Whiteman Dental Associates

I can’t say I love going to the dentist (who does?), but out of all the dentists I had so far, Dr. Whiteman is by far the best.
First of all, he knows how to deal with my neurotic dento-​phobia and is pretty successful in making it manageable.
2) He’s very knowledgeable, he knows a lot about various aspects of dental medicine, constantly expands his expertise and enhances the skills he already has (there was a time I was frequent in his office and I heard a lot about conferences and workshops he attended almost on a monthly basis). I’ve never had any issues with his work, it has always been impeccable and his diagnosis accurate.
3) He’s honest and for me it’s very important to trust a person who, at times, has full control over my speech abilities :) He will tell you how things really are, for better or for worse. A few times he advised I postpone a procedure as it was not clear how things will develop — a clear indicator he’s not after an immediate profit, but actually cares about his patients.
4) He has a great sense of humor, which is always helpful when dealing with the agony of not knowing what’s happening inside your mouth.
5) The staff in his office is great — Karen is always personable and witty, Carolyn is funny and charming (their job responsibilities are not as scary as those of Dr. Whiteman after all).
Now add up 1) through 5) and you’ll see that Dr. Whiteman’s office is probably one of the single locations where «dental» and «perfect» go hand in hand.

I’m really thrilled to have found Dr. Whiteman, he and his staff have lessened my life-​long fear of dentists TREMENDOUSLY. These professionals are very skilled at what they do while also creating a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. They enjoy working with one another and are very focused on making you, the patient, feel comfortable, informed and cared for. I for one enjoy hearing pleasant conversation in the background as people go about their important jobs; for me it adds a feeling that all is well and I’ll feel better soon.
Am I still nervous about dentists? Absolutely, and admittedly I still don’t go when I don’t have to — as anyone who shares the same fear, it’s a hard thing to conquer completely. But I am going to try, and with much less trepidation each time, and that’s due SOLELY to these friendly folks at Whiteman Dental.
I look forward to seeing them when the day comes that all I need is a regular checkup! (I may even bring caramels!)

I chipped a cavity and needed an appointment quickly– the receptionist was extremely nice on the phone, very professional and kind, and scheduled me for an appointment that same week. That being said:
I grind my teeth. I know this. I’ve tried using a mouth guard, with some trouble. When Dr. Whiteman was examining my teeth, he asked me if I know that I grind– I said yes, and was about to ask him a question about professionally made mouth guards versus the kind at CVS. He cut me off. I thought, fine, I’ll ask him once he’s not actively working on my teeth. He walked away to let the local anesthetic kick in, and I overhear him (because he is basically still within sight of my chair) telling his hygienist very loudly, «Isn’t it pathetic when people who work in health care can’t be bothered to take care of themselves?» He continued in that vein for a while.
I was coming off a 24h shift. If I had been less exhausted (and my mouth less numb) I would have yelled at him in person. As it is, he’s right: I am in healthcare. And I understand that we all talk about patients, and we all say inappropriate things to other providers. But Dr. Whiteman needs to at the very least keep those remarks to himself until he is out of the patient’s room.
As for the actual dental work: it seems like many people had problems with bills being higher than estimated. This was not true for me; the receptionist came in and went through the expected costs thoroughly before they began the work. They were very upfront and accurate (I pay out of pocket for dental so that was very much appreciated). The work itself– hard to say. He did fix my filling, but the work felt rough and oversized for the next few weeks, something I’ve never experienced before. It gradually smoothed out with use (with grinding my teeth, I guess).
In any case: I did not have the terrible experience described by other reviewers, but I was annoyed enough that I will not go back to this practice.

I’ve been going to Whiteman Dental for two years and have been very satisfied. The office is clean, has up-​to-​date technology, and the staff who done my cleaning and check-​up (Dr. Whiteman and Carolyn, the hygienist) are very nice people. They walk you through the x-​rays and let you know exactly what’s going on with your chompers. I’ve had no problems with insurance (through BC/​BS). They are located in Brookline and don’t have a parking lot, but there is meter parking nearby on Harvard Street. I am fully satisfied with my experience here, I just don’t know how a dental office could earn a 5-​star rating unless they conked me out for the cleaning process.

a lovely, gentle, caring dentist who listens well, never pushes, and always considers the conservative measure. His office staff is equally exceptional

I had been avoiding the dentist for many years. I started to get some severe pain in one tooth and knew it was bad, so I made an appointment with Dr. Whiteman.
I have to say I expected a little condescension or attitude after not going to a dentist for many years, but there was nothing like that. Everyone was very friendly and genuine and some even admitted they had done the same in the past. They made me feel very comfortable.
As expected, I had to have a root canal for the bad tooth. This was my first root canal and while the procedure itself was a bit uncomfortable, I didn’t have to take a single pain killer after leaving the office.
I think it has now been a year and a half since my initial visit. I could not be happier. Everyone I have dealt with at the office has been great, including Karen (the receptionist) and the dental hygienist — I’m sorry, I don’t remember her name. Dr. Whiteman is excellent. I find him very trustworthy, friendly and professional.
I absolutely recommend Dr. Whiteman.

