The assistant was very nice and friendly/professional! I got cold and they offered me a blanket which I really appreciated!

They are kind, compassionate, and a pleasure to talk to and the dentist is a joy. The dental assistants are friendly and knowledgeable.

Everything is slow here. The support staff, the computer system, X-rays, everything. I've been to the office 3 times, schedule is always overbooked. Even 1st thing at 08:00 am, they have 3 project clients, all of whom on time and ready to go. Some equipment looks worn and heavily used. Lights have crack in the lens, more than one light. Seat cushions need to be cleaned, wiped down occasionally. Why not put disposable plastic covering over the whole skin contact cushion? What derma disorders did previous customers have in this chair? New patient forms: most offices have website where you fill out health background at home, before coming in the office. I like doing that, it makes sense to use time efficiently in the dentist office. Well, the website doesn't save your info, it only PRETENDS to save! I wasted over an 90 minutes at home carefully inputting every item of myself, my insurance, and my dental history. All gone. Ok, I understand websites crash. So I filled out everything again on paper at home. Then I bring in the printed forms, on appt day, hoping they would offer customer tablet to input all the stuff again. Nope, the receptionist had to put in my whole health background and needs! What a waste Of her time!! And who knows what errors she was making or missing?! Insurance: they didn't do my insurance pre-authorization until I sat around for over an hour. Gee... this should have been the first thing to check on, even day before arrival?!? I told them on the phone multiple times before arrival who my insurance was, my policy #, etc. Sad... Teeth cleaning: the hygienist Laura, she did good job. Deep cleaning went well. She knows her way around the mouth, charts and technique. Gentle and thorough. No complaints on her....except, maybe she could take care of her digestion and physical needs... Today I came in for 2 fillings. Why did they not ask me whether I wanted anesthetic? I usually decline anesthetic, since it upsets my mouth for hours, and makes hard to speak clearly, and other reasons (headache, groggy). I even told the dentist I have a high pain threshold. Too bad he didn't ask, he just loaded up his syringe and gave it to me. Oh well... Then the good part. The grinding and composite filler went well, felt no pain. So gentle dental lived on its name. For the good dentist Dr Francis, I give 3 stars. Everyone in the office has sunny, upbeat, pleasant personality. But why does everything with support staff here move at the speed of possums on the street? read more

This is the absolute worst dentist I've ever been to or even heard of. I've spent 9 hours (yes 9 hours) in the chair to complete 2 crowns and they aren't even done yet. How this place stays in business makes no sense to me. As i write this I've been in the chair for 2 hours without being seen once by the dr. This place doesn't care about your time whatsoever. And don't even get me started on their misquoting prices and changing them once the procedure has began. Crown started off at $650 then was raised to over $800 until i called my insurance then magically the price was brought back down to $700 because they "had an old price sheet" stay far away from these crooks! read more

If I was able to leave 0 stars I would. This place used to be good, but it all changed and became corrupted. About 4 years ago my husband and I were qualified for finance so when they contacted their finance company they approved us for an amount and the dental place bumped the cost so it all would be charged at once and then some, then they worked on my husband's teeth and put a temporary tooth to be replaced on the second visit. When we went for his second appointment they instead of replacing the temporary tooth they drilled another tooth and never fixed the initial tooth that was temporary. So he had to get that tooth removed because it got damaged since it was not replaced on the second visit. They're corrupt at the Panama location. The dentist that was there before the pandemic is the one who messed my husband's tooth! read more

Went in for check up and cleaning. Got X-rays and Dr. exam and said I need two crowns. Receptionist gave me a quote $1000 for the crowns no charge for X-rays and cleaning per insurance. Never got the cleaning ran out of time and will get the cleaning next appointment when I come in for the crowns a week later. Came in for cleaning and crowns now I have a $20 copay for cleaning and crowns are $1500 not $1000 as previously quoted. Three hours later got temporary crowns but don't have time for the cleaning. Will have to wait three weeks to get crowns and hopefully teeth cleaned. Unorganized don't know how to schedule appointments and not all happy about the mis quote for crowns. read more

