River Rock Family Dental

I will never be going here again. Last month I went in for my 6month cleaning new to this office. Had my X-rays and examination. Doctor came in mask on of course and spent maybe 10minutes looking at my teeth and X-rays. Told me I had 2 soft spots that needed to be fixed and that they could not wait and that I needed to have the one filling I had done over with a new one. Went in for my fillings the 2 new ones he did, did not even need to be done they were not through the white on my teeth yet, and the one filling I have had for about 5 years he did with a new porcelain one. Come to find out the filling was so big before the metal is actually what should have been kept in order to have less pain and issues with the filling becoming weak. During the filling on this molar I started to have extreme pain while he will drilling, Dr. Valbuena immediately stopped, numbed me with so much medication I could not feel anything until 8 hours later, and told me my tooth was fractured and I needed a crown. In my initial pictures, X-rays, and exam he said absolutely nothing was wrong with this molar and the filling just was old. My teeth especially this molar have been in pain everyday since he worked on it, mostly the molar. I asked them why I would be having pain in this molar this extreme when it barely bothered me at all before this ""fracture"" was noticed. They became very defensive refused to talk to me keep saying they did nothing wrong even I never even asked me if it was possible something went wrong during the procedure. Now they are refusing to release my records which is against the law and I am going to have to file a complaint with the Kansas State Board of Dental if they will not let me transfer my stuff over to a new dentist. I would not recommend anyone goes here, I after going here have talked to other friends who have similar issues and nothing but pain and issues with this dentist. more

I will NOT be going back to this dentist! Went in because a molar was breaking apart and the dentist came in, looked at it and said I would need a crown. Then he immediately left the room and had the dental assistant deal with me and the price. $1100 for the whole procedure. Got my crown done the next day and had quite a bit of discomfort. Dentist brushed it off like I was overreacting and said to take ibuprofen and tylenol. By a few nights later on a Sunday I was in excruciating pain and my gum was swollen. Called Dr. Valbuenas emergency line and waited 2 hours with no return call!! Had to go to the emergency room where I was started on antibiotics and pain pills. The dentist finally called me back and still acted like it was no big deal and told me to come in next week to have it checked!! No way will I return! I'm reporting this dentist to the ADA and the Attorney General!! more

I have been a long time patient of Dr. Valbuena. When I first when in for a cleaning and exam, they were very detailed on all the treatment I needed (it had been 20+ years since Id been to a dentist). Everyone at their office was very friendly and made me feel like I was on the top of their priority list. I have since been in for my treatment and am on a regular 6 month checkup basis. I am just now writing this review because I was just recently in for my check up and left feeling so great! They even know me by name when I check in. Good customer service is hard to find these days, and these guys have it! more

Had a tooth ache and went in...the dental assistant looked at my tooth and said I had a really bad cavity and they would extract my tooth and put in some titanium rod kinda stuff...she then cleaned my teeth...Dr. Valbuena then came in...didn't even bother saying a polite hello...asked me to open my mouth...looked at all the pictures and X-rays that the assistant had taken earlier and told that I would have to get a root canal done and that I had several really bad cavities...Then he said his assistant would help set up an appointment for my root canal and then he left :-| I didn't not even get a chance to ask what other possible alternatives were...and all this while he had a mask on...I didn't even see his face :-| I thought he was really rude and very very bad communication with the patient. I am new to Lawrence and I had gone in only after reading all the Google reviews...I am no longer sure if all the reviews other than mine are even genuine or just some fake ones written by Dr. Valbuena's staff assistants. I was quite unsure about the root canal but then I was in so much pain that I couldn't bear it and went in for the root canal. They gave me an estimate cost for the entire procedure, which included root canal on a teeth(including the crown)- this wasn't on a molar, and fillings for 2 teeth. The total was around $2000, out of which I would have to pay $587 and remaining would be covered by insurance. And yet i ended up getting a $129 bill from River Rock Dental around 2 weeks after my visit. I was told by Dr. Valbuena that the tooth that had the crown would feel like any other tooth in my mouth and i should use that tooth normally while eating/chewing food. It never felt normal though. 2 days after the procedure I was still feeling uncomfortable in that tooth...it felt lose and wiggly wobbly...it was also hurting just a little bit. So i went in again. The assistant examined my tooth and told that it was just a tad lose but it was fixable and then she called in Dr. Valbuena to take a look at it. He came in after 5 mins...examined my tooth(basically just poked at it with some sharp instrument) and said it was all good and the nerves are lose and it will become normal in a few days...that was it and he left...didnt even give me a chance to say anything...again he had his mask on...so even after 2 visits I have no idea what the doc looks like. I was really pissed and left the clinic. Its been 1 whole month now since my root canal procedure and my tooth(one which had the root canal) and the one right beside it still feel kinda wobbly when I chew with those 2 teeth. I do not have any intentions of going back to Dr. Valbuena, because I do not trust him at all and fear that he might ruin my teeth even more if I go in again. I was duped into going to River Rock dental after reading Google reviews, which are mostly fake - I am sure. A couple of days I was talking to one of my coworkers and I mentioned River Rock Dental and my bad experience and shockingly he had had a similarly bad experience too. He had gone for a tooth extraction and the procedure went horribly and 2 years hence, he still doesn't use the right side of his mouth to eat. I dont usually go around writing reviews, but I hope noone else ends up ruining their teeth after spending 100s of dollars. :( more

\r I personally had a great experience at River Rock Family Dental, considering I had a tooth ache. I called the morning I woke up with a tooth ache, the lady on the phone was very understanding and I was able to come in that morning! Once I got there, the whole staff was concerned about my needs and getting me out of pain. Best of all, I was able to have the treatment done that day! They even filed my insurance for me. If you’re looking for a caring staff and quality dental work, go to River Rock!!!\r more

I just moved to Lawrence a few months ago and needed a new dentist. I found this office off my insurance list and it was close to home. I called the office and the person so answered the phone was very helpful and scheduled around my schedule so I didn't have to take off work. \r \r When I went in for my first visit I didn't have to wait around to be seen. I was taken straight back to a room where I was explained everything they would do that day and I was suprised that the office had already contacted my insurance co. and new what my cost woud be for my dental work. After my teeth were cleaned and I saw the dentist I was given a list of what work I needed and they girls at that the front desk where very helpful in explaining to me how my insuranc worked and what I was to pay. \r \r I highly recommend River Rock Family Dental. They are very caring and everyone is relaxed and that puts me at ease since I don't like going to the dentist. more

This place is fine if you are loaded and have tons of cash. I didn't pay their bill right away and they immediately sent me to collections and told me not to ever come back to their office. If you don't have a lot of money (not a yuppie) I advise you to look elsewhere. Also, the dental assistant was rude to me the entire time they worked on my teeth. Keep in mind that I did pay with insurance and out of pocket...they still found some way to bill me again? Not sure why they did that. Am I going to pay for this charge? Probably not! Considering I do not know what I am being charged for. Pros: Get the job done Cons: Not very understanding in hard financial times more