I’ve been going to Dr. Whiteman for five years. Always impressed. Dr. Whiteman and his dental hygienist Carolyn have saved my teeth. They are both very pro and painless. Highly recommended.

I’ve been the patient of Dr. Whiteman for ~5 years. Before choosing him I went to several places, but Dr. Whiteman seemed to me (and I am very sure of this) as having the most professional integrity and experience; plus his prices are very reasonable. On multiple occasions he would look at the x-​ray, check my teeth and say «Let’s watch out for this tooth over here, but there is no need to do anything for now» — and won’t ask for any payment. The teeth which Dr. Whiteman treated, are all in excellent shape.
I am very happy with his practice, and I very much recommend it to anyone.

I have never had such an unpleasant interaction with a business and will never return to this dental practice. I explicitly asked if my procedure would be covered by my insurance and the staff looked on the computer and told me it would be covered. Over $ 1000 of work later, they start sending me bills saying my insurance would not cover it. The staff initially admitted they had told me insurance would cover the work but later denied this. They refused to help in anyway. If you somehow have to get your dental work done here, I recommend requesting an estimate for the work IN WRITING.
They also told me I needed a substantial amount of work on another tooth. When I went to my new dentist, he said the tooth looked good and would be fine with observation. 6 months later, the tooth is doing great without any work.
There are many more reputable dental practices in the brookline area. There is no reason to risk it with this practice.

I have been going to Dr. Whiteman for a little over a year now. Going to the dentist is not my favorite activity (no surprise!), but I actually look forward to my dentist appointments since switching to Dr. Whiteman’s practice! The receptionist is extremely helpful with navigating insurance questions, and is remarkably friendly. The dental assistant is just wonderful… she even remembers details about stories I shared at my last appt. 6 months ago! Dr. Whiteman is professional, competent, and friendly. The best part about this office is that they don’t make you feel guilty about not flossing or caring properly for your teeth; no lectures, no scolding, just great care in a clean, high-​tech, friendly environment. If there are suggestions for better dental hygiene, they approach you in a non-​accusatory way and give you great tips! For these reasons, I recommend Dr. Whiteman to all of my friends when they are in need of a new dentist. It’s a bit of a drive for me, but worth every mile. Who knew going to the dentist could be kind of enjoyable?!!

I started going to the dentist when I was 6 — yes I had one of those parents :). Suffice to say, have been to many dentists over the course of my life over 3 different continents. Dr. Whiteman has been among the good ones.
I’ve been a patient of Dr. Whiteman since 2006. And I have to say I have been pleased by my overall experience with him over the years. I read some of the reviews here on Unilocal before writing mine and I tend to agree with most. But some are so completely different to what I have experienced, that I am wondering if I went to the same place! Or maybe there is this whole Dr. Whiteman /​Mr. Hyde thing going on… I don’t know
1) quality of work /​technology: I have been pretty happy with the work over the course of the years. The equipment is pretty new and I think up to date with the current dental technology. During each visit we start with a digital dental x-​ray, which we go over with him afterwards and he takes the time to explain points if you ask him questions or if he is not running for time :). One thing I like in particular about him, is that he does not do unnecessary fillings /​dental work. He has not tried to redo some of my older amalgams (to replace with the newer resin ones) and the one filling he did on my tooth is so perfect, I can’t even tell where it is!
2) hygienists /​staff: I have had several hygienists over the 5 years. Most I liked — the current one whose name is currently escaping me — I love. There were couple of temporary ones in the mix, which I didn’t think much of and did not stay (thank god). Receptionist: Ok, I have to admit I am in the minority was never a fan of Hieu — I think she is gone :) — Hieu if you are still there and are reading this — I was just joking, please don’t do anything to my file and my social security number which you literally took from me by force (which you shouldn’t do)
3) scheduling: Yes, it is annoying to have to schedule a routine screening/​cleaning 6 month in advance otherwise you won’t get the time/​date you want. But if you are having an emergency, usually you get squeezed in pretty efficiently. There was never a delay/​wait time in getting seen, I am on time usually and go in the mornings — so I don’t get affected by other people tardiness ;)
4) paperwork: There are very good a providing additional paper work you may need — the cool thing is that they can email it to you, so you don’t have to wait for the mail or go there physically. Filling claims with the insurance, I think there is room for minor improvement… My husband goes to a different dentist which I think is similar in quality and level of services, but they are much better at getting reimbursements through our Dental plan.