I start going to Panama Gentle Dental in June of 2020 because my original Stockdale Gentle Dental Office was closed do to Covid. At that time it was Dr. Dogave he's an excellent dentist he repaired my Lowe temporary partial the right way and at the same time he took impression for crown tooth number 5 then when the crown arrived to the office of course I have an appointment to install it but when I arrived Dr. Dogave he was gone no longer at Panama Gentle Dental Office. So the doctor assistant and I we try the crown on tooth number 5 and it fits perfectly except when the new doctor Francis look at it he decided to drill the crown then it got loose for no reason at all then they took impression again for another crown and the other crown it doesn't fit right but The new doctor Francis said to me it's perfect but it's not still till today it's not fitting right in my mouth. In the first of June 2022 I decided to order upper and lower partials because the teeth on the upper partial wearing out so doctor Francis assistant's took impression and send it to the Lab 6 weeks later non of the particles fit in my mouth so the took another impression and send it to the Lab again. 4 weeks later have the same issue they don't fit. Then they took another impression and send it to the Lab again 4 weeks later the particles didn't fit in my mouth. Again they took another impression 4 weeks later the particles didn't fit the way it sapos to be. The teeth it's too high underbite and the upper partial it's wiggling left and right also on of the upper partial 1 tooth it's too long it looks like a large fang and doctor Francis says it's perfect I told him no it's not look at it he said this is the best I can do for you. So after 5 months and 4 impression and paying after my insurance $640.00 for 2 partials didn't fit right in my mouth he's tilling me that's the best I can do for you. There's something wrong here. So I cut the particles each one in 2 peaces and back to my 26 old upper partial and my 5 years lower temporary temporary they fit perfectly except I cannot chew good. This company at least they should refund me with a check $640.00 read more

See all

Care quality very good and understandable and friendly I will recommend getting your teeth checked with Gentle Dental

My experience was very nice. They were kind and didn't make me feel bad for my dental condition. Very happy

Waste of time! Thanks for not helping. I scheduled for a cleaning for them to tell me there was no more time left and I have to reschedule. I only filled paper work and x rays for almost 2 hours. To just be told that I had to come back. This was a horrible experience. read more

Got my cleaning with Laura, the best hygienist I have ever had!! She is very gentle and made me feel comfortable. She is very thorough and let me know where I need to focus more when brushing. After we went over tips on how to keep my teeth clean. Awesome experience read more

I went to the dentist in severe pain told them I had a primary dentist and didn't want get the work done. So they didn't want to subscribe me no meds out of anger. Then gave me a weird feeling like because I'm BLACK that I'm not in here in pain and wanted to abuse the mess. Been in pain all morning jus wasted my time​ read more

I always have a great experience in here. The dentists are nice and I forgot homeboys name but he's a dental assistant and dude is chill too. Couldn't find my wallet 30 minutes before my appointment and they were more than happy to reschedule me. Thank you! read more

Today, I got a call from Gentle Dental informing me I owe a bill of 500.00 dollars. I have never received an invoice , never missed an appointment, and my daughter finished her treatment in 2019. The young lady who called couldn't get her story straight. First it was a bill from missed payments and next it was from a payment due to a decline in insurance. She left me on hold for over 20 minutes trying to get the story together after I kept asking questions. I did have an issue with this place and had a huge disagreement with the charges. I paid for two sets of braces , one for my daughter and one for myself. I paid my treatment off 100% at time of the 1st treatment and my daughter's made monthly payments. I gave them $2,900 and I was set for automatic payments however , they didn't take them out for months and no one in the office said a word at the visits until I started asking questions .I was told accounting was behind. I gave them my bank info several times until I finally just started paying once I came into the office. Upon receiving treatment I was told, teeth shaping and whitening was apart of the treatment ... (Lie) was given an electric tooth brush and pik by the coordinator as a part of the treatment and I believe like a year later tried to put the charge on my account, I refused to pay and they finally took off because there were no signature of agreeing to the product. Also before treatment began , I was changing employment went to the coordinator explained the job changed and she said it was okay the insurance had already been billed and I can also use the new insurance. (Lie) Gave her the insurance and they never billed the insurance . Now we are on the 3rd coordinator and her name was Roxanne. Her and I went round and round about these charges. She did try to charge my new insurance with out my permission a year later but was not successfull in getting a payment. She finally agreed with accounting to write off the charges due to their lack of customer service and non existence of an accounting department. My daughter got her braces off in early 2019 and now Jan2024 I get call saying pay or collections. The dates the young lady Vanessa who called today provided doesn't reflect the pictures in my phone dates of my daughter not having braces. This proves to me the company is unorganized, never followed through on tasks provided false information to gain clients and try to charge customers for services for their lack of follow through. It is has now been over 4yrs since we last had a visit and I was under the impression I paid all that was due.I also asked for the corporate office number to file a complaint and Vanessa replied , the office over somewhere in Canada and she doesn't have a number to contact corporate, you can look it up online. That's a first no one knows corporate info. Every company I have every worked for corporate numbers are easily found. I worked at a company so long I knew the number by heart. This company and accounting department is a joke. Seems like there needs to be some letters of separation for this lack of customer service, misinterpretation of services , mishandling of revenue and rudeness. Vanessa told me , I'm just calling you telling you what you owe and payment is needed or a payment plan or it's going to collections. Well, I'm just informing Gentle Dentle be prepared to fight because I don't owe you nothing!!!! In my Eric B and Rakim voice PAID IN FULL. !!!!! read more

