Hamner Dental Group and Orthodontics

I have dental insurance for the first time in years, so I set up an appointment with Hamner Dental Group because they were near my house. They took x-​rays and were pretty friendly. Then they did a gum exam, after which they informed me that I had scored a ⁶⁄₁₀ on the scale for several of my back teeth, which meant periodontal disease and required an expensive procedure to clean my teeth under my gums, laser the area to kill bacteria, and then reaffix my gums to my teeth. I would need a similar procedure in 3 – 4 months, and every 3 – 6 months for the rest of my life in order to keep my teeth. They also told me I had bone density loss.
They wanted me to have the procedure done right then and there, that very day. I asked how much my copay would be, and they informed me that it would be $ 580 out of my pocket. That’s nearly ¹⁄₃ of my monthly salary, so I told them that I could not afford to have it done right then. Then the friendliness stopped: they began to guilt me into having the procedure done, and when I said I wouldn’t be able to, they continued to mention it as they cleaned my teeth («I’ll only be cleaning ABOVE the gum line today, because you aren’t going to have the procedure you need»). I had to sign paperwork saying that I was going against doctor’s diagnosis and treatment, and they told me that when I came in again in 6 months, I would not have a choice as to whether I had the procedure: I would be required to have it then. I was concerned for my health, and trying to figure out a way to afford a procedure they told me would be necessary for me to keep my teeth.
As someone with pretty healthy teeth and gums, I wanted a second opinion from the dentist who I’ve been paying out of pocket for for the past 3 years. He saw me 1.5 weeks after Hamner Dental, and checked my gums again. He told me that not only were my gums at a 2/​10, but that I didn’t even have gingivitis, the bare minimum for gum disease. I certainly didn’t have bone density loss. He said the only thing I needed was a regular cleaning every 6 months.
Needless to say, I think it is both highly unprofessional, and more importantly, highly immoral and unethical to cause someone stress, money, and pain for an unnecessary procedure, not to mention guilt them when they cannot afford said procedure.

Showed up for an appointment and was made to wait 30 minutes before we were told we had to reschedule because the Doctor couldn’t take us. The receptionist (thin brunette) was rude and unprofessional. I will never bring my children here again, they clearly don’t care and don’t value their customers.

My daughter’s and I had a great experience here. It was our first time here Dr Panchal introduced herself prior to any treatment. Dr Marcelo and the RDA’s for the kids were excellent! Staff is very Friendly and helpful!

The visit my family and I experienced was definitely top notch! My daughter had minor tooth pain from a baby tooth that would not get loose and fall out on its own. We scheduled an appointment with My Kids Dentist /​Hamner Dental in Norco, and there is definitely no where else i’d rather go. The whole staff from front to back was friendly, inviting, and professional. Dr. Marcelo-​Aquino and her assistant Lisa were flippin AMAZING! My daughter was extremely nervous, they calmed her down, encouraged her throughout the whole process, pulled her tooth with NO discomfort, and now I’m playing tooth fairy at 11:42 at night! :) I always want the best for my three daughter’s, and Dr. Marcelo-​Aquino and her team are definitely THE BEST! Thank you again, you will of course be seeing us in the future!

They’re absolutely amazing. The staff and the doctor are incredibly kind and really care about their patients. They completely took care of me and made sure that I was not under any pain when they were working on my teeth. I would highly recommend. Been going there for years and I will continue. Thank you Hamner Dental!

Seriously so terrible I don’t even know where to start… They are great until you aren’t making them money. They could care less about you. Dr. Kumudini Panchal is the worst as far as attitude and treatment of her patients. Very negative with you if you don’t spend top dollar on treatment you do not need. Get a second opinion and you will see if the treatment she tells you that you need is really necessary. I cannot trust them. She wouldn’t even tell me the benefits of the more expensive filling compared to the cheaper filling, it was the most expensive one or nothing and my teeth would fall out. She wouldn’t even give me the choice. Luckily I have friends in the industry that warned me about dentists like this. It’s true they lie to get your money. On top of that she is very rude. I can’t believe people like this are trusted with patients.

I am so incredibly happy with this place! Both my kids see Dr. Marcelo and she has completely undone the damage from other dentists that caused fear and anxiety. My son is going to Dr. Martin for braces next month and I couldn’t be more pleased. The cost and payment plan is reasonable and my son and I both felt really comfortable with Dr. Martin. I recently had work done with Dr. Dhama and she was fabulous! She was kind, patient and very gentle. Along with the doctors, the staff at Hamner Dental is fantastic. What a blessing!

Everyone at this office is so extremely friendly and helpful. They are always willing to work with me financially, they greet me very nicely and even appear to remember me, even though I’m only there once every 6 months. I referred my dad to them for a procedure just based on the fact that I enjoyed everyone there so much, and they ended up giving him an amazing discount because of my referral! They are so sweet and helpful, I would definitely recommend them to anyone.