I love Whiteman Dental Associates. I am a tough consumer of healthcare and I feel like they do a great job.
I actually found Dr. Whiteman a couple of years ago after I went to my first dentist appointment on Newbury St. I really disliked that practice and the dentist. After the initial visit there I switched to Dr. Whiteman and never looked back. The initial dentist told me I had 6 cavities. Dr. Whiteman explained that he is a conservative dentist and would never fill spots on the enamel. He filled my two real cavities and sent me home with prescription flouride toothpaste for the others.
The office is very high tech and they show you pictures of the cavities while you are in the chair. Gross but informative. However the atmosphere is very casual and feels like a neighborhood dentist office. I like that. Its true sometimes they might say things like «so and so has a tough mouth to work on» or «thank god its friday» but that doesn’t bother me.
He also did a great job bonding my teeth.
I have recommended him to many of my friends and they have been very pleased.

dr. whiteman and his staff are all really nice and do a good job. hieu, the receptionist, is very organized and efficient.
going to the dentist is never fun, but it seems to go by quickly at dr. whiteman’s and i’ve never had any pain or discomfort.

After having been to a bunch of dentists in the Brookline area that just don’t care about anything other than running up their bill, I finally found Dr. Whiteman. He was referred to me by a friend and I called his office for an emergency the same day I had an international flight. He called me right back and told me to come in within the hour! His staff was very professional, yet friendly and his office is sparkly clean and with pretty advanced looking equipment. Dr. Whiteman saw me right away… thankfully he told me the source of pain was only a chipped tooth that could be slightly shaved down. He did it in 3 minutes and I ran out to my flight. It was the first time I walked out of the dentist’s office not stressing over my soon to be $ 2k bill. Dr. Whiteman… you rule!

I’ve have nothing but good things to say about Dr. Whiteman and the rest of the people in his office. I had a terrible dentist experience at my previous dentist, so I was very hesitant on my first visit here. But everyone put me very much at easy and it has been great working with them ever since. The woman at reception has been more than helpful trying to accommodate my schedule and the hygienist I had recently remembered me from previous visits even though I hadn’t been in for well over a year. I’m not someone who minds going to the dentist, but now I don’t consider it a chore at all.

this one star is to partial counter-​balance the reviewer below who said, «howie is lying.» i do not know if howie is lying or not — although i know that i was ripped off by whiteman — but the howie is lying «reviewer» would have to be a whiteman associate to have any knowledge of whether howie is lying or not.
and he gave himself five stars, which is not how it is done here.
or maybe it is — i am quite certain form my experience with this dentist that many if not most if not all of the positive reviews are sham reviews from shill reviewers.

I’m really conflicted about Dr Whiteman.
PROs:
Hieu, the receptionist, is really top-​notch efficient and personable.
The amazing gadgetry makes going to the office a little like exploring the Disney House of Tomorrow.
Dr Whiteman is really good at what he does.
CONs:
The multiple reschedules.
Communication is sometimes a bit condescending.
In my final visit, Dr Whiteman discussed another patient with the hygienist while his hands were in my mouth.
In the end, I figure I shouldn’t be conflicted about my dentist. So, I switched. It may sound bitter, but he is so swamped with patients that I sincerely doubt that he cares.

I made the mistake of going to Dr. Whiteman on the recommendation of two friends. My friends said that Dr. Whiteman was the nicest dentist they had had. They also said he was really good at finding cavities. On my first visit this was confirmed: I had a cavity. I was a little skeptical because this was my first cavity and because he had just filled four cavities on my friend who had also previously never had cavities. So, I went to another dentist for a second look. The next dentist found no decay, even when prompted to look again at the tooth that Dr. Whiteman was ready to fill.
Looking back at my appointment with Dr. Whiteman, I find it interesting that he became very defensive when I asked him to show me on the X-​Ray how he knew I had a cavity. I also find it interesting that as we were talking, his receptionist ran back and said «I heard you say she had a cavity, we can fit her in for her filling right now!» It seems suspect that they were so anxious to get my tooth filled.
Overall, stay away from Dr. Whiteman, and don’t buy the reviews of folks that are distracted by his «niceness» — my experience suggests he may be damaging these people’s teeth by filling false cavities for his own monetary gain.

