Choose Your Montclair Dentist Wisely
When most people suffer from a serious non-emergency medical condition, they will carefully research and select their doctors. At least if they’re smart. However, sometimes we don’t think clearly and just go with the flow. Oftentimes, that’s not the best idea. For some reason, even smart folks with oral health issues will wander into any Montclair dentist office for their dental care and just hope for the best.
It’s like they pulled out the Yellow Pages, closed their eyes, dragged their finger around the Dentist listings, and then, stopped at random. “Ohh… kay… Doctor Megilicutty’s Discount Dental Emporium… seems legit.” Don’t play Russian roulette when selecting your dentist’s office. For all you know, the dentist could be fresh out of school, working on a suspended license, or not even an actual dentist at all. However, despite all logic, many patients looking for a new Montclair dentist trust these people to stick their fingers in their mouths and even drill into their teeth.
It’s not difficult to do just a little bit of research into your local Montclair dentist. Most dentists will have profiles on other dental community websites where you can look up things like where they went to school, where they performed their residency, and other information. We will explain just how to really investigate a dentist before you make your appointment later in the article.
With Proper Research, You Can Avoid Dental Nightmares Like These
Your best bet when in this area is to just schedule with our City Dental Center Montclair location. However, you don’t have to take our word for it. If you really want to look into other Montclair dentists in the area, it’s best to do your research first. Some terrible things have happened to people who have just picked a dentist off of the internet or called a dental hotline and made a random appointment. Don’t be a statistic! Do your homework! You don’t have to be like the examples of people below who didn’t take the time they should have to find the best dentist in their area, and some suffered serious consequences.
The Tale of Mr. Crist and Amazing Family Dental
We’ve all heard stories about dentists who love to pull teeth. Getting your tooth pulled must be one of the least fun activities that can occur at a dentist’s office. One man found that out the hard way. Back in 2013, a 21-year-old autistic fellow named Christopher Crist was sent to Amazing Family Dental in Indianapolis Indiana to have a couple of troublesome teeth pulled.
After giving the man painkillers, the dentist began pulling Mr. Crist’s teeth and did not stop until there wasn’t a tooth left in the poor man’s head. “They pulled every last one of them,” he told the Huffington Post. “I’m going to look like a freak now.” Crist was later admitted to the hospital after a nasty infection set in after the dental massacre of his teeth took place.
Mr. Crist was not the only victim of unneeded tooth pulling at this dentist. Fox News tracked down several other people who claimed the office pulled way more teeth than was requested. According to Fox News, a lady named Rose Hill visited Amazing Family Dental to have JUST ONE tooth pulled. However, they ended up pulling out the entire row of her bottom teeth. It was later uncovered by journalists that the dental office was pulling teeth that did not need to be extracted in order to overbill the patient’s insurance for their services.
Seems like a severe move… mutilating your patients’ mouths for profit. Especially when, and let’s be honest here, it may have just been easier for them to lie about it and fake the tooth-pulling. Seems to me that after a while, all of these toothless customers might get a bit grumpy about having some reverse toothfairy wannabe constantly stealing their teeth. However, as weird as it sounds, it’s no anomaly. Things like this happen all the time when you don’t take the time to research your dentist.
1-800-DENTIST & Doctor Val
While New York may be a bit far from your local Montclair Dentist, people are still people, regardless of which coast they live on. One such person is an individual who called herself “Dr. Val.” Dr. Val is a lady named Valbona Yzeiraj, who had been indicted on charges of practicing dentistry without a license among other crimes. In 2013 a patient found “Dr. Val” through the 1-800-DENTIST call service. Yzeiraj then told this man that he needed a root canal and then injected him 19 times with anesthetics and charged him $900 for the procedure. This poor man was not the only one that Yzeiraj fooled into thinking she was a dentist. Apparently, there were several individuals she treated over the course of her crimes.
The press release regarding this incident states “It is alleged that VALBONA YZEIRAJ claimed to have had dental training in her home country of Albania but was neither trained nor licensed in the United States. She is accused of treating patients where she worked as an office manager for Dr. Jeffrey Schoengold, at 3800 Independence Avenue, during hours when Dr. Schoengold was not there. When the dentist discovered her activities, YZEIRAJ was fired.” Furthermore, authorities alleged that when she left, she attempted to take money from the practice.