In my opinion, this dental office is truly unprofessional. The girls are rude, especially Roxanne, office manager. They outsource new patient calls and then hang up on you. I called to ask some questions about my insurance plan and they wouldn't even speak to me until came in, paid for X-rays and office visit. DON'T GO HERE..... This review is my opinion. read more

Amongst the many minor issues I've had to deal with as a orthodontists patient of Gentle Dental on Panama Ln, like the ladies at the front desk changing my appointments without notice even after asking for a confirmation of attending the scheduled appointment, I'd like to emphasize two major incidents that were utterly unprofessional during my appointment visits/treatment. One incident consisted of a dental assistant making unauthorized adjustments to my upper teeth wire. After my ortho. doctor saw the adjustments, she was shocked to see the changes and fixed my wire back to the way it was supposed to have been. The other was completely unprofessional as I had asked one of the dental assistants to write me a note for my university professor to excuse my tardiness for the scheduled lecture. The note consisted of poor grammar and misspelled words. My professor, a doctor, had to read the note and it was until after they had read the note that I had realized how unprofessional the dental assistant had written it. I cannot express the anger, disrespect, and embarrassment I felt to have given my prestigious professor such an unprofessional note to excuse my tardiness. I lost all respect for this office. read more

Fraud. Will never be going back. I gave them the benefit of the doubt but they over charged me a ridiculous amount so I would pay out of pocket plus get my insurance payments. I strongly believe this is something they do often to their patients. Also, I had a crown put in and it was not a good fit, it causes me pain when I eat and their solution was to floss and deal with it or pay for a completely new crown to fix their mistake. Save yourself the trouble and look for another dentist office. read more

I was just in there office for an 8am appointment tooth extraction. I asked the dental assistant if the dentist had arrived yet and was informed she's on her way. I waited 10mins or so and asked again with the same response. So I used the time to use the restroom. The reason I asked was because I needed to use the restroom. After another 10mins or so the dentist shows up and goes off on me for asking if she's there yet. Then she tells me she refuses to work on me and kicks me out of her chair and tells me to go to another clinic because she won't work on me and it's non of my concern if she's late or not. So to sum up my last 2 visits have been a waist of my time 2 hours the first time to be told can't do it and an hour the second time. All because she was late! read more

It was my first time here and I was charged $180 for 1 cavity. They told me they were in network for me and then charged me 30 dollars for a fluoride varnish and 60 dollars for 'desensitizing' (not even sure what this is but I've never had a dentists put any numbing cream on my tooth or gums and then charge me for it. Pretty shifty and ridiculous. They had me sign a form that covered the plan to do my 1 cavity and I did not realize that somewhere on that form in small print stated these ridiculously petty and underhanded charges would also be billed to me. I did not ever request for fluoride varnish on my teeth after a cleaning but they did it anyway and then stuck it on the paper I was asked to sign so I cannot say I did not consent to it. To top it off, the customer service and patient attention was awful as I was sitting there for about 25 to 30 minutes in the chair without any knowledge of where the doctor or nurse had gone off to. They lowered to chair frequently without ever informing me first, and then professional environment was very lacking. I feel fully financially skimmed and manipulated. As a young adult I am still trying to figure out most of these but I do know that an in network single cavity should not be more than $100 let alone almost $200. Because they could not charge the full amount, I was given sly little charges added on. They informed me of everything they were doing as they went. They did not ask and then proceed. And at the very end of it all I realized they just coincidentally 'forgot' to mention what was and wasn't covered by my provider. I've never felt the urge to avoid a business before now, I can't even trust them to tell me if I actually needed the cavity work that was done. read more

Dentist claimed I had no cavities. A couple days later I had horrible tooth ache. Turns out I had an infected tooth with a cavity.

