop right now. They insisted they need to finish the tooth they are doing as they cant leave it half way done. I informed them no we are done, my daughter is in pain. They removed the tooth and I paid the copay and left and will NEVER EVER RETURN! At the first sign my daughter was crying they should have offered to provide her some more numbing medication but they did not do this. I gave my daughter a real pain test when we left. From outside of her cheek I told her you tell me if this hurts and I touched her left side cheek (right side rear is where work was done) and she said no daddy it doesn't hurt. I then touched the front right and she said no. I then barley touched the right rear and she half screamed OOOWWWY and started to cry a bit and covered it with her hand. The reason I did this test is the numbing medicine would NOT have worn off yet so I wanted to truly see what I already knew, SHE WAS NOT FULLY NUMB! NEVER AGAIN WILL I RETURN! read more

Found a dentist, who treated my son with no gas or sedation, something first step wouldn't even attempt to try. Gas made the experience way worse for my anxious child, it is not a one size fits all solution. Pur new dentist treat cavities in the front that first step ignored and "kept an eye on" until they were so bad they would work on them until he was sedated. Also, they wanted to cap all his back teeth that turns out, they didnt have any cavities on them. Now I'm questioning if he needed the two silver caps he has in the back I let them talk me into. Very dissatisfied, but so happy we found a dentist who was amazing, and patient and didnt use any gas or caps to treat my son's cavities in the front. Saved us money and the dangers of gas and sedation. I'm only giving to stars because dr. Bains is a very nice dentist. read more

Love the staff! The doctors go above and beyond to make kids feel comfortable!! Have a great experience every time we go!

My kids Love Dr. A, she and her staff are so friendly wish I had a place like this when I was little. ;)

My son had his first ever dental appointment yesterday at First Step Dental. Every single staff member we encountered was absolutely wonderful! From our check-in at reception, to our hygienist and dentist, the experience was great. We did have a bit of a wait but they were apologetic and thanked us for our patience. The facility is wonderful and tailored to kids so my 2.5 year old was loving it. And I truly appreciated the patience of the dentist with my "singing" son during the exam. I was extremely happy with our experience and am glad we chose First Step Dental for our son. read more

Dr. A at First Step Detal is AMAZING! I would not trust my children with anyone else. She's gentle, patient and listens to concers. The hygienists at FSD are equally Great. They are always so gentle and patient and take the time to explain procedures before they do them. The office is a Fun, Child Friendly atmosphere complete with video games and the lastest childrens DVD's. The only reason I could not give First Step Dental 5 stars is due to the staff at the front desk. Not all but a select few have no clue what they are doing and make it very difficult to perform even the most trivial of tasks such as scheduling an appointment. Here's hoping they can do away with the bad eggs at the reception desk so that First Step Dental can achieve the 5 stars they deserve. read more

Love taking my kids here! I live in ceres & yes its a bit of a drive to turlock but its worth it.They have such an amazing staff & very friendly! Its very clean & that's always a plus. read more

We've been to this office several times within the last few months. The receptionist are so nice and honest. They've received funds from our insurance and there ended up being a credit. Each time they have been upfront and honest with us about it. We've dealt with dentist offices in the past that have kept the money or billed the insurance incorrectly by adding services that weren't performed. The dental assistance and dentist are very straightforward and comforting. I don't loke things sugar-coated or generalised. Just give it to me straight. My kids are very comfortable going to the dentist here even when they know theyre getting a shot or dental work done. read more

Dr. Bains and his assistants did a great job making my kid feel comfortable and at ease. Dr. Bains did great dental work. Highly recommended. Two thumbs up! read more

They were not treated very favorably Nor were they very accommodating wirh our family. We were highly disappointed and dissatisfied with them. read more

My kids love going to the dentist thanks to the awesome staff and Dr. Armita at First Step Dental!

I really thought going to a dentist office that was specific to children would be best for my daughter, obviously I was wrong. This place is a joke, it surprises me that so many love it. The assistant who first greeted us and helped was really sweet, and the dentist was ok. At best. They wanted to charge me $1000 (on top of what they were charging my insurance) to do treatment that turned out not to be necessary. "Oh we just show you this on the invoice just in case we do need to do it." ummm okaaaay. So in the middle of a procedure you'll just decide right then and there if you want to charge me an arm and a leg instead of deciding during the consultation? Right. The receptionist that helped me afterward was rude and didn't know what she was doing. She messed up the invoice twice and had to call multiple people to even find out what it was that the Doctor told me. No communication whatsoever. They're crooks and the dentist has no business doing pediatrics, his bedside manner isn't meant for children. read more

Literally messed up my friends tongue so they can't taste anything while taking out there wisdom teeth and said sorry lol nothing we can do I mean WTF! read more

