Shadyside Smiles: Rabij-Schmeler Christina DDS

Dr. Schmeler and her staff are very kind, warm and welcoming. I have a lot of anxiety about going to the dentist and she put me at ease right away. I have had fillings and crowns done by her pain-free and they look beautiful. The office is very clean and the office manager was helpful with figuring out my insurance. I have sent friends and family there and would recommend her highly. more

My experiences at Shadyside Smiles have been very positive. I find the staff friendly and professional. The patient lounge is cozy, but I have never been left to wait there very long. I just had a couple fillings a couple days ago and felt no pain during or after. It was also a very comfortable procedure. more

After years of horrible dental experiences, I had to find a new dentist because of my new insurance. I have only been to Dr. Schmeler twice and have at least one more visit coming up. Not only was she the most gently Dentist I have ever had, she did a great job at putting my daughter at ease for her cleaning also. The first visit, she did the cleaning herself and did a fantastic job of it. The last visit was to have a temporary crown put on. My last dentist refused to use any type of topical analgesic prior to the shots, Dr. Schmeler made sure I was numb enough to not even feel the needle. Through the whole appointment the Dr., the assistant, and I had a ball. She made me laugh and actually had a pleasant time. When she was done, she thanked me for making a bad day end with the best appointment she has had in a long time. I kind of didn't want to leave. Afterward, I have only received one reminder of my second appointment (which I am very late getting to) and have not been hounded. They worked well with my insurance company and have not asked for anything outrageous.\r \r I would recommend Shadyside Smiles and Dr. Schmeler to anyone who asks. Unless my insurance or anything else changes, she has a long term patient. \r \r more

Fraudulent billing practices Her office manager/insurance billing person is extremely rude and dishonest. She made me pay for my service up-front, claiming my insurance ""probably"" wouldn't cover it, because white fillings are ""cosmetic"". She said she would file with the insurance anyway. Turns out she never filed the claim, even though she told them that she did, when the insurance company did a follow-up on my behalf. She made up a story about how it would be *insurance fraud* to file a claim because my insurance company paid a percent of the a cheaper service, which was amalgam fillings. She also refused to send me a billing summary that I could send to my insurance, nor would she give me the practice's tax ID so that I could submit the claim myself. After I told my insurance company all this information, they were so shocked at the office manager's behavior that they helped me out and I mangaged to get reimbursed through them. Definitely *not* recommended. more

Dr. Rabij-Schmeler told me I had three cavities that needed to be filled, based on x-rays that she took. I was surprised as my (top-rate) dentist from home had given me a clean bill of health a couple months before. Before Dr. Rabij-Schmeler did the fillings I went back to my home dentist and she gave me an examination, including x-rays, and found NO evidence of cavities whatsoever. This is one of the top dentists in New York City. I hope that Dr. Rabij-Schmeler's enthusiasm to do invasive and unnecessary procedures was due to oversight and incompetence, not fraud. The cleanings I've received at this office were also sub-par. Obviously I won't go back. more

Dr. Christine Schmeler is utterly incompetent. She placed two fillings for me about a year ago. After the procedure I asked if there were any restrictions on what I could eat for a period of time. She said ""No, but I had a woman last week go to that Tai place down the street and her fillings turned green, so I had to redo them. So I guess no Thai food, but other than that you should be fine."" I was told that if I wanted a translucent filling it may cost ""a little extra."" As I walked out I was slapped with a $ 300 bill that was ""not covered by insurance."" On several occasions in the past year, I was sent a bill for services in the mail that should have been covered by insurance. After speaking on the phone with the insurance company, I found out that they were processed incorrectly by the office. The staff are completely uncooperative with respect billing. So in summary, DO NOT GO TO THIS DENTIST. more

