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. :(
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