07/06/09

Long wait but worth it

by Momonthego

I took my 4 yr old to the dentist for a cleaning and tooth pain.I worried about how she will react to the procedure and the dental staff. The dental assistant that was assigned to us was fantastic. She made my daughter so comfortable and relaxed that the exam and x-ray went off with out a single problem. To performe the dental work she was given some meds to make her sleepy. All the procedures were finished with in an hour or so. When my daughter woke from her sleep she was not in any pain and didn't remember the procedure. I was very pleased with the pediatric dentist that they have on staff and am taking my other children also for check-ups.

• Pros: Performed everything in one visit.
• Cons: Long wait for the dentist.

04/08/09

Worst Dental Office EVER!

by lindsaylou

Castle Dental in Pearland has the worst staff, practices, cost, and bedside manner. My boyfriend went in for a routine cleaning and ended up with a laundry list of things that "needed" to be done, including a root canal and three fillings. He decided to take the dentist on her word and ended up regretting it immensely. First of all, he has had dental work done before and knows that he needs Valium and pain medicine prior to the surgery or he will literally freak out. So for the safety of the staff and him, he requested this. Of course they could give him a pill or two, for a cost! They gave him some Valium to calm him down, but did not bother to factor in that he is 6' 3", 220 lbs. They didn't give him the correct dosage and it wore off before he even got to the office. That was the first problem. Then he got into the root canal and requested gas. They gave that to him...at a cost! They left the gas on for about 5 minutes, not throughout the entire surgery, but just 5 minutes at the beginning, and then turned it off and charged him $100. It wore off after about ten minutes into the surgery and they wouldn't give him anymore. That was the second problem. The next thing was that after the surgery he came home and had excruciating shooting pains down into the tooth. The tooth that was supposed to have a root canal...which means he shouldn't feel anything from it. It was Saturday or Sunday by the time he decided he couldn't live with that so we called the office to find an emergency number. We got their answering service, which was very nice and seemingly helpful. They said they'd page the on-call dentist. They did...seven times over the course of the weekend...and she NEVER called us back! All he wanted was some reassurance that this was normal and he would be ok. So we contemplated going to the emergency room. He decided to tough it out, but that could've cost us even more. That was the third problem. And the final problem I'd like to tell about here is a culmination of all of these things. On the first visit my boyfriend made to the office, they told him he needed two root canals, three fillings, and a cleaning. But not just a regular cleaning, a specialty cleaning that would cost him an extra $100. Big surprise! His insurance would only cover so much per year, so he decided to do the expensive cleaning and the root canal right away and get one filling. They didn't actually do anything on that first visit except detail out the thousands of dollars they wanted him to pay them. He then had to go back for the filling. Then back for the root canal. Then back for the cleaning. Four visits and time off from work and about $1,000 out-of-pocket later, he was done with those people and vowed to never, ever go back! Now he's trying to get his records from them to take to his new dentist and they've "forgotten" to send him the correct release forms for two weeks, so he now has to make a trip down to Pearland, where we do not live anymore, to get them for his new dentist appointment tomorrow. These people are basically worthless and if you're contemplating going, please read this!! Thank you for listening!

• Pros: None
• Cons: Cost, Service, Knowledge

01/21/09

Worst dental clinic I have ever visited

by chasecamp

I waited in that office for 3 hours, no less. I was going for a simple office visit. I saw the dentist for 1 minute and 30 seconds. She looked at my X-rays and my teeth, then she poked two of the spaces between my teeth. In that time, she diagnosed gum disease and sent her hygienist to poke some more (30 minutes later). In the end, they recommended a treatment that would cost me $700, even with insurance. If the dentist had spent even 5 minutes with me, maybe I would have believed them. As it stands now, no way. I will be switching dentists and starting afresh. It was a terrible experience. Did I mention I didn't even get my teeth cleaned in that time?