Comprehensive Dental – Steve Lockett, DMD

Amazing dentist! Kind and gentle but the front desk manager is hands down so rude and will yell at you and embarrass you to the point you no longer wish to come in. I left and found to a new dentist because of her once! but missed Dr. Lockett so much I came back and bit my tongue with her. She is just as horrid as she was before and I have been going there for years! I have spent thousands of dollars because its a more expensive office. If you do book an appointment never ever cancel! It’s not the $ 100. They charge you that is the problem, I will gladly pay it! It’s Ona! the front desk manager who will rip you apart like you are ruining their whole business. If you ask to speak to Lockett to ask where his customer service is… You probably will not get a response.

I meant to review Comprehensive Dental after I got my crown put on, but I completely forgot!
The experience I had during my appointment was very relaxing, which is great because I have extreme anxiety going to the dentist. I felt no pain, Dr. Lockett & his staff were friendly and comforting throughout the entire procedure. The crown appointment is about 3 hours, as they make the crown right then and there, and are able to put it on. They provide you with a blanket too if you get cold.
As said in my previous review, I had come in once before to get a chipped tooth fixed, and had a wonderful experience then. Wow. I never thought I’d say something like that about a dentist visit.
I was in today for a teeth cleaning. Upon arriving, the lady at the desk was super excited I was wearing a Seahawks sweatshirt. Turns out, if you wear Seahawks gear you get to answer a trivia question for a chance to win a prize! Kinda cool! I’m assuming they do it throughout the regular season. My cleaning today was quick, easy, and painless. The dental assistants were all very friendly and chatty, and took good care of making sure I wasn’t stressing out about anything. Made me feel a lot better about having dental work done.
Still, going to the dentist is low on my list of favorite things to do — but coming here puts me at ease and I am not so worried about leaving in pain.

Dr. Locket is marketing expensive mouth appliances to people who do not need it. He is asking everyone questions that lead to promoting an appliance which is a side business, and my sleep dr. said it is not a good quality appliance. (I had showed him the brochure from Dr. Lockett) If you are told you need this appliance speak to your sleep dr. first. Do not get talked into doing a sleep study with Lockett rather than a medical sleep study, which Dr. Lockett said, misses a lot of things and his study is way cheaper. My sleep dr. said my CPAP collects data and shows how long I wear the CPAP each night, what pressure I am requiring to stop the apnea, and if I am having any apnea or even tiny leaks of air escaping from my mask. Dr. Lockett has his dental hygienists asking everyone, it seems, these questions which lead to suggesting the appliance. My daughter was quizzed, and she doesn’t have sleep apnea or any trouble breathing while she sleeps. Doesn’t make a sound at night. And my daughter heard Dr. Lockett telling someone in the next spot over the same things he told me. I was fine for the most part with dental care there until he started in on this sleep apnea campaign, and knowing I had it, he wouldn’t let it be. I was numbed up, when Dr. Lockett and his dental asst. walked into the room, started on filling my cavity and started a conversation above me between themselves. She said, «Dr. Lockett, how is your project going?» To which he responded, «Very well!», adding that he had the slide show almost done. He had used this comic for the first page about a guy who falls asleep at the wheel, and gee, did you know that such and such percent of people drive when they are too tired and such and such percent cause accidents because of it? It was a totally contrived conversation they had planned before walking in, aimed directly at me. The dental asst. confirmed it when she then turned to me and asked if I was wearing my CPAP every night. I never had talked to this girl about my sleep apnea, how did she know I had it? I said, yes. And she said, Does it work? I said, yes. And she says, «How do you know?!» Dr. Lockett asked me, «Do you sleep with your mouth open?» I said, No. He said, «How do you know?! You’re asleep!» I have slept with CPAP with success, had numerous sleep studies and been under sleep doctor’s care for more than 20 years! Who were they to be acting like they knew it all, and I was ignorant of my condition, not treating it correctly, and risking myself and others by insinuating I drive when I am too tired to be behind the wheel? Then they proceeded to tell me about this appliance and it all became clear why I had been being badgered about my sleep apnea. My trip to my sleep dr. confirmed it. He told me the appliance is expensive, and not covered by most insurances. PLUS if you have the appliance the insurance will no longer pay for replacement parts for your CPAP because you have to have chosen CPAP… OR… the appliance as your course of treatment for your sleep apnea. I was told by a dental assistant that it could be worn WITH the CPAP and it actually helps the CPAP work better. My sleep doc said, the appliance is only for people who do not tolerate the CPAP. It even said this in the brochure Dr. Lockett had given me. So he knew I used CPAP successfully and was trying to change what my sleep dr has prescribed for me to do. I sent an email to Dr. Lockett’s office explaining all I learned after going to my sleep dr. and about the condescending behavior I received. I had to contact the office a week later to see if my last bite guard which they had me pay for upfront several months earlier, was billed to my insurance. I could see it was not. The office manager/​receptionist said it had not been and she would do that right away. This was long after it should have been sent in, and I had never been charged the full amount for something, only what I would have to pay after insurance coverage. It really seemed unethical to me. She also told me that Dr. Lockett received my email and was working on a reply in between patients. (Sure, I thought) Due to caring for and losing a family member, I did not get back to this issue until I saw a month later that my insurance had paid half of the bill. I contacted the same person in the office and she said, yes, I do have a refund and she would tell the bookkeeper to mail it to me. Why wasn’t it billed in the first place, and why wasn’t my refund sent out? She also said due to unforeseen circumstances, Dr. Lockett wasn’t able to answer my email yet but he was working on it. That was probably close to a month ago. Still no email from Dr. Lockett, not that I can imagine him saying anything to redeem his practices and keep me as a patient. I had never asked him for a response, and I never expected it. If he wants to comment on it now, he can comment on it to the Unilocal community, and anywhere else I post this review, to try and justify his practices.

