Brent J Porter, DDS

Terrible gossip staff. They told my ex husband I was cashing their insurance checks. He loved using that against me in court. Come to find out the insurance sent checks to a random addressed that were NEVER cashed. They could have easily resolved this by calling insurance and getting the information rather than making up false stories and sharing them with whomever would listen then in court documents to follow by my ex. Complete lies and I’m sure a violation of privacy laws. Regardless insurance will be resubmitting the checks to Porter and I’ll be looking into action on my side. Issues resolved and the doc will be getting their insurance money reissued by the insurance company. Inappropriate staff– I can’t believe they created this situation– unbelievable.

We have been going to Dr. Porter since our kids were little. We now have teens that need orthodontics and Dr. Porter can supply that too! Such a great guy that really gets to know the kids. We are so happy to have him as our children’s dentist. We have dental insurance so our rates/​payments are not bad. When it comes to braces he is happy to work out a payment plan. I always recommend Dr. Porter.

We’ve have been with Dr. Porter for many years & we couldn’t be more pleased. Dr. Porter is really the best Pediatric Dentist in SC County & he’s always been honest, professional, reasonable, very understanding about whatever issue may arise. I really appreciate him — a rare gift in this field! I also appreciate the humility with which he goes about his business & I love that he has several children of his own:) I’ve heard kids going through horrible experiences with dentists that have not cared for the «child» side of kids needing extra TLC. Kudos!

It is with some trepidation that I even post a review. I would just say, stay away.
Anyway, we had gone to Dr. Porter for several years and it seemed things kept falling through the cracks. Missed reminders and just a sense of unclear communication. But he was a nice man, seemed professional and caring, and the front office was acceptable. Then we were told my child needed some work done and to please come in for a consultation with the doctor. I let months pass and finally followed up and through some significant effort finally learned from the front office that the doctor had recommended the removal of teeth! When I finally caught up to the doctor (not easy) he said he hadn’t actually recommended that… he said there were many cavities that needed to be filled!
Again panicked, I felt terrible so much time had passed. But I was uneasy about the history of poor communication and the casual way we were informed about a pretty significant diagnosis. So I took my child to a different dentist who simply stated there were no cavities to be filled. None – teeth were all pearly white.
So I informed Dr. Porter of this development and the next day I received a letter from his office firing us as patients.
So strange.

Dr. Porter refused to see us as patients anymore because I chose not to have my son X-​rayed when he was 5 because he had been hospitalized when he was 3 and had multiple X-​rays and procedures. My pediatrician and MY dentist agreed with me that it would be fine not to have them. I told him I would sign off on it, and I knew the risk I was taking, but I had to do what I felt was right for my son. Porter said he could not see any areas that needed attention and there was no decay. When I asked him, in front of my 5 year old, «Are there any areas he needs to work on brushing or is he doing well?» His response was «I don’t know without x-​rays». Way to motivate your patients doc!!! I am not a crazy person who doesn’t let her kids near cell phones or computers, I was going to have my 4 year old get X-​rays when I brought her back. It was specific to my son and his specific medical condition. He was such a jerk about it!!!

When we said that our kids don’t get juice or candy or soda, instead of checking genetic issues as a possibility, he actually said we should stop feeding our kids fruit. Oh, and he’ll want to prescribe you everything in the book, at premium cost, of course. And, when my husband said he’d have to «check with his wife» about the estimate, Dr. Porter shamed him as a man for having to do so. He also required that we have an adult-​only consultation, failed to unlock the door for the consultation, then sent me a $ 50 bill for a missed appt. I sent him a bill back for the waste of my time, then was fired as a client.

I cannot speak to the prices Dr. Porter charges because my insurance has always covered my costs (guess I have good insurance). What pleases me the most about Dr. Porter and his practice is his philosophy on intervention. Contrary to what some other reviewers have said, Dr. Porter has always erred on the side on non-​intervention, specifically concerning orthodontics. He has cared for my daughter since the age of 4. At the age of 8, when several of her permanent teeth were coming in crooked, he kept telling us, «Let’s wait and see what the teeth do before we start talking about braces.» Sure enough, her teeth straightened out! I have always felt like Dr. Porter has the dental health of my daughter first and foremost in his mind and actions.
I also find the office staff friendly and helpful. The hygienists are thorough, thoughtful and develop a good rapport with parents and children.
I’ve recently moved out of the area and am struggling to find a pediatric dentist that can hold a candle to Dr. Porter :(

Although we didn’t end up having Dr. Porter do any work on our son, we felt compelled to write a review about our experience with him. Based on a 2 minute exam of our son’s teeth, no xrays, he prescribed a treatment plan of over $ 6k in work (not including the anesthesiologist’s fees). He said our son (4.5yo) had decay worthy of treatment on all but 4 teeth. Said he’d have to do at least 1 extraction and 3 pulpotomies. He also said he had an abscess, and when my husband questioned what made him think that, his reply was «Well, 17 years of experience», with no further clarification. We knew our son had issues, but he was in no pain, and we couldn’t see going to such great lengths if the adult teeth aren’t affected. He wanted all this done under IV sedation. Seems to be the only way he works, from what I’ve heard around town. Even though our son is nearly a perfect patient — very compliant. He offered no alternatives, no possibilities to do anything different from his plan. He wouldn’t take xrays until that morning, so we’d have no recourse to give it some further thought. We would’ve had to pay the anesthesiologist $ 350 upfront to schedule the appointment, with no refunds other than due to illness. It really felt like a scam and a drill mill.
Luckily we asked around and got a referral to a family dentist known for being good with children. Our son just had his first tooth worked on yesterday, and it went perfectly. She was able to do a pulpotomy and place composite in his worst tooth, all with just a novocaine shot — didn’t even need the nitrous. Her treatment plan will come to just over $ 3k and only involve 7 of his teeth. There are no abscesses and it doesn’t appear he’ll need anymore pulpotomies. She made her plan after getting xrays and 2 exams, as well as asking us about our concerns and preferred approach. A complete difference of night and day! I shudder to think what we would’ve put our son (and bank account!) through had we followed Dr. Porter’s ego-​filled advice. I’m writing this in hopes that other parents won’t be swayed by his fear-​filled talk.

As everyone else states here, Brent is a great dentist and also has good hygienists. The front office staff is hit and miss, some are definitely more help and friendly than others. The costs are over the top and keep us from visiting as often as we would like.

Dr. Porter is incredibly kind and thorough. He explains everything to my son and is empathetic. No t.v.s are needed here. The office is decorated in a surf décor and the children are given the standard prizes after their checkup. Are you the kind who flosses and brushes really well? Well, than congratulations! You just may be one of the lucky ones who get to enter their names in a raffle and walk off with a new cruiser! If you’re not such a great brusher, no worries. You’re still treated kindly. My son is not a flosser and he still is congratulated for just using a toothbrush and a post brush «wash». He does not need braces, so I can not comment on that type of service.