Getting a new crown, my experience there was really good. I made to make a few changes but the assistant was great and was very accommodating and the dr. Was understanding too. I would go back for more dental work if needed. Thank you guys for going out of your way to be so nice. read more

Honestly I wouldn't recommend this place to anybody. Way back when I was getting my braces done here and keep in mind that I was a minor (14/15 at the time) so I couldn't sign any paperwork because it is illegal to enter a contract so my parents at the time were the Guarantors and fast forward to this year (I'm now 19) I am now getting billed for my braces treatment and I want to say about a month ago I got the first Bill in the mail for $1385.68 and I've tried calling the billing department and everything and I've talk to somebody over the phone nothing happened called again today spoke to the office manager and I felt like she wasn't taking me seriously and she kind of just Wrote down my information and just got off the phone as quickly as possible keep in mind that this in the past this has been a issue for my mother because she even tried fighting this before we switched places for my braces I just want to say that they really dropped the ball on this one because I never got into any contract so it's actually illegal to try and bill me read more

They are the worst! unneeded Work prioritized to be convenient for dentist. Bill advanced by changing codes to avoid losing money on prepaid insurance plans when the patient needs expensive work that is fully covered. they Have dentists at offices that have different provider numbers, which allows them to never schedule a general dentist that insurance is contracted with. So, they perform prodcedures like root canals, then demand 2500 to finish with the crown because the "dentist" isn't contracted . Then if you contest the bill they delay the procedure so long that the teeth that got root canals start breaking and end up being pulled Via oral surgery. Then they send a bill. So one gets root canals for no good reason, but the work is ruined causing cost of oral surgery, and if insurance covers, some other procedure that was not done or medicine not given gets added to the bill. And the ending is no teeth and no money. Great job mental dental ‍ read more

I hadn't seen a dentist in awhile and looked at where I may go for 2 extractions and ended up going to Gentle Dental. It was kind of ok at first I had the x rays and the Dr ask me what I would like done. I explained to him that all I needed and wanted that day was the 2 teeth extracted but down the road maybe a denture or then he talked about implants. I was having a lot of issues with teeth causing me headaches so again the lady came in showing me the cost of ALOT of work I wasn't there for#1 couldn't afford it and that was not my purpose of the visit. I told her all I needed was my 2 teeth gone!!! She quoted me an outrageous price and told me without paying at least 350 they couldn't pull them!!! I was shocked because she told me it would be 40.00 per tooth with my insurance??ALOT of misunderstanding! With NO explanation!!! Anyway I paid the money because I was in so much pain!!!! From there the Dr came in and started the shots they had me holding my mouth open for so long no brace or block whatever that is dentists use to keep mouth open just me in pain nervous and just wanting it to be over! It was horrible! He had ALOT of trouble pulling teeth and I somehow suffered through it I felt I had no choice! No communication with me about any of what was going on or concern about if I was okay! I was in shock! And as soon as the second tooth was out I sat up and was ready to go NOW I find out they are charging me for implants???WTH Not only is my face bruised and knotted up I am in a lot of pain. I don't understand any of this but have an appt to see another dentist because my gums are all messed up! No implants and almost 1000 to extract 2 teeth Not good and that is with insurance After the fact I read other reviews wish I'd read them before! A patient or client used to matter ‍So there it is I won't go back and wouldn't refer anyone read more

Anything but gentle. Xrays were very uncomfortable & painful. After exam & consult with dentist they refused to give me my insurance covered cleaning after jacking me around on the phone for over a week. They would only give me the deep cleaning fee of $2700.00. No thank you. So now I have to pay out of my pocket an appt with another dental office. read more

They do try to up sell. Every time I've gone in. You don't get the same person most times. Maybe it's s place for interns? I have a check & clean tomorrow. As soon as new insurance kicks in we are changing dentists. read more

tried to get a refund for over 3 mos. they kept saying it's been done finally called told them I'm going to talk to better business buerl then they said thay needed credit card info I told them it's suspose to have already been done lousy business don't go there . read more

There are rarely times that I find a dentist that makes me feel comfortable in fact this is the only time. This is why it saddens me to say that I will not go there again!! Myself and my three children have an appointment today I called total inform them that I had a family emergency I was told that I needed to bring at least two of them and I let her know that I was having a family emergency again and that I would not be able to bring them she then told me that I would not be able to make appointments for the four of us anymore that they would only be able to schedule two of usat a time. So I said again I have a family emergency and I will not be able to go so however you feel you need to reprimand me for that go ahead and do so she asked if I would like to reschedule our appointments I said no not at this time and she hung up.my husband came home and said don't worry about it go ahead and take our daughter to the hospital and I will take the boys to the dentist I called back to see if they could fit them in and she told me no I explain to her what had happened with my daughter.she replied well we had to send one of our office people home because you canceled your appointment. I said fine and hung up I called back to ask for the corporate number the same person I spoke to answer the phone put me on hold for four minutes then someone else got on the phone and asked whyI needed the corporate number I told her that she's not supposed to ask me that and she said well I don't know which number to give you I told her that's fine I'll call another dedicated dental and get it which I did and filed a formal complaint and again it saddens me because the dentist is so awesome she made me feel so comfortable. It's unfortunate that her staff didn't hold up to her standards. read more

