Coast Dental & Orthodontics

The staff took my insurance info and told me «this is just a discount plan.»
It wasn’t true. I was in an «emergency» and needed dental care promptly. I accept responsibility for not maintaining my dental health as well as I should.
The tooth I complained about was next to another that x-​ray revealed as needing a root canal. Numbed up, I had no idea which tooth they were working on until the level 8 pain returned after the anesthetic wore off.
Strike one, Coast Dental AND strike two. My «discount card» WAS INSURANCE ALL ALONG!
I went back to the «specialist» at the MLK Jr office. She told me the tooth I was complaining about needed «another root canal.» The one they worked on was fine, and they did a fine job with it.
HOWEVER, the tooth that drove me in in the first place was in full rage. The Dr drilled through my crown and re-​did the root canal done a decade earlier. The Pain did not go away.
Turns out that on Jan 2, 2015 when I went in to S Pasadena, the picture of THAT tooth was the one I took with me to the other office. The Dr tore into my tooth.
That is when the active infection really exploded. I complained repeatedly, she told me to «live with it.»
i returned to S Pasadena for a cleaning. The Doc (an excellent dentist, btw) lined up my x-​rays (this was in April of 2015) and the one marked «Jan 2, 2015″ got his attention:» That tooth is cracked and deteriorating. It needs to come out.“
I was stunned. «Your other doctor did a root canal on a cracked tooth!» I said.
He got very quiet and changed the subject.
I called corporate and told my story to the GM. I suggested they work out a credit for some or all of the $ 800 they charged me. She said «I will take this to corporate and get back to you.»
Well. I waited a few months, NOTHING.
I assert Coast Dental did an expensive root canal on a DAMAGED tooth exacerbating a dangerous infection. It drained into my mouth as I awaited news.
Finally, I went to Dr Mendoza in Gulfport and he removed the tooth. My infection was severe and he was openly shocked, but made no comment to my tale.
I DO NOT suggest Coast Dental is a good choice. Their corporate sales pressure and clearly underpaid and irritated staff indicates a depraved corporate structure NOT about patients. Its about sales pressure.
I also assert the second dentist, the one that did an unnecessary procedure on a broken tooth has competency problems. That she gossiped about other workers while I was laying there and arrogantly kept proclaiming how much more experienced she was (what? unbelievably unprofessional!) was disturbing.
When it became clear that tooth #5 was not getting better, she offered to remove it «free of charge.» She CLEARLY mis-​read my x-​ray. NO DOUBT. The photo showed the crack CLEARLY.
I will never darken their doorway again. they BURNED me for $ 800 and acted like the corporate monsters they are. The remaining balance was not ameliorated by the insurance they LIED about.
The dentist at the S. Pasadena office is wonderful. The other at the MLK office?
RUN!
After the removal of the infected tooth, Dr Mendoza showed me the brutally damaged tooth and several huge sacks of infection. 24 hours later, I feel better than I have in months.
Coast Dental is an example of what corporate structure does to dental medicine. I am disgusted with them.

I gave this place repeated chances over several years, but the lack of professionalism of the front office staff (gossiping, not acknowledging patients, not telling you they were running more than half an hour behind schedule), a revolving door of different dentists, and shoddy work, all became too much to deal with.

I was referred to this office after the last Coast Dental office cancelled my appointment a hour before the appointment time. My son had already started taking the prescribed medication for the appointment so we were to attended, after waiting 45 minutes to be seen and the medication was wearing off, we were told my son could have laughing gas for the procedure. When it was time for the procedure the dentist came in and said he would not do the procedure and supply the laughing gas. My son is Autistic and is very afraid of the dentist, but he has procedure with laughing gas before and was fine. I would not go to this clinic or this companies other clinics they do not know what they are doing.

Started off rocky — but Fred and Dr. Sherbert made this dentist a possibly good match for me. I don’t personally care for the hygeinists’ elitist self-​loving personality, but I suppose it could be right for someone who needs tough love. Me? Not so much. I do darn well brushing and flossing twice a day, and really don’t want a lecture about making sure to do it. I’m an adult after all — and clearly care about my oral hygeine. It would be a better business, too, if they started on time for their appointments. A first thing appointment should not mean a «sit in the lobby for 20 mins of your appointment time filling out paperwork while we have a team meeting». The meetings can be done BEFORE the doors open. I dislike the hours for appointments too. Would it be impossible to have a dentist open early or late enough for the average working human to visit without missing a day in the office?

If I could rate ZERO stars… I would.
When I walked in, I signed in and was ignored by the ladies behind the desk who were more involved in their own side conversations about perfume rather than greet a new patient… I waited at the desk, watching them, waiting to see how long it would take for them to acknowledge me. A woman finally came over and I stated that I am a new patient and asked if there was any paperwork I needed to complete. She gave me a clipboard and asked me to fill it out. After completing my paperwork, I waited around 30 minutes to finally be seen.
The assistant reviewed the charges prior to doing anything– there was an office visit charge that was supposed to be covered by my insurance, but it was $ 5 and I was in no mood to argue with anyone. I signed in agreement of the $ 5 and he proceeded to take X-​Rays. I asked if the cleaning would be completed prior to the X-​Rays — he said an exam must be completed prior to cleaning and X-​Rays were part of that process.
X-​Rays were taken, I waited patiently for the doctor… he came, reviewed the X-​Rays briefly, looked at my teeth — suggested a filling be replaced and I questioned if the cleaning would happen today. He said, «Maybe… the hygienist is on a separate schedule, we can check, she probably can.» I waited a little longer for the assistant to come back and review more charges…
I have never visited a dentist office that didn’t do the exam and cleaning all in 1 shot… The office wasn’t able to complete the cleaning today (surprise surprise). So I left rather disappointed.
My office visit charge according to them was $ 5 — while I know my insurance covers 100% of annual exams and cleanings … the girl behind the desk told me «You can argue that with your insurance.» How is that for professionalism?
This place is just out to make money… what ever happened to honest doctors? DO NOT VISIT THIS OFFICE! I certainly will not be back — I will have my X-​Rays transferred to another facility that has a little more integrity than this place…

I went there for a cleaning and suddenly both my husband and I are told we need to pay $ 100 each for a ‘deep cleaning’. We paid it and then we were told we needed to have 3 fillings done each. I admit, I knew I needed one filling because a filling of mine fell out.
We were rushed, they didn’t take their time doing the filling and they overfilled my tooth. This led to pain when I bit for weeks and when I called they said it was ‘healing pain’. After three months of healing pain I called back and they said they could pull it, but I would need a referral to see their oral surgeon before he would even look at my x-​rays. RIDICULOUS. I called another office and they said no referral was needed, and that they had fixed many a tooth problem caused by my dentist.
During the entire time I was there I felt like a pig gone to market. The faster they could get me in and out of the chute, the better. I liken this to fast food dentistry.

Beware! This place is a scam. Dental offices make no money on cleanings. They make all their money on additional services and Coast is no exception. They go as far as making the patient think that a normal and ordinary indentation on a tooth is a cavity just so they can give a filling. After my visit I miraculously had 7 cavities! I went to another dentist for a second opinion and guess what, no cavities that needed filling!