De Martino Gaeton J Dentist

I recently moved to the area and went to DeMartino in hopes that I wouldn’t have to travel over an hour to go to the dentist I left behind. I had a TERRIBLE experience with DeMartino. They told me I had some VERY small cavities that needed filling (that they found on some special high caliber X-​ray machine that supposedly nobody has yet), so I asked how much it would cost and they told me around $ 100.
When I went in to have them filled, the procedure was poorly done — the technician pinched my lip and the dentist himself BURNED it with the laser — and then I was charged $ 137 instead of $ 100. Okay, I accepted that they told me they had just given me an estimate and it depended on what the insurance paid, but THEN I GOT A BILL FOR AN ADDITIONAL $ 157! So what was supposed to be a $ 100 procedure that was poorly done — on top of the pinched and burned lip, they left rough spots in my mouth — it cost almost TRIPLE what I was quoted!
When I asked for clarification, they sent me a bill that wasn’t itemized and just the $ 157 again. They sent me to a collection agency after less than 6 months — and NO clarification — and when I sent a letter of dispute, instead of dealing with me, they had the collection agency send me another copy of the un-​itemized bill.
I spoke with a colleague last week and he told me he had a bad experience with DeMartino too but was smart enough to get out before going through with the procedure.
DO NOT USE THIS GROUP — They are TERRIBLE. Terrible service, terrible communication, terrible care.

Where to start… First, I am reviewing Jeffrey De Martino, not his father (Gaeton).
I went to him a few years back to handle a new upper denture and extractions (he sent me to an oral surgeon for that). He was also making me a new lower denture, which I had for years – since I was a teen. I warned him of 3 things: I was terribly afraid of dentists my whole life; I had one of the worst gag reflexes my doctors had ever seen; and had a low tolerance for pain.
I went through many sessions doing impressions of my mouth, got through the gagging and he made me a full set of dentures – to be put in at the last after my remaining 6 upper teeth were extracted… I got through it all, even considering lousy bedside manner, so to speak.
When it came down to having the dentures adjusted and fine-​tuned there were problems galore. He became very impatient with me each time I would come back with obvious abrasions and sores in my mouth from the ill-​fitting upper denture. (The lower one fit fine since he took a wax mold of my old denture.)
It got to a point where he told me off, saying I was the fussiest client he ever had. I was shocked, especially considering that each time I needed adjusting there were obvious sores on my gums. I swelled up with anger and frustration – after all, he knew this was a life changing thing for me to go through… tears, pain and all. I hadn’t been to a dentist in over 45 years. I told him up from that I needed a dentist that would guide me through this whole process with patience and understanding. He had neither.
The interesting thing is, after he threw his tantrum at me, he walked out and his assistant said I wasn’t the first patient he’s treated that way!
In the end, I had learned a lot… I never went back and managed to smooth out the rough spots on my denture myself– with marker and dremel tool. I had finally stopped the pain from happening – myself.
This guy is egotistical… a boy who grew up in Daddy’s business that think’s he knows it all. He didn’t have to create the practice on his own and treats people like they are just causing HIM trouble. Shame on him. If you have a fear of dentists and need some good hand-​holding and patience, go elsewhere. This guy puts on a good act up front but will tear your soul out later on.
Oh yea… and my wife also went to him and he caused her tons of pain… often telling her «You can’t possibly be feeling pain after the injections I gave you». She did. Period. She is the patient, not him. Doesn’t he know that people have a wide range of pain tolerance? He also seems to drag out her proceedures, knowing that our dental insurance will pay more and more and more…