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Review content:
The dentist dropped an instrument on the ground (during a cleaning). He then picked it up with his gloves, did NOT change his gloves, and removed the plastic packaging from the instrument (thus contaminating it). He then placed the instrument in my mouth. I complained immediately, but he brushed off my concerns and simply told me to not worry. He said that because the instrument had been covered in plastic, I should not worry. He ignored the fact that removing the plastic packaging while using contaminated gloves caused the instrument to become contaminated. He continued working with the contaminated instrument and used the contaminated gloves to touch my teeth and gums. Even worse, my gums were bleeding (due to the cleaning) - there was a direct path for the germs on the floor to enter my bloodstream.\r
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I'm not paranoid about germs. However, I know that even someone with a healthy immune system can get infected. This dentist took shortcuts with cleanliness. He decided not to take a few extra seconds to change gloves and get another clean instrument. The idea of a dentist taking shortcuts is unacceptable to me; I will never return to this dentist.\r
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Some other issues:\r
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1) I scheduled my appointment for 9 AM (the earliest possible time) on a Wednesday (a day which is not busy), but I still had to wait 45 minutes before the dentist came in and saw me.\r
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2) My appointment was supposed to be for a full checkup and cleaning, but the dentist decided to divide the cleaning into two separate sessions - meaning I had to come back on another day. As a result, I had to take more time way from work; I had to waste more time driving to the place and spend more time in the waiting room.\r
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3) In each of the examination rooms, there's a small television that plays movies (the kind played in theaters, not dental hygiene videos). Even if you don't ask them to, they'll often play these movies. Besides being annoying, these movies can distract the dentist and his assistants. During my checkup and cleaning, the dentist and his assistant were making comments to each other about the movie. It was clear that they were not 100% focused on treating me. This is very unnerving when someone is poking around your mouth with sharp instruments.\r
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4) In dental school, students are heavily trained in manual dexterity, and graduates are supposed to have extremely precise hand-eye coordination (fractions of a millimeter). During my checkup and cleaning, the dentist poked my lip with an instrument two times. Because of these accidental pokes, I have a fear that this dentist is more clumsy and less precise than other dentists. My lip is obviously a lot more than a fraction of a millimeter away from my gums; I would not be comfortable with this dentist performing a more complicated procedure or surgery.\r
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5) Looking at my insurance statement a few weeks later, I discovered that the dentist called the second cleaning session a ""deep"" cleaning. As a result, they were able to charge much more money. When the decision was made to split my cleaning into two segments, I was not told that that 2nd session was not considered part of a standard cleaning. They also neglected to tell me that the deep cleaning was only partially covered by insurance and that I would have to pay for some of it out of pocket. The dental office used misleading business practices. They did not reveal the costs of the deep cleaning, preventing me from making an informed decision on whether to proceed with this service.\r
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Thinking over what happened, I don't think I even needed the deep cleaning. I've kept up with my dentist appointments. I saw my old dentist regularly for checkups and cleanings. In fact, my last cleaning (before seeing this dentist) took place less than 5 months earlier.\r
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Frank Huang (the dentist at A-Top Dental) committed serious health code violations. I would strongly recommend against this dentist.
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