If you choose to do your due diligence, you will find many other instances on the internet and news media websites of people pretending to be dentists when they are not. You can look this stuff up at the click of a button. If you didn’t know that, now you know. So DO IT!
Island Dentistry for Children
Pediatric dentistry is one of the most renowned forms of dentistry in the industry. Just like when we take our children to pediatricians, we put our trust in pediatric dentists to maintain their health and wellbeing. However, not all pediatric dentists feel the same way that we do at City Dental Centers.
In November of 2013, a mother named Ashley Boyle first took her 3-year-old daughter, Finley, to Island Dentistry for Children in Kailua, Hawaii. The Office told Ashley that her daughter needed 6 fillings and 4 root canals. The very next month Ms. Boyle returned to this dentist for the procedures. According to the lawsuit later filed by Ms. Boyle and her attorneys, the dentist at Island Dentistry for Children, Lilly Geyer, improperly medicated the 3-year-old with incorrect dosages of anesthetic. As a result, the child fell into a vegetative state and later died in the hospital.
The lawsuit alleged that Finley was over-medicated and left unattended for 26 minutes while the dentist and her staff did who knows what. Honolulu Chief Medical Examiner Christopher Happy said Boyle “likely died as a result of the sedatives and local anesthesia given at the time of the dental procedure.”
These are just some of the terrible horror stories you will find regarding bad dentists. We have omitted some of the more graphic stories of abuse that others have suffered at the hands of bad dentists. The Hippocratic oath means nothing to some people. In the end, the best way to protect yourself and your family is to research the dentist and dental office before you commit to your first appointment.
How to Properly Research A Montclair Dentist
No matter where you live, there are ways to do your due diligence when looking for a reputable dentist. Just looking at Google reviews isn’t going to cut it when it comes to the health and safety of your family. A lot of those reviews are faked and even written by the dentist’s friends. Additionally, not everyone who has a bad experience will take to Google or Yelp to express their opinion. And don’t think for a second there aren’t paid services to fake reviews on EVERY platform. If there’s money to be had, rest assured there are bad actors out there, ready to make a quick buck doing whatever they need to do.
That’s why it’s so important that you spend some time looking for a dentist in your area. One that you and your family can trust and that you’re all comfortable with. A dentist who’s reliable, educated, and dedicated staff who’s truly there to help you out. With that said, it’s time to shrink back down and focus locally again. Here are some tips to help you find the right Montclair dentist for your family.
The first thing you want to do is to create a list of all the available dentists surrounding your particular Montclair location. This way you can track which dentists you have researched and which ones you haven’t. Then, go through the following steps to ensure you’re hitting all the important questions and getting the important answers you’ll need to make the final call on which Montclair dentist you decide to visit.
Take These Steps to Find the Best Montclair Dentist Office Near You
Step 1. Make sure that the dentist on your list takes your dental insurance. Dental insurance works differently than health insurance. You can contact your insurance company and run through the list of dentists with them. This is usually a good call. You don’t want to be left with a big dental bill, do you? You also have the option to call the dentists themselves. Give them a ring and ask the billing department if they accept your insurance.
Step 2. This step is important. Verify that the dentist is approved and registered by the American Dental Association (ADA), or any other dental association, and the Dental Board of California. Not all dentists are a part of the ADA, but in order for a dentist to become a part of the organization, they must have their dental licensures checked. The ADA offers an online Find-A-Dentist tool, that makes searching for your possible dentist quick and easy. The ADA is just one dental association. There are many others that are for the different specialties of dentistry that you can check your dentist under. Generally, the more dental associations a dentist is a part of, the better.
The Dental Board of California is responsible for the licenses and regulations of all dentists and dental assistants in California. This oversite organization is in place to protect the public from unlicensed and unqualified dental practices. The Dental Board of California also oversees all disciplinary functions for dentists in the state.
