Gentle Dental of Center City

My visit at Gental Dental went well. Service was excellent. Alicia, dental assistant, was very attentive and prompt with Answers for any question. I was certainly pleased with my visit.

Lots I negative reviews here, but my experience was excellent. I arrived for my first appointment 30min early with my paperwork I completed online. They brought me back 10min early, took X-​rays, then the dentist checked my teeth. I needed two fillings and a root canal. The assistant reviewed all the charges prior and have me cheaper amalgam option as well.
Keep in mind this was an emergency appointment as well because I lost a filling a day prior. Took some time to get someone on the phone to schedule the apt which is why I’m holding back a star. Also, the office is the least modern I’ve been to, but the service was good. Dentists & staff were kind. I was worries coming here after seeing the reviews, but my first experience was fine.

I was very unhappy with my experience. The office assured me on three separate occasions my insurance would cover the treatment and in the end the claim was denied and I was charged hundreds of dollars. I called the office multiple times and multiple times I was put on hold for more than 30 minutes. Still, they never resolved my dispute and kept sending me bills.
I finally paid it because I didn’t want it to go to collection but the office literally stole it from me. I will never go back and could never recommend it to anyone. The office staff, the hygienist, and the dentist were all taking shortcuts with my health and I think it’s dangerous.

Horrible service and worst experience. They are unprofessional and rude at the same time. Made a administrative mistake (put wrong ID for claim) and did not even apologize. I would never go there, just regret that I did not check Unilocal/​google reviews before choosing a dentist.

This place is awful do not come to gentle dental

Please if you have other options for a dentist take them. This place is terrible. I had to wait over an hour on multiple visits. Please if you are running that behind let me know so that I can show up an hour later. Guess what my time is valuable.
Also gentle dental is the complete opposite of the dentist’s manner. I can not tell you how not gentle the dentist is. My novacaine actually wore off during a procedure and the dentist kept working after my cries of pain.
The only positive are the dental assistants. They are sweet as pie and very patient to explain everything.

This place is awful in every aspect.
The wait: over an hour to get called from the waiting room, and then another 45 mins to see the dentist. At the follow up appt, I walked out of the chair and never looked back.
The appointment: NOTHING was explained to me. The hygienist asked me if I was pregnant AFTER completing x-​rays (x-​rays are a HUGE NO NO when a woman is pregnant). She didn’t explain what type of x-​rays they were taking or asked me if anything was bothering me.
The dentist: didn’t introduce himself, and I’d been waiting in an open chair with people getting work done all around me (the atmosphere was not calming, at all). Just had me open my mouth and started rattling off things to the hygienist. I think he forgot that there was a live person in the chair. I had to ask what was going on before he zipped out of the room without saying anything to me. He didn’t explain anything and I had to ask the hygenist to go over the sheet with all my ailments with me before leaving. She had no suggestion how to go about scheduling the rest of the work I needed done.
I had very low expectations going in, and somehow the practice was worse then I expected.

By far the worst dental practice!
I was called a week prior to my scheduled appointment to be made aware that «the practice does not have office hours for the date and time that I was scheduled.» After rescheduling for a later date I showed up for the appointment 15 minutes early as usual and patiently waited 1 hour and 20 minutes until I was called back. X-​rays were quick and painless followed by an invitation to take a seat in the cleaning room. After waiting approximately 40 minutes in the chair the dentist came in, checked things out, told me everything looked great and they would see me back in 6 months. To this I responded, «I have not been seen by the hygienist for a cleaning yet.» The Dentist was puzzled, did NOT apologize and sent the hygienist over a few moments later to perform the cleaning. On my way out I scheduled another appointment but with every intention of finding a new practice before my next 6 month cleaning.
Three months after the dreadful experience, I received a notice in the mail stating my claim was still outstanding and if not corrected by my insurance company Gentle Dental would be billing me directly. I called my insurance company to figure out what the issue was and I was informed that no claim was received from the practice. I followed up with a call to Gentle Dental to fill them in on my findings only to be told with a giggle, «Silly us! Looks like no one ever submitted the claim.» Ugh…
Today, 6 months later I receive a call from the practice again informing me that they do not of office hours for the date and time that I have an appointment scheduled. Blah, blah, blah. Here’s an idea — make your receptionist aware of the office hours so they don’t keep scheduling patients for nonexistent appointment times!
GET IT TOGETHER GENTLE DENTAL…

It is the worst place ever. If you want to get good treatment avoid this place. If you take appointment for 10 AM, somebody call you after 10.30AM (if you are lucky) and doctor may come after noon (if you are lucky). They examine you each and every day you go there. Nothing happens. So if you think you value your time and money just stay away from Gentle Dental. They are not gentle.
Too bad that I did not read any review before I go to this place.

They are also incapable of correctly filing a claim to your insurance and will instead bill you the full amount.