The front office management is terrible. Well the front office manager lady «who wouldn’t give me her name». Dr. Lockett is doing a fine job at his dentistry, it’s just too bad he hired a poor, immature and crazy lady for the front office manager. I have never been treated so badly before from someone who is supposed to be a professional. I even asked to speak with someone else or the dentist himself, as I believe anyone could have and would have listened and heard me out as a customer to their practice before screaming like a banshee at me. She was very much in the wrong for her unprofessionalism.
I called to talk about a letter I received and was disgruntled because the letter was written… shall I say… pretty rudely. So when I told the front office manager about this, she went on to tell at me to stop screaming at her… and that «she can scream right back at me» (let me tell you if I were screaming you’d know it lol), I laughed, as it was delusional of her to think I was screaming… it was very odd… I actually was embarrassed for her if their were customers waiting in the waiting room who would have heard her yelling like that over the phone to a customer. All I wanted was for someone to help me with the letter I received, which could have easily been cleared up and figured out if someone with dignity and respect for others were to have answered my call. But to be yelled at, lied about, not being able to get a word in edgewise, and then hung up on… Seriously?
After this happened my husband and I decided immediately we would take our business elsewhere. In a case like this, I normally wouldn’t give just one star just from part of the business going badly, in this case it was just the front office manager who was dead wrong. But because she was SO poorly unprofessional and dishonest in her dealing with me… I can’t even fathom giving two stars.
I hope to see this office succeed in the future without this crazy lady running the front. :(

I have had nothing but great experiences here since I’ve been a patient of theirs for 14 years when Dr. Ingle (with whom I miss dearly, but with time comes retirement). When Dr. Lockett took over I saw no change in my care. They take good care of me, the hygienists, front desk staff (mostly Oona) have been here since I came to them those 14 years ago when I graduated from my pediatric dentist, Dr.Tom.
There was this one time Dr. Ingle had a partner, had messed up something in my mouth. This was the one time I was disappointed. The partner seemed to know what he was doing but he caused more damage than good where I had Dr. Ingle fix the issue. Let’s just say I make sure the doctor who owns the practice looks at my teeth from now on.
I have been to other dental practices in the past in Seattle and was nothing but disappointed. They were so bad! I came back to Dr. Lockett and haven’t looked back since. I live in Puyallup and make the trek here because I believe it’s worth it. Unless I end up living two hours away I will stay with them. Thanks for taking great care of me!

