SmileCare Family Dentistry

NO! Don’t go here!
I had 2 inlays done here in August of 2015. Yesterday night, one of them popped out while I was eating a fruit snack (soft, maybe a bit chewy…)
I went to another dentist because I moved away from Van Nuys. The folks at this new office gawked at how horrendous this work was. My previous onlays I got here have no anatomy, meaning that they are flat, which is not how they are supposed to be. In addition, the onlay that popped off may look great to the naked eye, but after an x-​ray, they saw there was a gap in the back of the tooth, meaning that onlay wasn’t fitted correctly in the first place. There could have been loads of decay in that last tooth I wouldn’t have been able to reach and could have forced me to get a root canal, but I’m lucky the onlay popped off. DO NOT get dental work from SmileCare on Sherman Way!
Tl;dr — got 2 onlays from here, one popped out 8 months later and cannot be reused because it wasn’t fitted correctly, and the other is done correctly, but very poorly. ⁰⁄₅ — would rejoice if burned to the ground.

I am pretty shocked at reading some of these reviews. I purposely came here to write my Positive review. I honestly have never been treated so kindly by an entire staff of office. It wasn’t just the receptionist or the hygienist, Everyone! The dentist, the orthodontist and technicians were advised of my extreme Dental/​dentist anxiety. there were just wonderful! They also helped me with cost & what I could afford.

I honestly got this account to unfortunately write my first bad review and hope from stopping their unethical services upon more people.
I read the reviews going prior… But most of them were written years ago. With new management I thought it would be different. As stated prior they’re services are overpriced with unnecessary procedures. With the dental assistants trying to advice you to get dentures… Mind you my teeth are perfect (please refer to selfie image). More so they were so aggressive with my cleaning that I bled and had swollen gums for days!
Upside the ladies in the front are kind and patient. Dr. Nazerin is also kind but I believe she might have cause an unnecessary root canal … And I’ll just leave at that as so many people have already complained with a similar story.
#unprofessional #denturesat23? #ripoff

Dr. Avo is the best and all the girls who make scheduling my appointments painless are amazing! Love this office! They always remember my name and make me feel welcome and comfortable. Their prices are incredible and their work exceeded my expectation. I will definitely recommend them to all of my family and friends. Thank you!

I wrote a positive review because… well, I don’t want to get anyone in trouble, but I was pressured. Now that my teeth are in pain after an unnecessarily harsh deep cleaning with an electric pick (what happened to just a normal regular un-​motorized pick cleaning… if I could go back I would have just gotten the water cleaning), I realize how sketchy this place is. They tried to remove all 4 of my wisdom teeth when other dentists throughout my life have told me it wasn’t necessary. They scheduled an ortho appointment for me and I think that would be to address my damaged teeth that they caused. These guys are hustlers… that is clear.

Major changes to my previous review! There are so many billing issues with these people that I cannot take the time to list them all here (8 pages of notes that I’ve taken!). I am currently working with my insurance to have them reported to the State of CA.
I do not write very many reviews but this one is important… DO NOT put you or your family thru the hassle and expense of this place.

I took my father here to get work done the first dentist said one thing the next one said something different then they charge me for a denture they were still making, pending my dad seeing the oral surgeon to get a bone removed so the device would fit, the oral surgeon recommended not doing the surgery, that was a month ago I’m still waiting for the refund of $ 675 to my dad. These people are the worst, I’m finding a new place for my dad. If I don’t get his money soon, I’ll be looking for a lawyer too.

DO NOT put yourself through the frustration of doing business at this dental facility. Read the reviews for yourself!
They push product and services. Sell sell sell. We want your money!
The dentist «specialist» is not available but once a month.
They don’t keep their appts as scheduled. My son stood waiting in the hallway over an hour –for the second time now. Pathetic!
I found them to be rude, incompetent and unprofessional.
As a parent I feel horrible that I allowed my sons to be serviced here. They can try to say anything to me but DO NOT do any harm to my sons. They have left my sons with pain and anguish over bad fittings and bad workmanship. This further inconveniences our time, money, time out of school and overall hardship.
SmileCare only cares about getting your money and not about servicing the client. Please look around I am sure ANYwhere else will be a better experience.

I have been going to this dentist group for years and I really am not sure why it took me so long to find a better dentist. The office is run down and very out dated looking. There is obviously some type of commission going on here, because they are all about selling selling selling.
I decided to go in today for the last time just to get a cleaning while I search for a new dentist. Figured it couldn’t hurt as long as I don’t let them «work» on me or try to get me to buy the latest paste or mouth wash. Well they wouldn’t even clean my teeth because I had a few pockets with 5 mm depth. Which is the start of gingivitis. They said I must see the periodontist which would at the minimum be $ 120, but I really need antibiotics and laser treatment which would cost $ 400!!!
They are crazy, I looked online if anyone else had had this suggested or if it was necessary and sure enough I find someone just like me same issue, and a hygienist commented on their post saying that was not necessary at all, that it can be treated with a general cleaning and regular brushing and flossing. Busted!
The last thing that drew the line for me is that Smile Care has owed me $ 1200 for almost a year now, and I am still waiting for this money. Last year they told me I needed all this work done and it would cost this much… They set me up with a care credit card which has no interest, sounded great. Well, up untill I saw the specialist and he said I didn’t need the biggest procedure that they charged me for. They thought a space in my filling was a cavity and the specialist looked at my history and pointed out that spot has been there for the last 4 years, it was a space, not a cavity!
So, here I am still waiting for them to credit my care credit card, one year later.
Good reddens Smile Care.
Do not go here, unless you like wasting money and getting unnecessary procedures done.

