TL;DR: Kana Yajima's Smile Solutions Dental Center uses predatory practices and rough, careless…read moretreatment that harms your dental health. I had two bad experiences there, with dismissive care from the dentist and a hygienist who left my gums bleeding badly, seemingly on purpose, plus an expensive deep cleaning recommendation that by no means did I need.
I am writing this review after having the worst dental experience of my life. I have never had issues at the dentist other than at Kana Yajima's office. I've now been there twice, and my god was it a mistake going back a second time.
My first appointment was last summer, after I came home from college. The front desk staff aren't rude exactly, but they lack any positive facial expression and seem like they just want to get you out the door as fast as possible. Their English isn't the best either, and some of them are quite hard to hear.
Kana Yajima herself was just as inconsiderate. During my first visit, she spoke to me once, never asked how I was doing, and spent the rest of the time talking to the hygienist and made me feel like I didn't exist. She spent less time on my teeth than any dentist I've ever had.
My first experience with the dental hygienist was awful. I believe it was the same hygienist I had both times, and she is the rudest, most disrespectful person I've ever dealt with. I've had better care and treatment at a McDonald's. It almost seemed like she was untrained, or deliberately harsh on my gums, just to make me look bad in front of my mom by claiming I don't brush my teeth or take care of my gums. That couldn't be further from the truth. I have an optimal dental routine. I use a pressure sensitive electric toothbrush with soft bristles, brush twice a day, use an sls free sensodyne toothpaste, alcohol free mouthwash, and use a water flosser every night. I have no family history of periodontal disease. I'm outright stunned by how one could say I need to take care of my teeth better.
Kana Yajima then recommended deep cleaning, which, given my gum health, I had absolutely no need for. Deep cleanings are meant for people with gum pockets greater than 4mm along with other symptoms of periodontitis. My gum pockets are below the 3mm mark and show minimal to no signs of periodontitis. I believe her deep clean recommendation is a predatory practice. I'm not sure if they assumed I was some naive college student who could convince my parents into paying for an expensive procedure I never needed.
My visit earlier today was even worse. After the same dental hygienist harshly worked over my lower gums until they bled, I asked to go to the bathroom, but she made me stay so she could finish my upper gum line too. I recall moments when she was just blatantly using the ultrasonic scalers on my gum for seconds to make them bleed. I should have stood up for myself instead of letting her push me through the rest of the cleaning.
When I finally got to the bathroom, I already expected some blood. Our gums are full of blood vessels, and mixed with saliva it always looks worse than it usually is. But even accounting for that, there is no reason a routine cleaning should cause that much bleeding. I've been to multiple dentists while moving around the country, and I have never had a service experience this bad in my life. Even when I was younger and my gum health wasn't as good as it is now, I've never had bleeding as bad as I had at Kana Yajima's office.
Then, just like last time, the hygienist repeated over and over that I "need to brush my teeth" and "need to floss." She knows exactly what she's doing. How dare she insult me and attempt to make me look like the one in fault to my mom.
I believe this office uses predatory practices on patients they think they can take advantage of. They may have seen me as a naive college student who doesn't take her health seriously, but they were wrong, and I'm begging you, please don't let them do this to you too.
If your dental insurance covers another dental office near you, please go there instead. And if this happens to be the only office your insurance covers, it still isn't worth what Kana Yajima and her colleagues could do to your dental health. I discussed my issue with my medical student friends at John Hopkins University, and they agree with my views on this issue and condemn Kana Yajima's office. I promise you, as a random person on the internet, I care more about you than Kana Yajima and her employees ever will.
To Kana Yajima and her employees, who I know will be seeing this, please choose love for fellow humans over the deadly sin of greed. God bless you.