AWFUL PLACE: first appointment i went for a toothache and this dr said i needed to adjust my bite, no cleaning or xrays. I scheduled a cleaning and they said i had to be seen by the dentist first: i waited 30 min to get in a room that was not private, and then waited 40min to have a «dr» come and do a 10sec check and say «i don’t know what’s wrong with you». Cherry on top? They told me then i had to wait ANOTHER HOUR for my cleaning… Big mistake going here without reading the reviews!

Edit — 3÷11÷13
Holy shit, as if it couldn’t get worse… how is this place still open? So we still have to wait to switch our coverage off of this place. My wife had an appointment scheduled for this week. Someone working there called her up and said that «they» have to cancel her appointment and they can reschedule her for late May. WTF??? So we pay a premium to them every month, they cancel us and can’t fit us in for 60 days? They said it was because they hygienist had family emergencies (which I totally understand) but what isn’t acceptable is a practice that size operating on a skeleton crew!
I remember them telling me during my horrible visit that they only have one hygienist, I wonder why? If I went through years of dental school, I sure as shit wouldn’t want to work here.
Gentle Dental, so glad we are switching in April. Fuck you
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Wow, I remember leaving yesterday totally excited to write this review!!!
I’d like to start that it was a cool winter’s day. My teeth were not suffering but little did I know that I soon would be. When I opened the door into Gentle Dental, a blood-​red carpet desperately needing a good vacuuming greeted me. A waiting room and a front desk reminiscent to a DMV was laid before me in a morose setting without a smile to bring me solace.
Being it was my first visit I was provided copious amounts of documentation requesting redundant data. As I scribbled information onto each sheet I ignored my intuition to just leave without a word… and then I found the important document stating that I’m required to call and verify that I would make an appointment and any missed appointment would cost me 25 $. Good thing I couldn’t just schedule a cleaning, it is policy that I had to come for an exam first. So I was here for the short haul, I mean, how much worse could it get?
After that highly anticipated hour in the waiting room, a young man called me into the back. He mumbled, I tried to catch his words but I simply understood it was my place to follow. And there I sat, on an uncomfortable chair waiting for him to take my x-​rays. Luckily I have had dental x-​rays so I knew what to do, because I still couldn’t hear my young guide in the banal cubby. There was a moment that I was standing, biting down upon the plastic stick and praying to the divines that the tech knew what he was doing with an x-​ray in this depressing sanctum of oral torture. I heard the radioactive humm and the machine didn’t move… so he came back in and messed with it before trying again. To my relief, the scanner circumnavigated mt skull and I was whisked away to another corner waiting room.
It was about this time that the dinginess became painfully self-​evident. Kind of like when you walk into a gas station bathroom and think, I’m not sure if its clean in here regardless whether (indecipherable scribble) cleaned it at 7am. The wall was missing paint where chairs lazily rubbed, I’m sure trying to escape as well. The poster mount was still adhered to the off-​white wall in front of me but the poster was long gone. Ironically, plaque built up along the dental chair and apparatus around me as if it were not brushed or flossed with some sort of cleaning device in some time. Though I’ve arrogantly grown accustomed to medical offices at least «appearing» sterile, I regressed to having dental visits aboard US Naval vessels and felt that they felt cleaner.
I waited, like I was in detention. Suddenly, over the mild drilling and the lull of the florescent bulbs above I hear «Is this a new?» I was flattered, not that I was referenced as a neutral pronoun, but that I may be closer to leaving. Then something strange happened. The dentist introduced herself and actually smiled at me. I was a bit shocked and up this point, I imagined my dentist would be a 300lb sadist with a cleaver and a hook but nope. So, we skipped the small talk and she looked at my teeth. Turns out everything is fine and she said all I need is a cleaning and she could probably do it now. I informed her that it was time for me to go.
So I returned to the front desk to pay and was informed, «Our appointments are already into April, so if you don’t make it soon, it will be later.» All I wanted to say is, don’t worry about me, I’ll be heading elsewhere.
Then I fled