This was my first time at Dr. Whiteman’s — and my last. The receptionist, Hieu is great — very warm and friendly, and offered me a chocolate (ironic in a dentist’s office! –smile —) when I noticed my blood sugar was low while waiting for my appointment.
The other two people (Dr. Whiteman and the dental hygienist) I interacted with were not friendly. I don’t get the postings here on Unilocal!Maybe it’s on a case-​by-​case basis that they’re friendly?
My dental hygienist was not friendly. When I asked for a tissue (as there were none in sight) she acted as though it was an Act of God to get me one. When I asked for a paper towel to wipe the mess of blood from her very thorough cleaning, (I got a little too enthusiastic with the mouthwash in the bowl and wanted to wipe it – not myself) — she barked, «Use your bib!» I felt a bit condescended.
She did, however, inform me that if I wanted the fluoride treatment she recommended that it would cost extra, and that was thoughtful, and that my previous dentist’s suggestions were not based on research. Thanks.
Dr. Whiteman was, in my opinion, perfunctory at best. I met him during the last 10 minutes of my visit. Yes, I know he’s important, and his time is slim, but anyway, I expected that in those ten minutes, we might make a connection. He examined my teeth and poked around at the inside of my mouth (for a cancer exam) and at my teeth. He recited which numbers had cavities. He asked where I was from and what I did (SF and counseling), and hrmphed in response. He made good eye contact but was clearly disinterested. Maybe I was asking too much?
I had listed on my medical form that I have a heart murmur, and every dentist office I’ve ever been to asks me to verify whether I need antibiotics or not before performing any work other than cleanings.
Based on the fact that he did not comment on my heart murmur and seemed surprised I had TMJ, I suspect that Dr. Whiteman had not read my medical form before he met with me, and said nothing about that. I’m not a mind reader, and so if Dr. Whiteman did read my medical forms, he did not relay that to me in our first meeting where one usually discusses such things with patients.
And, when I was telling him at the end that I had TMJ and would probably need two separate appointments to drill my cavities because it’s hard to keep my mouth open for a long time, he replied, «Well, do whatever you feel you need. It’s up to you.» And then he excused himself.
Yes, it is up to me! This was not attentive care. And, that’s why I’m not returning. (Again, people, this is about level of attentiveness, not about standards of medical care).
I want to go to an office where tissues and paper towels are not too much to ask for and where the dentist truly cares about my well-​being.
Positive points about this place? Hieu the receptionist, top-​rate equipment, and easy parking.
*******
UPDATE
I just want to add that I received an extremely negative response from Dr. Whiteman about this review. I just want to say that I don’t write reviews to hurt people or businesses; I’m not a mean person; I write reviews to convey my experiences to help people make informed choices.
Dr. Whiteman in his response seemed to think I’d written the review to «get» him. He seemed only concerned about his reputation, telling me that he thought my review was out of line, and that I was clearly going to the dentist ONLY to write a review, (Imagine! instead of the fact that I needed work done), rather than apologizing for not taking the time to ask me about my medical issues or about the behavior of his dental hygienist.
You’d think that someone in his position (who wants more patients) would think about his response and TRY to be a bit diplomatic. Clearly he doesn’t get advice from others before he responds.
All he had to say was, «Wow, sorry you had a negative experience.» Or, «Oh, actually, I did read your medical forms and I’m sorry you got the wrong impression. Let’s try this again. «etc. I’ve changed several reviews on Unilocal before with positive responses.
Dr. Whiteman’s response, on the other hand, I thought was quite telling about who he’s thinking (or not thinking) about.

I have to agree with Vanessa P.
He does have impressive technology– including small plasma TVs and x-​rays that are more confortable than others I’ve had before.
He is very gentle and nice. He has a great hand for those awful anesthetic injections… I really didn’t feel so much pain.
I definitely think he is the best dentist i have been to. I found him while I was searching for «sedation dentistry», since I had an awful fear of going to the dentist. I found tons of great reviews of him throught «droogle». He didn’t make me feel bad for waiting so long (about 5 years) and I felt he understood why I was afraid. He also gave me some pointers to improve my teeth/​gum condition.
His staff is also very friendly and try to keep you comfortable.
Definitely go to Dr. Whiteman.