Unprofessional staff and pushy, everything they do costs extra money out of pocket. Every time I step foot there for 2 kids I have to spend hundreds of dollars out of pocket. Once I get the letter of explanation from my insurance it states I had to pay portion of the amount I paid out of pocket. This has happen to me numerous of times. When I call the office and explain to them they have me take the insurance paper to them and it takes months before they credit me back what they owe. STAY AWAY from this office, and if you choose to go make sure they don't overcharge you. read more

Such a great dentist! My kids have been going here since they got their first teeth and the dental hygienists are so great with little ones!! They have TV's on the ceiling so that your child can watch their favorite movie while they get their teeth cleaned. They explain everything step by step to your child to ease any fear and make your child feel comfortable. 5 stars for sure! read more

This is only the second review I've ever written a review and sadly, I wish it could have been a good one. Let me begin by telling you I have been bringing my son here for 8 years and his cousin worked at 1st step dental as a hygienist.Recently they have had a staff change (lost a great doctor; Dr. Kelleher, and office personnel) and I feel it has affected the quality of care in the office. I brought my son in for a standard checkup. I was greeted very coldly and was immediately told I had to pay an additional amount for x-rays my insurance wouldn't cover. I told them my concern was that my son has had a lot of x rays in the past few months from his affiliated orthodontist and his last checkup. More that 14 in the last 5 months. I was/am concerned for that many head x-rays in such a short period of time. Then they got the dental assistant involved. Who again pushed for x-rays disregarding my concerns. She then stated she would go talk with the Dr. (Dr. A). In the mean time I went to talk with the front office clerk and asked if I left if there would be a charge? She told me to hold on, got up, and walked to the back office. I was left for a few minutes alone not knowing what she was doing. Then both the front desk clerk and the dental assistant appeared and told me the Dr would not do the exam, but they would do a cleaning for my son. I asked them after being treated the way they were talking to me why would I trust them with my son? There response was "so... you don't want us to do anything for you?" At which point I walked out. Horrible experience! Why would you trust them with your child? Ever since the office change you can see they are not happy working there. My advice...go somewhere else and find someone who will take care of your precious child. read more

I can not say enough good things about First Step Dental in Turlock. The entire office was kid friendly!! The staff was great and so helpful. Dr. Kelleher was awesome!!!! I made the mistake of taking my son to his first dentist appoitment at Westerm Dental and it was tramatizing for him!!!! They did not even give him a sticker :( the very next day I took him to First Step and it was like night and day! There was even a t.v on the celling in the dentist room and he got to pick his movie, toy story!!! Great touch for small kids. Thank you First Step!!!! read more

My son is 3 and has autism. This dentist office has been great with him. The whole experience is hard on him and me. But they make it seem like it's not a big deal when he is screaming and kicking around as they try to look at his teeth. They are patience and understanding. I can't tell you how grateful I am to feel comfortable taking me son here for checkups. The assistants are great as well. They even help when I have my daughter with us and I need to hold my son for his checkup. I would recommend this office to anyone. read more

These people run a predatory business practices and we are suing them for such. Not only did they throw braces on on 21 year old college student with no job AND THEN demand a $200 down payment but the braces were wrongly placed. When she fell behind and my wife went in with $700 of the owed $1,500. The manager was told by my wife that she had just lost her mother the day before and she would pay for our daughters braces in full once she got past organizing and planning the funeral of her mother. She asked them to take the $700 and give her one adjustment. She refused. They told my wife and daughter they would not fix the broken bracket nor do an adjustment until the full amount was brought up to date. Even though the contract states that they will MAINTAIN the braces. They said they would REMOVE the bracket but not fix it. We have gone to a different dentist and had those fake braces removed and paid IN FULL for new braces. Hello First Step Dental. See you soon . read more

The office staff and the dental assistants were extremely rude and pushy. After several bad experiences I had to find a new dentist. For example. They told me that there was an x-ray they needed that the insurance wouldn't cover. I told them if the insurance doesn't cover it, then I don't want it. So then they have to put on the pressure and guilt-trip and try to say that they really have to have it and they are going to talk to the dentist and blah blah blah. But I didn't give in, just said I'm not going to pay for it. But I had three kids there for cleanings/check-ups at the time, and one of the kids ended up getting the x-ray anyway, so I ended up paying for it. Then I get the explanation of benefits from insurance, and the insurance did pay for the x-ray, so now I have a credit. I called up the office and asked them for a refund. They said they would send out a check, but months went by and they never did. The next time I took my kids in for some dental work, they act all happy and say, "you had a credit so you only have to pay so much." I was pretty upset about that. Of course I have a credit, you wouldn't give me a refund. And after that I had to find a new dentist. I'm generally a very loyal customer, but too many experiences like this at this office and I'm gone! read more