This is by far the best Dentist in Bakersfield. I had a tooth pulled and a bone graph done and it was painless. I hate dentist but this place rocks. I highly recommend this place. They even offer there own dental plan. read more

Had a 1 o'clock appointment for a checkup. Didn't get out this office until 4 o'clock. They took 4 hours to give me an estimate of the work I needed done. Granted I take good care of my teeth. It's not like I have thousands of dollars of work needed. No reason for them to take this long. Very very unhappy, very frustrated. Unless you have hours do burn cuz you're board, DO NOT GO HERE!!! A true joke. If I could , they'd get a negative 5 star from me. read more

HORRIBLE! I brought my 13 yr old daughter who suffers from severe anxiety to this office to receive a root canal from the specialist with the last name Ghaili. She was HORRIBLE to her! So bad we had to walk out. She came in and my daughter was crying and instead of explaining the procedure and comforting her she immediately threatened her and said "i dont have time for this, you are not an 8 yr old or 5 yr old, if you get out of my chair one time i will leave and not do your dental work" she then proceeded to continue belittling her about her anxiety telling her that she is plenty old enough to handle this and is acting "ridiculous". As a parent my jaw dropped to the floor i could not believe a specialist was acting so unprofessional! BEWARE AND DO NOT TAKE YOUR KIDS HERE! The dental assistant even apologized for the specialists behavior after she stormed off saying she "was done". read more

This dentist showed up 40 minutes late to an appointment. When she arrived she was very rude to my husband. He simply asked the receptionist/assistant when the dentist would be arriving since she was already late, she replied with soon. 20 more minutes pass so he asked again, but after asking he said okay and excused himself to the restroom. Once the dentist finally arrived, almost an hour late. She says to my husband that it's none of his concern why she was late or when she would be arriving, he said yes it is when my appointment was an hour ago. She then walks away and gives him back his money and tells him to leave and refused to help in, mind you this was and is an emergency, she knew that. She then goes off on him again about how it's none of his concern about why she is late, being very rude, very unprofessional, not to mention uncalled for and unnecessary for her to speak to a patient like that. We will never go back o this dentist. Pretty sad considering I personally went to this dentist for years. This dentist shouldn't be in practice if she's going to treat patients like this and show up an hour late just to be very rude to her patient. read more

Worst experience ever I walked in a toothache and a month later still have the same toothache. And now they want me to wait another month. There blaming it on my insurance, there telling me I have to wait for approval. They should of asked for approval the first time the saw me not a month later. I took a day off thinking there were going to take care of the problem but the told me the same exact thing the told me the told me a month earlier That's the day should of asked for approval . And now they want me to wait another month take another day off work. I can't afford to do business with incompetent people I'm never going back. read more

Everyone has a different experience when going anywhere... Me and my family's Experience at Panama was great.. If you don't try it for yourself you will never know... Thank you read more

My experience at gentle dental has been great. It's pretty quick I get checked in right away and see the dentist within 10-15 minutes which is reasonable. Only thing is I wish my appointments could be more consecutive rather than spaced out. I was preparing for braces so I had a lot of work to do. It took about 4 months. Wish it was faster. However it is a still a great place and would recommend. read more

DO NOT GO HERE! When I took my daughter to get a consultation for her braces they originally told me I was going to pay 3,500$ (including what the insurance was going to pay and what I was going to pay), then called me 10 MINUTES before the appointment to get her braces on to tell me that 3,500$ is the portion I WOULD BE PAYING FOR. Then had me drive all the way to thier office to tell me basically that the insurance will pay for half of the now 5,000$ her braces would cost (when they could've just told me that on the phone). They wasted my time and if I really wanted to spend 5,000$ on braces I could've gone to Dr.Thurman, the best orthodontist here in Bakersfield. The office is understaffed, and the workers they currently do have are very rude. Save your money and your time and do not go here. read more

This office is wonderful. Their customer service is the best! The staff are very friendly.

I would like to thank Dedicated Dental for the great service that has been provided to me. The doctor even called me after hours to check how the patient was doing after treatments. Thanks for taking the time to do that. I really appreciate it. I will recommend Dedicated Dental to friends and relatives! read more

Do not go here unless you like to have your $$ taken out of your account without your knowledge. They'll try to sell you services right when you're about to have your procedure done then if you have to give payments they'll trick you into going through their dental bank & lie to you about how it works. Terrible customer service. If I could give negative stars I would. read more

Absolute worst dental office in Bakersfield! They try to scam you by selling you stuff you don't need. They lie on insurance forms about pricing. Their staff is absolutely rude and unhelpful. Do not go here. read more