Well, it seems my review is not needed here. my advice, stay away from this place and the one in LA of off Manchester Blvd is no better!

The only reason I gave them a star at all is because my orthodontist is a super cool guy. Besides that, this place sucks! They try to charge you for all kinds of things you don’t need & keep you waiting in their lobby like you don’t have other things to do. The turn over is crazy you almost never see the same people twice. Buyer Beware

I had a good experience at Smile Care. Dr. Michael Schnorhavorian was really kind and did a great job at a good price. I really hate dentists but he made the whole process easy. He’s also really good at explaining things which I appreciate. Thanks!

If I could give them a negative star I would. Used to be an ok company to deal with then they got sold and they changed the doctor. New management always trying to upsell. Like everyone is made out of money. Couple of occasions I caught them charging me for something I already paid for. They bill the insurance high and when the insurance does not pay, they bill you the difference without even explaining what is going on. Staff is nice but it seems that management is pushing them to be border line unethical. Taking my business elsewhere.

The staff is friendly enough, but I have the honest feeling that I was duped here. I went in a few weeks ago for an annual cleaning and check-​up. The densits on-​site informed me that I had five (5) cavites and needed to have them filled — just so happened that those five cavities were the old silver fillings from years past. My teeth weren’t hurting… but I took the sagely advice of this dentist and thought to myself, as many of us so often do in the hands of a healthcare professional, «I should really be proactive and take care of this now… it’s my health.» So, I got them all taken care of.
What happens? My teeth are killing me since then. I love the way they look, but they’re hyper sensitive to heat/​cold! And it feels like the tooth that’s hurting is NOT one of the ones they worked on! So, I called yesterday to schedule a follow-​up, making sure I wouldn’t have to pay for it. I get there this morning and I’m greeted by a different dentist. This, I don’t like. He tells me that the tooth I’m complaining about begin the most sensitive can’t hurt because it’s where I had a root canal. He goes into my mouth and blows water and air on all my teeth to find out which are sensitive. He then tells me that two of my bottom teeth have abrasions and shows them to me (which they did), explaining that they should be filled in to avoid cavities in the future.
In swoops the pretty front desk girl to sell me on getting those taken care of, and while I’m at it doing my cleaning. With my insurance, it only cost me $ 65, so again thinking proactively, I do it.
The fillings went fine, but the cleaning was extremely painful. Maybe I just have a fantasy that they should be a bit gentle, but that’s not the way it happened. My gums were bleeding — I could feel blood in my mouth afterward. And I floss daily, people! I felt manhandled. The attendant that helped him for the cleaning was jabbing the suction hose in my mouth like she was playing «hit the weasle» at the arcade or something. I winced often…
Finishing up, he puts a flouride resin on the tooth that hurts and tells me to call in a week.
When I left, I was just glad it was over with. I didn’t have that proud feeling that I was just taken good care of and that I did the right thing… I felt like I just visited a car mechanic that sold me on something that wasn’t totally necessary. I didn’t feel like I had personlized care. I felt like a number. For what it’s worth, I guess they’re decent — but I much prefer ONE dentist. Someone I can trust, who knows me, and will be gentle and do the right thing… not just look at me with dollar signs in his eyes.
Disappointing.

One of my fillings broke so I wanted to get it fixed ASAP before it started hurting… obviously right? Well I went ahead and scheduled an appt for my daughter as well, two birds one stone. The only reason they get 2 stars is because they were fantastic with my daughter. The whole staff made her first dental experience go very smoothly. Now me on the other hand, do I look like I’m made out of money? They try to upsell you on everything! I needed 1 filling and they said I needed to replace them all and I needed a deep cleaning. Since I’ve been going to UCLA for other dental procedures, the dentist needed a release from UCLA. I was then quoted $ 500 and scheduled an appointment to come back once I had the release form filled out. I went ahead and cancelled that ridiculous appointment and didn’t bother with the release form. They’re so money hungry that they forget about the patients… I never got my filling.

Per Kat C.

Smilecare is horrible. They have numerous dentists here that only try to up-​sell. After I said I was just there to get a cleaning and didn’t want to do any of the additional add ons (that seemed like a rip off) at that time the dentist seemed irate. Not a good thing when someone is jabbing a sharp object into your mouth. They also claimed I needed to replace an old filling yet my new dentist said everything looks fine, and this is 10 months later. They also take forever, my appointment was when they opened and I ended up being there for over 3hours between the waiting room and waiting for the dentist/​hygienist. Not recommended.

