Monica Tong, DDS

I had no issue with my previous dentist, but when my company switched to Cigna Dental, suddenly my existing dentist became out of network.
Dr. Tong was recommended by an acquaintance and I was too lazy to research for a new dentist. Her reviews here were stellar, so I figured, why not.
I have nothing against Dr. Tong-​, I agree with the 3 reviews here, that she’s good, professional, friendly enough (not too chatty) and knowledgeable. She also sees patients on Saturdays starting July 2013 so it worked out great for me.
One of my minor pet peeve was there was no spit station next to the chair unlike my previous dentist. I had to get out of the chair and go to the sink then spit it out.
No biggie, I can deal with that. Their equipment seemed up to date and Dr. Tong never really tried to sell me stuff (you know, like whitening and stuff like that) and was very honest with me so I was content.
So overall, I’ve been to see her 4 times in 2013 (April, May, July and recently in Dec). After my 3^rd visit and having had paid a few hundred bucks up front at their reception, I thought something just didn’t feel right about this payment. .I was already paying a lot for my dental insurance but why wasn’t any or most of it covered? So one day, I finally did my homework about my current dental coverage and then went online to Cigna to check my account/​claim status.
It turns out this office had been billing my visit to Dr. Melissa Maus, whom Dr. Tong shares the office with. My April, May and July visits were all under Dr. Maus, and the problem was, she is completely out of network for my insurance.
After a few email exchange, their front office finally mailed me a refund check, close to $ 300 around Sep. The initial staff who emailed with me back and forth was not very professional on email and I had to constantly follow up from my end to check the status. The 2^nd staff who took over the email communication was better, and actually apologized for the mishap.

I was too lazy to find another dentist and just kept my 6 months check up as scheduled and went again in early Dec.
To my surprise, they were gonna take my Xray since the last one on file was from 2 years ago. I was already in a foul mood and said no to this since I was not told beforehand and thus had other things planned after this visit.
Oddly enough, the check up cleaning lasted less than 10 minutes.
What I was most disappointed with, was that there was absolutely no mention of my billing mess up. Not even a word about ‘I’m sorry this happened, we’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again. «
Sure, they’re all nice, but guess what, my Dec visit, again showed up under Dr. Maus’s name when I checked it online via Cigna website.
I’m not returning to this office ever again and risk getting my billing all get messed up all the time.
I’m giving three stars because Dr. Tong is all right as a dentist in my eyes.
But she should consider switching to a different office to share in downtown location in the near future.

I’ve been going to Dr. Tong for over 4 years. She’s very professional, quite thorough and knowledgable, and extremely pleasant. The office staff is always very helpful too.

My first dentist visit in a very long time and it was a good experience. Dr. Tong made pleasant small talk and was very informative. Told me what I needed to know and now my teeth look awesome after a very thorough cleaning.

Dr. Tong is knowledgeable, professional and thorough. She has all the modern technology bells and whistles in her office, and she’s even open Saturdays. I was really afraid of getting my crown done and I didn’t get around to it until I was pregnant — she made the experience infinitely more comfortable than I expected! The office staff and assistants are also great and capable. I have had many awful dental experiences in the city, so I know the difference!

I started going to Dr. Tong about 3 years ago. She is the best dentist I’ve ever met. She is very professional, thorough, caring, and friendly. She erased the crack lines on my teeth. I no longer need to hide my teeth from the public. I’ve seen four dentists in the city before, but none of them could change that for me. The prices are very reasonable too. Even I have two friends who are dentist, I will still go for Dr. Tong. Everyone in her office are very friendly. The environment just makes you feel so relax and calm, especially when they have the 40s classic collections on.