This is place is extremely disrespectful and not courteous at all to the patients. I am just amazed that they are still running. I am a new student at Drexel who just moved to Philly two months ago from NJ. I made gentle dental my PCD without looking at their reviews, which I regret. First time I was there, I waited over an hour and a half to be seen. And all they did was take x-​rays, and look at my gums. No cleaning on that first visit — they said that is done on a separate visit! I’ve always had x-​rays and cleaning together.
I was seen for my cleaning a few weeks after my first visit, and it was a bit better, no wait time. But the dentist that did my cleaning, a young caucasian blonde woman could be described as a robot. She does not explain at all what she is doing to you. My previous dentist in Edgewater, NJ always made me comfortable, chatted with me, and explained every single step of what he was doing. This dentist, just sits there, does her thing without talking and making me feel like I’m just another «number» in her office.
I was told to schedule a 6 month follow up for cleaning. That is was I just attempted to do over the phone. Someone answered my call — a young women in her 30s who was actually very rude to me. I told her I wanted an appt for May 10, a Friday. She gives me May 30^th, but I tell her I can’t because I can only do Fridays. She then says, very rudely, «oh well, you never told me you can only do Fridays». On top of all this, she’s rushing me, hung up on me accidentally (I had to recall). I’ve had it and told her off — I told her that she doesn’t need to be rude to me, and if she is going to be rude, I can be rude to. Yes, I raised my voice, but I will not allow this incompetent staff to step all over me and talk to me in any rude manner.
Needless to say, I’m switching dental providers. I regret every coming here in the first place. I deserve to be treated with respect AS A CUSTOMER and with dignity. Also, I don’t feel that the dentist cares for my teeth, and that she rushes doing whatever procedure she’s doing. I do not feel safe nor happy at this place.

I have to say that I am utterly BAFFLED by all of the horrible reviews here. I am wondering if somehow people went to an alternate Gentle Dental location (there are many in the area) but placed their review on this page accidentally.
Having cracked a tooth, and because this place is easy to get to and covered by my insurance, I called them early in the morning and was given an appointment literally an hour later. I was shocked and thankful to say the least. I rushed over for my 11AM appointment and I was taken back at 11AM. NO wait. There were two receptionists, one older and one younger. I will admit the younger was was more overtly friendly, but the other woman was by no means rude or unkind; just curt.
The hygienest who took my xrays was fast and pleasant. I was brought into the actual exam room and it only took about ten minutes for my dentist, Tyler, to come see me. We discussed my options and determined, as I feared, that the tooth could not be saved and needed to be extracted. The place, by the way, seemed perfectly clean to me.
I told Tyler that I was EXTREMELY intolerant to pain and had also had a recent dentist visit that left me very wary. He numbed my mouth, came back five minutes later and gave me novocaine injections. It was not painful. He came back to check up on me and we determined I needed a little more novocaine from the back of the mouth, which he also administered.
Through NO FAULT of Tyler’s the extraction procedure took over an hour. The truth of the matter is it was horrifying, simply because I had a very stubborn and deeply rooted tooth that did not want to come out. To his credit Tyler was patient and did not exhibit outward frustration although clearly he was, as was his incredibly kind and patient assistant who was, by the way, very very pregnant and yet still stayed on her feet for an hour with no complaint.
The procedure was difficult, but not painful The tooth eventually made it’s way out. I was given prescriptions for painkillers and antibiotics, as well as gauze for the bleeding. The entire procedure was covered by my insurance company. I thanked them and the checkout process was quick and easy. The less-​friendly receptionist even offered a quick «Don’t worry. It will feel better!» on my way out the door.
Now, on a totally inappropriate note, Tyler is a stone cold Fox. Seriously, he’s friggin’ gorgeous. So much so that I honestly figured he was gay. I mean, the office is located DIRECTLY across the street from Woody’s. And also did I mention he’s gorgeous? It turns out, thanks to some creative googling, he’s actually a Mormon from Utah. Is this relevant? I guess that’s up for you to decide. Truth be told if I had known in advance I might have been a little nervous, as Mormons don’t have a legendarily great relationship with the GLBTQ community.
I think what I am getting at is that at no point did Tyler’s faith come up nor did I feel judged or disapproved of. This may sound superfluous, but believe me… when you are gay, you worry about such things as a rule.
I cannot say enough about Tyler and Gentle Dental. I would highly recommend them to absolutely everyone.

Gentle Dental Center City is unprofessional to say the least. The women who work at the front desk are rude and the office is very trashy. The older woman who I assume is the office manager was chatting with the one receptionist for 45 minutes while I sat there. The other receptionist left the office in the middle of filling out my paperwork to get food. When I was taken back to the x-​ray room (I was there for a cleaning) I asked the receptionist why I was in the x-​ray room she acted as if I was bothering her. I apologize if I ruined your mid morning breakfast sandwich, but I am the customer.
If you’re a new patient be prepared to be there for 45+. Save your money and do not waste your time here. I will not be going back.