We were patients of this practice for 10 years because we loved the care we received from Dr Ingle. I see other reviews that mirror that sentiment, but I also see reviews that reflect very different experiences now that Dr. Lockett has taken over the practice and I am not surprised by them. We had to part ways after a recent experience a few months ago where unneccesary procedures were recommended and performed on my wife that cost us almost $ 500 out of pocket.
Each visit here we always feel like we are being sold something. My wife went in for a cleaning and was told she needed treatment for gum disease. Most importantly they said that our insurance, United Concordia one of the top dental insurers in the country, would cover it. 2 red flags here. The first is that my wife has near perfect dental hygiene with no history of any gum disease. The second is more of a red flag for this practice. My wife works in dentistry and she became extremely curious as to why they would recommend this procedure when she didn’t need it. They rushed to get her back in for the first phase of the treatment but before the second phase she wisely cancelled her appointment after consulting with other professionals in the dental industry who also wondered why they were recommending this.
Well I guess it came as no surprise when we received a bill for nearly $ 500 claiming that insurance would cover $ 0 of it after Dr. Lockett’s office told us it would cover 100% of it. My wife’s skepticism was confirmed as the explanation of benefits from the insurer read as follows…
«Benefits for periodontal scaling and root planing are only available when there is evidence of loss of attachment due to periodontal disease. The documentation submitted does not demonstrate loss of attachment consistent with destruction of the periodontal ligament and loss of the adjacent bone support. Scaling calculus and bacterial deposits from enamel surfaces, whether supragingival or subgingival does not constitute root planing»
Quite simply they are saying that it was an unnecessary procedure. I begged and pleaded with their front office and Dr. Lockett to reverse these charges since we were told this was necessary and insurance would cover it, but the majority of their communication around this was that if we didn’t pay by a certain date then we would be sent to collections. Our family neighborhood dentist of 10 years was willing to lose loyal patients over roughly $ 470. This is just my experience which is what you are supposed to post on Unilocal.I hope you have a different experience if you go here but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Let me premise this with the fact that I’m relatively picky with regard to dentists. I had been unhappy with previous dentists and so sought others. For a time, we went through two dentists a year. So the fact that hubby and I have been patients so long really says something.
My husband and I have been going to Dr. Lockett since we moved to the area in 2007 and our dentist we’d been going to (and loved) in Mercer Island moved back to Chicago. We have had nothing but good service by he and his staff, most of whom have been there for a really long time — including Oona, who really does remember everyone who walks in the door. One hygienist came back after being away for a long time — and chose this office because of how she and the other staff are treated.
When Dr. Brenner was there (he left the practice fairly recently), he performed a filling and, like they do sometimes, it developed a problem. Dr. Brenner replaced it at no charge to me.
What’s also great is that, most times, one can get an appointment relatively quickly, not weeks away. And I’m pretty sure (though don’t know ’cause I’ve never needed it) that if a patient had a dental emergency of some kind, Dr. Lockett’s office would definitely squeeze that patient in.
In response to another review regarding Dr. Lockett’s not calling in a prescription for another’s procedure, first, think liability. A doctor or dentist calling in a prescription for a procedure he is not personally performing puts him at risk — and may be illegal in some jurisdictions. (Plus, since, in this particular case, Dr. Lockett’s licensed in Washington, he most likely also isn’t licensed in Arizona and therefore couldn’t call in a prescription there if he wanted to.) Second, it’s like going to a real estate agent and having her list your house for sale that you’re going to pay another, cheaper real estate agent to sell.
Bottom line: a good dentist with excellent staff.

My family and I have been patients of this practice for 30 years. No more! When Dr. Lockett bought the practice, we noticed an increase in marketing efforts and a decrease in patient satisfaction. I live part time in Tucson and have gone to Mexico for new crowns. ($ 400.00 vs $ 1400.00) You can imagine that was met by a cold shoulder by Dr. Lockett, even though I still went to him for checkups and cleanings. I’m going to Mexico next week to have my teeth whitened and need an antibiotic before any dental work because of a knee replacement. I called the office and asked them to call in the prescription to my pharmacy in Tucson. They refused because Dr. Lockett isn’t doing the work. Seems like a little retribution for going elsewhere to me. Even my favorite hygenist of many many years has left Dr. Lockett. It used to be such a great practice, as the review from 2007 said. No more.

I have been going here for the past, oh, 14 years I think. Even though I’m long gone from Renton, I still go here. The hygenists are always so nice, and Oona at the front desk always makes it seem like she remembers you when you walk through the door. «Hi Carrie! Take a seat, we’ll let ‘em know you’re here.»
They have always made me feel so relaxed, and lots of high tech equipment really puts this place a step above the rest.