Had a dental emergency and found this office on my insurance provider list. I Called and they got me in the same day. I was in extreme pain. I have a lot of anxiety when it comes to the dentist so I was not really happy about going. From the minute I checked in all the way to seeing the dentist and the staff, I was comfortable and was treated really well. The dentist sat with me before taking X-​rays to talk about my issue and also find out past history and future needs/​wants. I was treated respectfully and other then finding out treatment costs, I was really pleased with the dentist. I will be going back for all future dental care and will recommend them to friends and family. Thank you for taking such good care of me and helping me get thru my anxiety and fear of the dentist.

This is a dentist office that people warn you about. I went in here when I was 20. They told me that my teeth were so bad that if I didn’t get a $ 2,500 deep gum cleaning that they were all going to fall out within a couple years. But if I couldn’t afford that, they had a $ 1,000 option, but it was more temporary & I would eventually need the more pricey cleaning. They also told me I had two cavities. Once I told them I couldn’t afford it, they didn’t even do a routine cleaning on my teeth. They just told me to come back once I wanted to book the deep gum clean.
I ended up going to another dentist for a second opinion. They told me my teeth were beautiful, no cavities & that I didn’t even seem to be cavity prone. I’ve now been going to my new place every 6 months for the 2 years & they have not once tried to push a deep gum cleaning on me. And they actually clean my teeth when I come in!
This dentist office is a scam. Definitely avoid.

It’s been several years since I’ve been to the dentist and just like many, I hate going. For years I’ve known that I needed a lot of work but due to extreme dental anxiety I have put it off for so long. Until I found Dr. Dhama and her awesome team. From my painless shot and cleaning by the hygienist Joy, to the quick and easy crown done by Dr Dhama it eased my fear. Thanks Hamner dental group.

I came to this office for a quote for braces and they came in HUNDREDS of dollars less than my normal dentist. Staff is very polite and accommodating. I completely trust and recommend using Hamner dental!

This dental group is all about sales not dental health. Holy cow, you can’t get away from the sales pitch of «add-​on» dental work. Once you made the decision NOT to do the suggested dental «add-​on» work, they leave you sitting there for an hour while they attend other patients. Clearly, this dental group is all about the up sales and not about the patients dental health. I will never go back. Buyer beware!

Staff was very friendly and helpful especially Melanie Smith. The first thought I needed a root canal but when they went in, they found I did not, I just needed to replace the crown. Very very happy.

Still loving these guys! Daughter just had partial removed yesterday– it was in place for almost 4 years, well 3 years and 8 months to be EXACT. Treatment was great, super dentist assistant that was happy and friendly and a great person to work with kids. Our dentist, Dr Marcelo, awesome as usual. No issues, no complaints, no drama to report.

I took my 2 year old and my 3 year old to this dental office and they had so much fun that they almost cried on their way out. The staff was friendly and the dentist really made my kids feel special. They gave nice electric toothbrushes to my kids and let them watch cartoons as they cleaned their teeth. SO Far So Good!

I am not one who likes going to the dentist, I don’t know many people who do, but I love coming here. The office mgr Melanie Smith is super friendly and very helpful when I needed my benefits explained. The rest of the staff is great too. I highly recommend this office for bring professional and friendly.

Avoid this office! Sure the office looks really nice and the staff are very friendly but they lie to get your money!
I went in for a basic cleaning and exam as a new patient. They told me I needed to redo my crown that is less than 5 years old. They intimidate and scare you into treatment! I started asking questions trying to understand the whats and whys and the lady was getting frustrated with me and got really aggressive about how «bad» my teeth were. RED FLAG! I ran, not walked out of that place and drove almost 2 hours to my old dentist whom I trust completely and confirmed that my crown was in perfect condition. When I tried to have the Digital XRays transferred, they told me they could only print them on paper and that they do not have the option to give the digital file to me. That’s a flat out lie.
I do not trust them at all. AVOID AVOID AVOID if you don’t want to waste your money on unneeded treatments!!! How pathetic to take advantage of people like that!

Whoever gave Hamner Dental a bad review has greatly misjudged them. I went in based on a colleague’s recommendation for my broken tooth. The front office staff was very friendly, got me in right away, and helped me fill out necessary paperwork for my dental insurance. The medical staff was efficient, friendly, and extremely competent. They have state-​of-​the-​art dental equipment which is reassuring and made my visit as enjoyable as a dentist visit can be. I plan on switching my entire family to Hamner Dental and make them my preferred choice of dentists. Just to put this into perspective, Hamner Dental is SO good that I am «dumping» the dentist that my family and I have gone to for 20+ years. I highly recommend Hamner Dental for you and your family’s dental needs!

I was very happy with my experience having a root canal here. I had originally gone to my dentist I had when I had coverage but they were going to charge me almost twice as much, so I was referred here by a friend and decided to give them a try.
So happy I did — I saw a dentist, a specialist, I was pregnant and they took great care of me!