I imagine there are cleaner, more professional offices in the back alleys of Calcutta and Juarez. I read the reviews and decided to give this place the benefit of the doubt. The reviews of this place were far too generous. In my experience, there were no redeeming factors to be found. I'm new to the area and needed a 'retreat' for a root canal. I made an appointment and drove to Precision Periodontics & Endodontics in Clifton Park. The building itself isn't impressive, but I'm not one to judge a book by its cover. I had already taken an afternoon off work so I decided to stick around.
My interaction with the dental assistant should have been the 'last straw'. He walked me down to the dark, dewy, cluttered basement (yes... they have a consultation room in the basement). He then began berating immigration attorneys and bragging about his security clearance for the DHS center in Albany. How was this related to my dental treatment? No idea. I'm neither an attorney nor an immigrant, but he somehow thought this was information I needed.
I've had X-rays taken at many dentists in the past. I've never had anyone trip over the cord while the bite was in my mouth! As it ripped out of my mouth, the assistants jaw dropped in horror. He quickly recovered and explained that it's ok because 'we'll be getting wireless X-Rays next month'. I breathed a sigh of relief after he left. I again considered walking out, but I'd already paid for the visit, so I sat in the dark and waited for the dentist. I tried to take comfort in the dozens of 'certificates of participation' hanging on the walls for Dr. Neda Azadivatan, a doctor who I would never meet.
Eventually, Dr. Negron arrived and limply shook my hand. She quietly glanced at my XRays and then asked me to open my mouth. Without warning, she proceeded to use the probe to forcefully 'tap' my infected tooth asking if it hurt after each tap. It has taken me years to overcome my fear of the dentist. All of my courage was destroyed in that one simple interaction. Thankfully, the tooth didn't hurt as my first root canal had remedied the pain years ago. After examining me, Dr. Negron asked why I was there, a question most physicians ask prior to beginning an exam. After I told her that my dentist said I needed another root canal before she could apply my dental crown, Dr. Negron said she could 'open up the tooth and clean it out and see if there's anything else that needs to be done while she's in there.' Was she going to really going to charge me a thousand dollars for an invasive procedure she wasn't sure I needed? I've had a lot of dental treatment in the past and spent a lot of money. I'm lucky I've never had a dentist treat me without thoroughly explaining why they think I need the treatment and exactly what that treatment would entail. This was a first.
Needless to say, I never returned to this office for treatment. I am still shaken by this interaction that occurred over a month ago and relived the trauma after receiving another bill for the consultation. They had mistakenly told me my insurance would partially cover the cost of the consultation. Though I must say, it's worth $100 to never have to hear from this place again. Do be careful when choosing this facility. Places like this make money off patients in pain that require immediate treatment. It can be tempting to choose a facility like this when you have severe tooth pain but you have options. There are many qualified endodontists in the Capital Region that can ease your pain and your mind. read more