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Review 8/8/2011
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I am going to share my experience in the form of an anecdote-- this may be the best way to fully grasp a first-hand view of my experience.
August 2011:
I arrived for my appointment- at the La Puente location, 15448 Amar Rd, La Puente, CA 91744-- filled out my new-patient paperwork. I had purchased x-rays, dental exam, and cleaning IN ADVANCE. Shortly after, I was escorted to a room where a dentist tech began to conduct x-rays on me. Another dental tech walked in and the two ladies began to chit-chat in Spanish(my second language is Spanish), disclosing that a particular dentist at the facility had somehow earned $17,000 last weekend, where upon they complained about their wages to each other and continued to chat in whispers-- one tech on my right side adjusting my mouthpiece/x-raying/photographing while the other tech stood on my left and continued to jaw-flap over my face/body. I was literally sandwiched between the two techs, exposed to what I'm assuming is rather fairly confidential information about the staff there at Smiles West Dental.
The second tech finally left. Shortly thereafter the dentist entered the room and quickly poked in my mouth, asked me to turn around and see my pictures on the computer screen, and listed his recommendations for dental services. While the tech basically repeated the dentist's recommendations, the dentist exited the room without saying anything else to me. The tech further explained that an office clerk, would come into quote me prices for the dentist's recommendations. Not being completely naive, I expected this portion to be a "additional services" period where I would be offered different upgrades or alternate services at additional costs. As a laid off elementary school teacher, I knew there was no way I was prepared to pay for these services and knew, for the time being, I would not be able to commit to anything additional besides what I had already purchased(xrays, exam, cleaning). When I explained to the office clerk that I would not be purchasing anything additional and that I would be satisfied just getting the cleaning that came with the deal, she told me that the dentist would not clean my teeth because he said that cleaning them "would not make a difference". According to the office clerk, the dentist claimed that my teeth required a "medium-cleaning" and that a basic cleaning on my teeth "would be like waxing a dirty car". I kid you not-- these insulting words came out of her mouth and I felt my eyes began to tear. I was dumbfounded-- I think I sat looking at her in silent shock for at least five seconds before she said, "So that's it for your appointment." I repeated her phrase in the form of a sentence, "Really? That concludes the appointment?" I could do nothing more than walk out of that office-- feeling baffled, hurt, and deceived.
Herein lies the problem : I bought an x-rays, an exam and a cleaning-- all in advance. Regardless of what the dentist's estimation of my true dental needs, I paid for the cleaning already. There was no fine print, there were no conditions to this deal, and as you have read above, I was flat-out denied a basic cleaning because the dentist said I required a "medium cleaning" and not a basic one.
There was no commitment from All Smiles to render services I had already purchased, there was no professionalism from the staff, and there was no inclination to making my experience and dental care as a first time customer neither meaningful, satisfying, or in the very least, an equal exchange. I bought a basic service that I was flat-out denied and there was no attempt by anyone on this staff to address this issue or to fulfill this business contract.
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