I wish I had done my research before visiting Gentle Dental. I randomly chose them off a list provided by my insurance company. Big mistake.
First, I got there about 15 minutes prior to my scheduled appointment time, yet I ended up waiting an hour before being seen. The woman who did the x-​rays was very friendly — I’ll give them that. She then took me back to the exam room. I was amazed at how filthy and dingy everything was. You could see dust gathered in the corners, and dirt on the floor. That’s not what I want to see in a dentist’s office.
The doctor came back, looked at the x-​rays and said that everything looked fine. She began the exam, and within 5 seconds determined that I had two cavities. She said she could fill them right then. I asked her only to fill one for the time being, because I was slightly skeptical. She seemed upset and shook her head. She then asked if I wanted a silver or white filling. Silver is free while white costs around $ 75. When I told her that I would just do silver, she got clearly angry and said I should really do white.
She was so rough with the needle while shooting me up with the Novocaine. As she began drilling, it was just hot, searing pain. I groaned slightly and flinched, to which she told me that I was acting «sensitive». Meanwhile, as she is doing this, she is gossiping about other members of the staff with her assistant.
After drilling, she told me to go ahead and schedule a second appointment to get the other cavity filled, which is when they would do the cleaning. They conveniently forget to tell you that you have to schedule your exam and cleaning separately. The excuse that day was that the hygienist was not in.
I got home and looked at my filling and was completely horrified. I have had fillings before, and whatever they use is bad. The only way I can describe it is to say that it looked like someone wrapped tin foil around my tooth. It looks awful! I immediately canceled my second appointment there and looked for another dentist.
I went to Dr. Yanez in society hill, which was a big difference from Gentle Dental. The office is spotless, I did not have to wait long for my exam, and everyone was very friendly. The hygienist there agreed with me that she had never seen a filling like the one gentle dental gave me. Also, that second cavity they said I had? Shockingly nonexistent.

I randomly picked this place off of the list provided to me by my insurance company. They were taking new patients and I just wanted to be seen for a cleaning… I definitely should have put a little thought and effort into researching this first.
This place is awful. The office is dirty/​dingy, the staff were inconsiderate, and there is no privacy when you are being treated.
You’d think that at your first visit, the dentist would make an effort to introduce himself, right? Not so! He came in (mask covering his face), sat down and proceeded to go to work. I stopped him to say, «Hi. I’m Andrew. Who are you?» whiched caused him to finally introduce himself.
I will never go back.

Gross, dingy office and rude staff. I had to wait an hour to be seen in my first appointment and 30 minutes (I was only seen after I complained) at my second. I was only here twice because they make you schedule your exams and cleanings separately, which I have never heard of before. They also forgot to tell me when I made my first appt that you have to request them as your dentist through your insurance before you can be seen. This caused me to be on the phone with my insurance company for 40 minutes causing me to almost miss my appt.
I’ve never had a cavity, and take very good care of my teeth. They told me, after saying my x-​rays were perfect, that I had one in my upper back teeth. My roommate had her appointment here shortly after I did and they told her the exact same thing (she’s never had a cavity either!). Can you say SCAM? They pressured us both to get them filled right away, saying they could do it right there in 10 min and we wouldn’t even feel it.
When I went back tot get my teeth cleaned, I told them I didn’t want the filling I scheduled and the receptionist rudley challenged me, asking me why I didn’t want it and scolding me that it was only going to get bigger. After waiting forever, I asked how much longer it would be, and I got more attitude. When I was finally seen, the hygenist was nice but it was the quickest, most half-​ass teeth cleaning I’ve ever had. Some scraping, floss, and a quick run of the polisher over not even all my teeth.
If you go here, which I highly recommend against, please get a second opinion if they tell you that you need work done. After my experience and reading the other reviews there is definitely something shady going on here.

Wow, the worst service I’ve ever received.
The dentists themselves are not too bad, actually. They have great bedside manners and are willing to answer questions.
I also don’t mind the old décor– as long as the dentists are good, no problem.
But the office staff are either really unhappy with their own lives or think that being rude to customers is a normal thing.
I have now talked to this office a total of 5 times for the same billing issue over the phone. (They keep billing the wrong insurance, although I told them from the time I made the appointment that my insurance had changed, and they told me not to worry about it.)
I received a bill in the mail stating that I owed them money, and when I called the office, the lady who «helped» me (loose adaptation of the word), smirked and said that my insurance was terminated. Not true– they again billed the wrong people. So, told them that this was incredibly atrocious and should not keep occurring, when she said, «thank you,» and promptly hung up on me. Who does that? Ironically, their message while you’re on hold goes on and on about providing excellent service. I requested to speak to a manager to give them feedback, but I have still yet to hear from them. Lame.
I hope that anyone reading this has other options for dental care around the city. Too bad it’s not the dentist but the front desk people who are subpar. It’s like a person who has never had cavities but has really terrible looking teeth that bill the wrong insurance repeatedly.

I cannot comment on the services provided by Gentle Dental, mostly because none were provided to me. Hence the one star.
I came as a new patient, arrived for my appointment slightly ahead of time to fill out paper work and sat down to wait. Aside from the dude talking to himself and the slightly outdated décor, nothing to write home about. But 20 minutes rolled by, then 30, then 40, at which point they said I would be seen shortly. Once I had been sitting in the waiting room for an hour I peaced, letting them know I wouldn’t need to reschedule my appointment. Hopefully my exit sped things along somewhat for the people waiting behind me.