Step 3. After you have verified that the dentist takes your insurance and is verified by the Dental Board, the next step is to do a meet and greet. Most folks will just dive right in and make an appointment, but you don’t have to. You can schedule a consultation to meet with the dentist and staff before you make an appointment. With most other medical procedures consultations are commonplace and a lot of people believe that they don’t exist in the dental industry but that is not true.
Compile Questions in Advance
No matter how many questions we have buzzing around in our heads, we often forget some of them when we’re finally ready to spill our guts. Trust me, I’ve done this myself on many occasions when visiting my own doctor. And when in meetings. And on phone calls. I think you get the point. We can’t remember every last thing. That’s why we advise you to put together a list of questions to ask the dentist during your meet & greet. A few questions you might ask are:
- Will the dentist provide instructions post-procedure to avoid the dental health problems that have led to any dental emergencies that occur? Some dentists will fix a problem but offer little to no instruction on how to avoid the issue in the future. They do this so that they can continue to make money off your dental emergencies.
- How does the dentist and his office deal with after-hours emergencies? Most dentists have after-hour emergency policies that are helpful to know about before making your first appointment.
- Does the office offer any sort of payment plans or financing options for procedures not covered by insurance?
- Does the dentist accept insurance, and if so, which plans?
- Will your medical and dental history be recorded and placed in a permanent file?
- Does the dentist specialize in children’s dental?
- Do they have access to their own dental lab or do they have to send devices to outside sources for production?
Find the Best Montclair Dentist at City Dental Centers
At City Dental Centers‘ Montclair location, we offer premier dental services at the most affordable prices in Southern California. All our dentists are licensed and accredited dental specialists. Our team has the skill and experience to end your search for a dentist today. We bring the best and highest quality dental care to every neighborhood, not just the wealthy ones. After all, at City Dental Centers, we believe everyone has a right to the type of dental care found in higher-class neighborhoods.
We offer full-range dentistry from cosmetic services to oral surgery. Our dentists are skilled and knowledgeable in nearly every field of dental practice and preventive measures. We aren’t just a Montclair dentist, but have locations all over Southern California, so a City Dental Center is nearby, no matter where you live. Come in today and meet our dentists and staff. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have so you will be confident that you have found the right dentist for you and your family.
Your Convenient Montclair Dentist Office in Southern California
Doctor Sam Shahovesi and the team at City Dental Centers are here to provide our patients with the best dental services and dental surgeries for children and adults of all ages. From toddlers to seniors, City Dental Centers offers six convenient dentist offices in Southern California. We even have a dedicated children’s dentist office, City Dental Kids & Braces, to cater to the special physical and emotional needs of children.
Whether you need checkups, x-rays, braces, bonding, teeth whitening, sealants, oral cancer screenings, root canals, crowns, bridges, implants, or tooth extraction, City Dental Centers is here to make the process as easy and comfortable as possible. If you’re looking for a quality dentist that won’t break the bank, give your local City Dental Center a try today.
Contact The Nearest Dentist to You
Ready to experience the best dentists in Los Angeles? Choose one of the convenient dental offices we have surrounding LA. We have dental practices in Azusa, Corona, Lake Forest, Montclair, Pico Rivera, and West Covina. You can call our main line at (888) 624-8933 or reach out to an office directly with the information below. Alternatively, you can visit our new patients & first visits page for more info. We’re so happy you’ve chosen City Dental Centers. We can’t wait to help you along your dental journey and brighten your beautiful smile!
Dentist in Azusa, CA
Location: 483 S. Citrus Ave. Azusa, CA 91702
Phone: (626) 966-3400
Dentist in Corona, CA
Location: 161 McKinley St. STE 102, Corona, CA 92879
Phone: (951) 737-3746
Dentist in Lake Forest, CA
Location: 24602 Raymond Way #210, Lake Forest, CA 92630
Phone: (949) 461-5800
Dentist in Montclair, CA
Location: 5182 Moreno St, Montclair, CA 91763
Phone: (909) 295-3477
Dentist in Pico Rivera, CA
Location: 9400 Whittier Blvd, Pico Rivera, CA 90660
Phone: (562) 949-2526
Dentist in West Covina, CA
Location: 154 Plaza Dr, West Covina, CA 91790
Phone: (626) 962-1722