This was the oddest dental experience I've ever had, and I have been to many dentists. This time I had to change dentists because I changed jobs and insurance and as such was 6 months overdue for a cleaning. I picked Dr. Chase due to overall great reviews and proximity to my house. I noted one review however said they will not do cleanings on the first visit (or you have to request it at minimum, it's not automatic). Apparently they want to see if you need a deep cleaning and sell you on that instead if they can. Even when I insisted on the phone that I very much wanted a regular cleaning on my 1st visit (especially because they are very busy and it takes a long time to get an appointment), they would not commit to doing it and said only "if they had time" because they wanted to focus on the exam. Also I should note that I had no other complaints or reason to visit other than a cleaning/checkup--my previous dentists always told me my teeth and gums were in great shape. Additionally, they sent a huge packet of forms and health questionnaires (at least 15 pages) to complete in advance which was quite a time investment.
As they are in North Park, I appreciated that they had a parking lot, although it was very difficult to squeeze in between some metal poles and then get back out again. On entering the office, I was surprised how dated, musty and dark/dingy the place seemed. I'm not an advocate of wasting a lot of $ on aesthetics, but this was pretty bad and much in need of a face lift. The hygienist/assistant was very pleasant, but the process of taking about 20 X-rays (I don't ever remember having so many) took forever and was very unpleasant and painful digging into my bony palate and making me gag. When Dr. Chase finally came in, she indeed did a VERY thorough review and I will say she is knowledgeable and seems highly competent. However, she went over every little chip, crack, wear-mark, filling, etc. in such excruciating detail that surprise, I was there for HOURS yet they would not do my cleaning that day even though they determined I did not require a deep cleaning (BTW, shouldn't the hygienist be doing the routine cleanings anyway? This does not require a medical degree. Maybe they only have one chair, IDK. None of their practices made sense to me). Dr. Chase kept trying to push braces on me because I have one crooked tooth in the bottom of my mouth that nobody sees and I don't care about (already had braces 30 years ago when I really needed them, not going to get them again at my age when they are still 95% straight). She also told me I had lost a filling, was losing another, and had possible decay underneath that I needed to set up another appointment for (in addition to the cleaning I never got). She also suggested I get a different mouth guard for night grinding which I know would be another $400-$500 (I have one already, I just don't remember to wear it). Plus lots of scary predictions of all the bad things that could happen if I don't follow her advice. So I set up the follow up appointment to do the work. Meanwhile, I got a bill for 100% of the cost because they forgot to submit my SSN or ID# with the original claim. Ugh. They have resubmitted, hopefully correctly this time. More wasted time dealing with that.
Blessing in disguise, my employer changed insurance companies before my next appointment and Dr. Chase was not in the new plan, so I had to cancel the appointment and find a new dentist after all that. The new dentist that had been recommended to me several times before but was not in my old plan, got me in right away, had a normal 2 page form, took the same big set of X-rays in a fraction of the time without pain (better equipment and staff). A great hygienist did my cleaning which did not hurt my sensitive teeth at all, and the new dentist said I was not missing any fillings (just some wearing down which did not compromise them), I had no decay and my teeth looked great so I didn't need any work. He said my previous dentist was full of crap. And I was in and out in under an hour.
Bottom line, if you want to analyze and nitpick every little thing in your mouth to death and spend a lot of $ and time, you'll love this place. If you just need the basics (clean teeth and breath, healthy gums, no pain) and not a long lecture, pressure to do unneeded work, hassles with scheduling and insurance, etc., keep looking. read more