I wanted to like this place. I really wanted to!
I have been going to my regular dentist in Scottsdale for over ten years. But last week I found myself with a horrible toothache and my dentist was closed. This place is so close I thought I'd give them a try.
When I called initially the girl taking my info wasn't overtly rude, but I got a weird vibe from her. No biggie, maybe I was being overly sensitive.
I will say one good thing is that they got me in right away. The dentist I saw on that first day was young but mostly nice. He didn't have the best bedside manner but again, no big deal. He informed me I needed to have my tooth extracted but he couldn't do it, I would need an oral surgeon. I had a large infection and said I would need to be put under because he didnt think he could numb me appropriately. Fair enough. He's a doctor right and I trusted him. So I made an appointment with their contracted oral surgeon the first appointment available which was a week later. I was somewhat concerned by the long wait (it was 8 days from the day I first went in) but I was on antibiotics so ok fine.
I arrived to my appointment with dr Davies the oral surgeon. I arranged for a ride since I was told I'd be put under.
To keep it positive I will say they were on time and I appreciate that.
When the tech came in he was very kind. I told him I was nervous and he was very reassuring and by far the best person I met there. To my surprise they did not put me to sleep and Only gave me novocaine. I was nervous since the first dentist said it was on the nerve and I could not get numb.
Now I've had plenty of novocaine shots in my life. I hate to bad mouth anyone but I will say dr Davies was not gentle in his shots. It hurt. He went very quickly and it was extremely painful to get the shots. Much more than any shot I've ever received from a dentist.
I always feel somewhat insecure and even embarrassed when I go to the dentist. My regular dentist is so kind and patient and I didn't realize how lucky I was until this experience. Dr Davies was completely professional but lacked any sense of caring. I'm sure removing a tooth is a difficult task physically speaking but I felt it was very rough and I felt so uncomfortable and almost like I wanted to cry. Not to mention I was not numb but for some reason afraid to speak up. I just wanted it over. It HURT.
After it was over another tech came in a female. She was polite. I was shaking from head to toe and I could not help it. She was kind and let me stay there for a few minutes.
I went to leave and pay and spoke to the insurance lady who was also very very nice.
Here is where my biggest problem with them came.
Today (three days after extraction) I have more pain and noticed white stuff coming out of the hole (gross I know!). I was at work but called to ask if this was normal. The girl who answered (I think her name was Megan. Could be wrong) asked if I had called the number on on the after care instruction sheet they gave me when I left. No i told her since I was at work and did not have that paper with me. She was silent and so I waited a few seconds and asked if she could give me the number. She said she didn't have it was was very rude and short. They didn't have it? Aren't they the ones who gave it to me? They had no way of looking it up? To make it worse when I got home I read the instructions and it said to call the office for "any questions" and to call dr Davies "in an emergency". This was not an emergency and all I wanted was an answer to a simple question. All I wanted was some adequate polite customer service. That didn't happen. I'm so disappointed.
The facility is new and nice. And maybe I just had a bad run of luck. But I will not be going back. Kindness and caring are worth the 40 minute drive to Scottsdale. And it's not necessarily a bad thing but each doctor I met was very young. And there is something to be said for experience especially when dealing with something that a lot of people have anxiety and fear over. The dentist I would hope the staff would be more understanding of this. I would not recommend them at all but wish them the best.
**update**
I'm changing my review from one star to three because today I had a very positive experience with the office manager Ariel. After reading my yelp review (see, they can help!) she called me and left a very sincere voicemail. She addressed all of my concerns and used them as a learning experience to make the office better which I appreciate so much. That should be the goal, to use this feedback as a learning tool and not to be punitive. I think I just had some bad luck and I think maybe someone else would have a much better experience. Admittedly I am sensitive when it comes to my teeth and definitely a nervous patient. I wish them the best.