Dental insurance is a bitch. I thought I was covered by Met Life through my school, so about a week ago I had a cleaning at another dental office in the area (see my reviews). The appointment went well, I got a referral to get my wisdom teeth out and was told I needed a deep cleaning. Then, on the way out, the receptionist told me I didn’t have Met life. After making some phone calls I found out I was right. I paid for the visit myself and called Delta Dental, which I did have, to ask if my referral was still usable.
Delta said no dice, I’d need a referral from my «primary care dentist» which is Smile Care. I get a 10 AM appointment and go in. The building is old and weird, and the waiting room is massive. When they take me back to get x-​rays, I see a long row of chairs, like twenty dental chairs. It turns out they have all sorts of specialists here, an orthodontist, periodontist, hygienist, dentist, oral surgeon etc.
The person who takes my x-​rays does not introduce them self to me, and takes about twenty x-​rays. My other office took six. I wonder if all this is necessary when they put my head in a sort of plastic vice and rotate an x-​ray machine around it.
I am sat in an old, dirty white leather torture chair. The dentist comes in and says, «I am Dr. So & So» but doesn’t shake my hand, ask me my name or anything even remotely friendly. She starts moving the chair around with no warning and shines that terrible light in my face. She tries to scrape at my teeth a little, and sees that I’ve had a regular cleaning. She starts trying to sell me a $ 150 toothbrush that I’ve actually had before. I found it completely useless and threw it out after a year and a half.
Annoyed that she seems to be trying to up sell me, I repeatedly say NO to the Rotadent toothbrush. She tells me I have moderate peritonitis. I think to myself, hmmm, that’s funny, caz the nice dentist I saw a week ago said nothing about that. Then Mean Dentist tells me I need a topical antibiotic treatment during my deep cleaning and that I have a very small cavity that she can see.
I think, hmmm, funny, caz I’ve now seen a total of about 30 x-​rays of my teeth and spotted no black spots. Then she tries to set me up with the orthodontist, which I refuse to do. She says the receptionist will check my insurance and come back with a list of costs and to make more appointments.
The receptionist comes back with a two page, itemized list of costs. Novocaine injections are $ 62.00 each. She’s prescribing at least five of those. I’m horrified at the total, $ 3991, which is HALF, as my insurance covers the other half. I tell the receptionist I will be going back to my other dentist for the deep cleaning and to go ahead and submit the paper work for my wisdom teeth.
Overall, I’m“m outraged. How could one dentist, in a small practice, not mention my «moderate» peritonitis? If it’s «moderate», not «mild» and not simply gingivitis, how could she miss that? I don’t think she missed a thing. I think she saw a scared young woman who is a student and proscribed the treatment that I needed. She didn’t try to sell me braces or an expensive toothbrush!
Avoid this place at ALL costs.

I wish I could give this place ZERO stars. Worst dental office in the history of the world. I agree with everything Kat C. wrote. We took this place through our insurance company. They only care about SELLING TREATMENTS.
Dentists don’t care if the novacaine isn’t working. The office is decrepit, the office staff charged us for treatments we haven’t had yet. I have had to repeat myself 3 – 4 times every time I speak to somebody in the office about my mouth. I went in because of a bloody gum/​tooth infection. They have not taken care of that problem at all, and ignore me when I mentioned it on a subsequent visit. Both my husband and I have had horrible experiences here. DO NOT GO TO THIS DENTIST!

This has to be the WORST dental office I’ve ever had the misfortune to visit! I was due for peridontal treatment at another dentist and decided to get a second opinion (and price quote) from Smilecare.
I would absolutely NOT recommend this place because:
1. Lack of parking: There’s a valet, but when you go during the day, you have to park on your own behind an adjacent apartment complex. Spots are very limited and cramped.
2. Old office: Everything is old there… the furniture, the paint on the walls, the technology, and (scary enough) the equipment! When they lined up the dental tools on the tray, I could see that the metal was old and tarnished! The chair didn’t even have any paper lining for hygiene purposes!
3. Rough treatment by dentist: I got more sores in my mouth from the simple oral exam than I’ve ever had my whole life visiting dentists! And that includes wisdom teeth extraction and deep scaling!
4. Cost padding: I asked the doctor for an estimate for my peridontal treatment, and what I got was a padded list a car dealership in the Midwest would be proud of. The total price of $ 3000+ included an electric toothbrush, antibacterial injections, and wisdom teeth extraction (of two teeth that three other dentists said are fine where they are). With my insurance, the cost would’ve been $ 2000 (more than twice what I was quoted by my first dentist).
I wanted to run out of that office so fast! Needless to say, when my caller ID showed that they were calling (obviously to ask if I was going to take the PT package), I didn’t answer my phone!
It was a nightmare!