So I don't know about the actual work of this dentist to be honest with you. I had an appointment with her and I ran late. The response and reaction that I got from her receptionist was quite rude. For a place that is called ""Shadyside Smiles"" you see anything but a smile. I tried to explain to her that I am out of the state, traveled a long way and leaving town tomorrow, but she was not even listening. The fact that I drove as far as I did and was treated like that was discouraging enough that I did not want to go back. If she was just a bit nicer I would have gone back given that I was the one who was late and at fault to begin with. On a separate note, I asked her if I can skip the exam (since I was late) and just do the cleaning in which she replied Dr. is late for her appointment and already needed to be at her appointment. That left me with the question of how short of an appointment did they schedule me for? Were they planning to do the X-Ray, consulting and cleaning in half an hour? I have been to many dentists around the country but never in my life I have had an exam, x-ray, new patient consultation and cleaning done in half an hour. So now I am sort of happy that it did not work out because i doubt she could have done a thorough job in half an hour and be on time for her next appointment. more

Dr. Christine Schmeler improperly seated a gold crown for me. I have had this work evaluated at Pitt Dental School by three separate doctors, all stating that she should have recommended a root canal first, and then seated the crown properly. As it stands, I have been in constant pain from June 2009 through Feb 2010. I have repeatedly asked Dr. Schmeler for a full refund for faulty services rendered me, but she refuses to reply to my emails and puts doctors from Pitt Dental on hold until they hang up. I have resorted to reporting her to the State Board of Dentistry (1-800-822-2113). I do not recommend that anyone see Schmeler for any service whatsoever. She is a terrible practitioner who should have her license revoked. By the way, my pain threshold is very high, and she had me in so much pain I was crawling out of the seat. Pros: nothing good to say Cons: negligent and fraudulent more

I was given Christina through my insurance. While the staff are perfectly pleasant Christina, the dentist was unbelievably rude to me. Over the 15 minutes that I stayed there she insulted and demeaned me multiple times. I would not, under any circumstances, go to her again. There is absolutely no reason for a grown woman to act so mean and immature. There are over 50 Dentists in the area, go somewhere else. more

Demand me to pay an ""estimated fee"" on the day of service. I did. The fee turns out to be even higher than the insurance portion + my portion, and even higher than the full fee they charged (which is over double the PDP fee). Try to get refund. Relly hard. called many many times. The staff's answers are almost like a tape recorder, ALWAYS: ""we are very busy now. will call you back"". Don't expect them to call you back. Ever! Pros: Location Cons: Demand to pay high fee upfront, hard to get refund more

Demand hugh amount payment the same day of service, I paid, it turns out to be 2.5 times the amount I should pay. Hard to get the full refund. If you call them, the staff's standard answer is ""sorry, we are very busy, I'll call you back"". They never ever call back! (I called six times). If you go there want to talk to the doctor, you would get ""the doctor won't see you, her schedule is full. will call you back"". They just try to brush you off. Pros: Good location Cons: Overcharged, Demand hugh pay upfront more

By far THE worst dentist I have ever come in contact with. The other review was exactly right. Dr. Schmeler charges an insane amount of money and forces you to pay up front, claiming that it's not ""covered"" on your insurance and then REFUSES to submit the claim form. DO NOT GO HERE! I'm surprised she's even still in business with all the shady things going on in that office!!! Pros: None! more

Christine Schmeler is average dentist, and slightly below average when you consider her borderline fraudulent techniques. She is terrible at regional anesthesia techniques, however, most of the time she can try again, and get it right. Her dentistry is gentle, however she merits nothing special in her work. Her small staff is trained to tell you automatically when you are having any procedure done that your insurance does not cover it. They will provide you with an inaccurate estimate, and then require a larger payment in full the day services are rendered. If you call your insurance company, like I did, they will tell you a claim has not been submitted, and that is because Christine Schmeler realizes that the reimbursement from your pocket is much higher than what she receives from the insurance company. In essence, she accepts the insurance company's policy in order to gain access to their patient population, but never really intends to bill them for anything other than a 6-month checkup, which her and her staff do a horrendous job at cleaning your teeth (I do a better job myself). The location is great, which is why I originally chose the office, but clearly, her poor skills do not merit enough revenue to support the rent, which is why she has resorted to fraudulent dentistry. \r \r It's also interesting that the other user review is written by her own staff member. I suppose it's difficult to find a satisfied patient . Pros: The location is great. Cons: Everything else is horrible. more

The staff is polite and Dr. Schmeler is very gentle I highly recommened this practice for all phases of dental work. more

the staff is polite and Dr. Schmeler is very gentle I highly recommend this practice for all phases of dental work more