West U Orthodontics

I had a good experience at this orthodontist’s office.
I was referred by my pediatric dentist for a very non-​traditional issue. My child did not need braces; she has not even had all her permanent teeth come in. However, my pediatric dentist wanted an orthodontist to look at my daughter’s mouth and make sure the spacer that had been put in place was all that needed to be done while we all waited for a very slow permanent tooth to rise up out of the jaw. There was no baby tooth to secure the spot, because the baby tooth had been impacted in the jaw and had to be cut out of the jaw by an oral surgeon years ago.
Because I was going to the orthodontist for something that was unusual, I expected problems. I learned long ago that anytime you need anything out of the ordinary from a service provider there will be bumps in the road. When I made the appointment a month ago, I explained that Dr. Salas’ office needed to get the xrays from my pediatric dentist’s office in order to give the consultation. The front office person said she would make sure it was done. When I called the morning of the appointment to make sure that the xrays had been obtained, the front office person (Maria) said that she would ask Dr. Salas (who receives xrays from other dentists’ offices). If the office had not received the xrays, Maria would call to get them and call me if there was an issue. Having not heard anything but knowing that unusual requests were usually not handled well, I called again a half hour before the appointment. Maria told me that the panoramic xrays that the pediatric dentist had were too old (as they were from 2010) and that it was not a problem because they would just take a set when I arrived. I explained that was a problem because I wasn’t coming in for braces, I was coming in for a very specific purpose and Dr. Salas needed the xrays that had been taken in January in order to accomplish the purpose of the visit. Maria assured me she would call for those xrays. Minutes later, someone from my pediatric dentist’s office called to explain that the xrays were not what the orthodonists usually wanted. I explained that I understood this, that I wasn’t going to the orthodontist for the normal purpose, and that the orthodontist needed the xrays from January. She assured they would be sent over and thankfully when we arrived at the appointment, the doctor had them.
We arrived a few minutes before our appointment, were shown back within 10 minutes, and were seen by Dr. Salas within a few minutes more. I found timing to be very efficient.
Dr. Salas was very nice and professional as she introduced herself and explained that she had been told that I did not want to have a panoramic xray taken. I explained that I was not opposed to a panoramic xray if she could explain to me why that xray would help her answer the very specific and narrow question that was the purpose of the visit. It took a few minutes of back and forth, but Dr. Salas understood what I was saying, agreed that she could look at my child’s mouth and then determine whether she needed the panoramic xray. I really appreciated both Dr. Salas’ tone and demeanor during the conversation, because I knew that my saying to an orthodontist that I don’t think a panoramic is necessary is like saying to a bank teller that she really didn’t need me to have a deposit slip to make a deposit.
Dr. Salas looked into my daughter’s mouth, agreed that the panoramic was not necessary, said that everything looked great (even commenting that braces are not likely to be necessary), and promised to follow up with my pediatric dentist.
From my perspective, Dr. Salas is not looking to put braces on every mouth that walks into her office, does listen to her patients, and is willing to take a wait and see approach when warranted. I liked her and thought her office was well run.

The team and I finished a big physical gig and I developed some dental issues that required attention. I was referred to Anna Salas at West U Orthodontics. This place was horrid.
The secretary was so obnoxious. She asked if I had filled out all of the paperwork online and I apologized and said no. I came 20 minutes early so I could take care of paperwork. She rolled her eyes and was rude and chastising. Wow. Really?
They kept me waiting for 30 plus minutes in the dental suite, likely to punish me for not filling out the online paperwork.
When Anna Salas finally saw me, she basically ushered me out of her office without ever completing the consultation. I think it was because I tried asking some questions about what the best choice was and seemed to be less interested in getting braces. She said she would call me to complete the consultation after they received the images from my dentist. Two and half weeks later and me calling the office to follow-​up, and they still didn’t call me back.
Horrible service. The orthodontist never actually provided service that she charged for, i.e. completing a consultation. I would strongly recommend not going to this office.