Searching for a dentist in Philadelphia
December 10, 2014 10:52 AM Subscribe
I'm looking for the calmest, least nerve-wracking dentist's office in Philadelphia. A few details inside.
I've been without dental insurance since I quit my job to attend school full-time last June; while I do have a health care plan purchased on the federal exchange, I didn't think I would be able to afford dental coverage and so I put it off. Now I'm looking at a December 15th renewal deadline, the (probable) financial means to get my teefs taken care of properly, and a tooth with some gum recession that I'm concerned about.
My previous dental experiences in the area have been with a strip-mall kind of production-line dental clinic in Delran, NJ (brutal), a surly, grimy practice on south Broad Street that tried to upsell me on a mouthguard and an expensive electric toothbrush, and Drexel's dental school faculty practice (two separate emergency-ish appointments to take care of a chipped incisor and drilling my first cavity). Drexel was just about the best I could hope for- quick, professional and totally accommodating to someone with pretty major dental phobia/anxiety- but the nature of the practice rules them out as a regular dentist for cleanings, etc.
Inside the city limits would be preferred (I'm in the art museum/Fairmount area, but getting around isn't a problem) but the Main Line or other areas easily reached by mass transit are OK too.
I've been without dental insurance since I quit my job to attend school full-time last June; while I do have a health care plan purchased on the federal exchange, I didn't think I would be able to afford dental coverage and so I put it off. Now I'm looking at a December 15th renewal deadline, the (probable) financial means to get my teefs taken care of properly, and a tooth with some gum recession that I'm concerned about.
My previous dental experiences in the area have been with a strip-mall kind of production-line dental clinic in Delran, NJ (brutal), a surly, grimy practice on south Broad Street that tried to upsell me on a mouthguard and an expensive electric toothbrush, and Drexel's dental school faculty practice (two separate emergency-ish appointments to take care of a chipped incisor and drilling my first cavity). Drexel was just about the best I could hope for- quick, professional and totally accommodating to someone with pretty major dental phobia/anxiety- but the nature of the practice rules them out as a regular dentist for cleanings, etc.
Inside the city limits would be preferred (I'm in the art museum/Fairmount area, but getting around isn't a problem) but the Main Line or other areas easily reached by mass transit are OK too.
Not too far from the Haverford train station, Dr. Ernest Barbieri in Haverford. I have anxiety about dentists too, and he was so gentle, careful, and explained everything to me. When my health insurance was about to run out, he squeezed me in for an appointment with very little notice so I could have a check up before being unemployed. His practice is very small with only his wife as staff, so calling for an appointment can take a couple of days.
posted by gladly at 11:12 AM on December 10, 2014
posted by gladly at 11:12 AM on December 10, 2014
I highly recommend Dr. Walicki. I know him personally, and he's a great guy -- very gentle and caring, great at making people comfortable. He also has great Yelp reviews. He's in Port Richmond, so there are buses, but it probably involves a transfer from Fairmount.
posted by DoubleLune at 11:28 AM on December 10, 2014
posted by DoubleLune at 11:28 AM on December 10, 2014
I like Dr. Drucker with Bala Smiles. It's based in Bala Cynwd right off City Line Ave (so not too far from Fairmount/Art Museum). Very sweet, very calm, and relatively easy to get an appointment, and I haven't experienced the hard up sell on nonsense. Plus, they took my insurance, so that was nice.
Parking is a drag, but parking anywhere iin Bala is a drag.
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 12:02 PM on December 10, 2014
Parking is a drag, but parking anywhere iin Bala is a drag.
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 12:02 PM on December 10, 2014
Dr. Robert Turchin. He's great, willing to work with you, happy to work with scared patients, and very very nice.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 12:47 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by misanthropicsarah at 12:47 PM on December 10, 2014
Judy Buxton in Bryn Mawr is great, and her office is right on the other side of the R100/high-speed rail line tracks. (Warning, there is autoplaying music.) If you do need anything more serious done, I cannot recommend PAOMS more. I haven't been to the Center City locations, but Dr. Nordone in Bryn Mawr (close to both the R5 and the R100) is just amazing. Like, I would consider flying back across the country to have wisdom teeth work there if I had the vacation time.
posted by jetlagaddict at 12:57 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by jetlagaddict at 12:57 PM on December 10, 2014
With yet another recommendation, I go to Dr. Slobodinksy in Fishtown (partially because it's 2 blocks from my house) and have had no problems. His hygienist Denise is super nice & always pretty gentle, though I may not be the best judge of such things as I tend to fall asleep in the chair.
posted by zempf at 1:45 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by zempf at 1:45 PM on December 10, 2014
I love my dentist and he's right in Center City. Dr. Joel Davidson at 1919 Chestnut Street (it's the William Penn House, his office is at the rear of the lobby, phone number is 215-561-5559.) He's, very very calm, very gentle, and does not believe in upselling.
posted by desuetude at 7:49 PM on December 11, 2014
posted by desuetude at 7:49 PM on December 11, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
Dr. Rosen is a guy I went to school with, from grade school all through high school, and he's landed in Norristown. Not Philadelphia, but it looks like it's reachable via public transit, and his Yelp reviews mention someone who loves him so much she commutes from WASHINGTON DC to use him. The Yelp reviews there all rave, and his practice is also in the habit of picking one of their clients who's facing major work in December and doing it all for free.
I acknowledge that this is second-hand and hearsay, but at least this way you can tell him that if he doesn't do right by you, then I'll get back at him by telling you REALLY embarrassing stories about what he was like in seventh grade. :-)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:09 AM on December 10, 2014