Gentle Dentist

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I would

strongly advise people to stay away from Dr. Millikan and the Gentle Dentist

organization. At first I felt they were ok and willing to

work with their patients. After my

initial visit he did have a long list of dental work that he felt needed to be

done, but I trusted his assessment. However, my most recent experience was very

negative. After waiting for over six

weeks to have a tooth extracted that had become problematic I came to the

appointment hoping to resolve some serious discomfort. I was informed that the tooth could not be

extracted because there was significant infection in the area along with

infection in the two teeth in front of the tooth to be removed. I was informed that the procedure for two root

canals and later two crowns needed to be done at the same time as the

extraction. The dentist, at that time in

the conversation, said he could do it all that day. The person in charge of financial estimates

then came in to let me know the cost.

She also informed me that my bill from a previous procedure had to be

paid that day. The previous bill had

been waiting for insurance payments to be issued and my husband and I had both

checked on the progress of the insurance payments several times over the past 4

or 5 month period. The dentist’s office

had said not to make payment until

the insurance claims were resolved. It

was during my visit that they informed me, for the first time, that the

insurance had recently paid most of their portion of the bill. I was informed again while sitting in the

dental chair that the bill had been on their books since August 2013 and we had

to pay it that day. I asked to talk with

my husband before paying the bill and to talk over with him the additional work

that Dr. Millikan said had to be done.

The staff had sent my husband , who had been waiting in the reception

area of the office, home (without letting me know) stating to him that I would

be in the chair for another hour or two.

The dentist then came back in stating that he could not extract the tooth or do the root canals that day because

of his schedule. I had taken the day off

from my own job in order to get this pain resolved, only to find (after 2 hours

in the chair) that they would not help me out.

Again the insurance person stated two more times that my bill had to be

paid that day. My procedure for the

tooth/teeth was rescheduled for two more weeks in the future. By this time I was almost in tears… tried to

walk out of the office only to be told again that I needed to make payment that

day. They all knew and had even assisted

me in trying to make contact with my husband so I could confer with him. I finally did reach him and asked him to

return to the office. I was so

distraught by then that I finally told the person in charge of finances that

they would get their money, but I was too upset to talk right then. My husband went over to the office that

afternoon, paid them and arranged for our records to be transferred to another

dentist. Apparently Dr. Millikan and his

staff are primarily interested in obtaining as much money as they can from the

patient’s insurance company and from the patient themselves. I called another dentist that afternoon , who

was willing to work me into his schedule ASAP and assess the situation stating

that infection in the area I described should be addressed right away.

I rarely write reviews, but I’m writing this hoping you will please PLEASE, save yourselves from Millikan. Here is what you can expect from him: first, you’ll go in for a cleaning. After a few visits in a year or so when he gains your trust, he will say that you now suddenly have serious problems and will recommend extensive work, like antibiotic treatments and then crowns, crowns, and more crowns. There is a good chance that you don’t in fact need all the work. Here is why I say this: In around 2009, the four of us in my family all went. The first few visits were routine cleanings, and everything was fine. Then suddenly he said my 5 year old needed four crowns all at once. At the same time, he said my 7 year old needed eight (yes, 8) crowns all at once. Then he told me I needed ten (yes, 10) crowns all at once, after saying everything was fine the previous visits. I had 4 of the 10 crowns put on first. Then he got testy with my 7 year old, so we went to a different dentist here in Bloomington. One new dentist said my 7 year old didn’t need 8 crowns, she only needed one filling (and those teeth have been fine ever since). Another new dentist looked at my x-rays and said that as for the other 6 teeth Millikan wanted to crown, I didn’t need any of them crowned. (And yes, those 6 teeth are still fine too as I write this review 3 years later). I’m a scientist, and the odds of innocently misdiagnosing that many teeth are less than 1 in a 1000. Then in the most ironic twist, one of the four crowns he put on me was defective, as confirmed months later by two other dentists. I went back to Millikan at that time, and he denied it, even though the x-rays showed a clear gap. I finally had it replaced a few months ago by another dentist for $732 out of my own pocket. Please, for your own good, PLEASE do NOT trust this dentist. He will gain your trust and then abuse it for his own profit. I’ve talked to some of his other former clients, and they had similar experiences too. Even the shill reviewers elsewhere acknowledge that he “seems to have a more proactive approach” – as in recommending lots of unnecessary, expensive work.

From the moment you walk in and the time you leave the staff here will take care of you. Even in middle of the night there is a way if there is an emergency there is a line where you can get a hold of them.