South Capitol Smile Center

Expert dental care. They do more than usual with checking insurance, but coordination of care could be better.

I have been a long time customer of SCSC and it never failed to amaze how great this team is with their customer service. My little gal cracked her baby molar at camp this summer. I picked her up and saw about ¼ of the tooth gone. I snapped a picture on my phone and called South Capitol Smile Center. Dr. Sheila was out but her assistant Dr. Sprott called me right back and asked to see the picture. I sent it to her. She consulted my kiddo’s XRays and declared that that it was not an emergency since the tooth was coming out on its own anyway, but they could fit her in anyway if she was upset and just wanted to be sure. We popped in that afternoon and calmed a fretful little one and quickly dealt with the tooth, which as she said, was coming out on its own anyway. This team is always friendly and cheerful and remembers our family and history each time we come. We love coming here.

I wish I had better things to say about this dentist, but I don’t.
I was referred to this dentist from a friend. Needless to say, this friend changed dentist as well (and she felt really bad for referring me to this dentist).
At first, I liked Dr. Samaddar. She was very friendly and very communicative. After my first cleaning with them, she told me I had five cavities. Five?! From a girl who hasn’t had cavities before, this came to a shock for me. I decided to wait because clearly, I needed a second opinion.
At my 2^nd cleaning, Dr. Samaddar was like «all look good!» but then her comment changed a second later after looking at my report from the last cleaning. She said «wait, there are cavities!»
Um? I do not understand from «all look good» to cavities. Either you see it or you don’t. You can’t base it on the report from the last time. That was a red flag for me.
I wasn’t in the mood to look for new dentist because this is so close to where I live and it’s convenient for me. Besides, I believe in giving a second chance. I kept on going back to South Capitol Smile Center several more.
Unfortunately, every visits, they have not provided a satisfactory service for me. (The comments below aren’t in order, but to explain what happened at the two visits after the first two).
1. My dental insurance isn’t in their network so it means the check gets mailed to me instead of them. I went to get money order from the insurance check to give it to them. The receptionist saw me coming in and told me to wait a few minutes. She was composing an email and was looking at information to reply to her email. Hello, customer service? An e-​mail can wait. I had to wait for 15 minutes before she finally attended to me. She told me I could bring in the check from the insurance to be endorsed to them. Perfect, it’s going to be a time saver. After my cleaning, I received another check from the insurance and came in to give it to them. This time, I was asked/​told «where’s the stub? You need to bring the stub with the check.» (Thank you, the last receptionist who failed to notify me this.) I had to go home to get the stub and came back. The office was closed! What?! I had googled it up. It said it closes at 5. So I knocked on the door and no answer. I looked at Unilocal,and good enough the Unilocal says the office closes at 3pm. So two different websites have different office hours? Frustrating. I just put the check in their mailbox and left. I will not be coming back.
2. On top of the check, the first receptionist told me it does not matter if they are in my insurance’s network or not, the service pay is the same. When I called my insurance, they say they provide more and pay more when I use a provider in their network. You can say I was disappointed with the misinformation I received from the receptionist at SCSC.
3. After my recent (and the very last) cleaning with them, I received an estimation for dental work needed on my teeth and the mouth guard. With the price that I needed to pay from my pocket, I had several questions. I emailed them and I did not get a response back from them for a week. I sent them a followed up e-​mail to receive from Dr. Sprott «I apologize for the late response, but I was under the impression that you were in communication with Desha regarding your questions and that I was merely copied on the messages.» Again with the customer service.
You can now see that I am rolling up my sleeves and look for new dentist. A stellar customer service and great communication are very important to me. I’m not getting it from them.
I hope this will help them to look into their service and improve. I really doubt I’m the only one experiencing this.
P. S. — the dentist assistants are excellent. I’m impressed with them. Unfortunately, the receptionists are not. Dr. Sprott and Dr. Samaddar are great (except with the cavities then no cavities part), when it comes to cleaning, but for me… a great service includes customer service excellence as well.

While the care is generally very good and friendly, their billing is sub-​par. They weren’t able to provide the paperwork Tricare (my military insurance) required, so now they have taken to billing me, the service member. Poor.

I have never received such high quality dental care. Really extraordinary customer service — probably the best I’ve ever gotten from a medical office. I was EXTREMELY nervous before/​during an appointment last week, and Dr. Sprott could not have exhibited better «bedside manner,» professionalism, and kindness. She stayed more than an hour late to complete my procedure after I needed to stop several times, and then waited out front with me until my ride arrived, all with a smile on her face. I actually felt compelled to send her a thank you note because I was so impressed with the entire experience. I have never sent a doctor a thank you note in my life.
I’ve already referred three friends to this practice. If you’ve been putting off visiting the dentist due to nerves, try this practice.

You can love this dentist! Dr Sheila is the best, and she is surrounded by excellent, caring professionals, including an administrator who will make sense of the nightmare that is your insurance, FSA, etc, The office resembles a spa and uses the latest in equipment. This practice gives you a lot to smile about!

We have been going to Dr. Shelia ever since we moved into the city about three years ago. She is wonderful and friendly and her staff is nice too! I always enjoy talking to one her dental assistants about the latest Redskins football game (HTTR!). Since she and my husband are from the same area we always talk about stories from home and mutual acquaintances as well. I love the fact that she lives in the area too and therefore supporting our community! She always uses gentle techniques which is really important for someone like me who has bad dental genetics (All inherited I swear! ;) Her office always has a nice selection of magazines to read for when have to wait which isn’t too often since the past couple of times I haven’t had to wait too long. Lastly, I love getting the swag at the end! She gives you travel packs complete with travel size toothpaste, toothbrush and floss. PS-It’s very metro accessible, right across from the ballpark!

I found Sheila professionally. She called me to do some work for her and now she takes care of my teeth. But please call her Dr.
Besides our professional relationship she is also a neighbor and friend. She takes care of my mother and several of our family friends. She is incredibly nice, a great dentist and actually very gentile, and that’s something to value when somebody is working in there! With my crazy work schedule she has opened her doors early and late for me and has also worked with me on payment. I can’t say enough positive things about her.
That being said, please don’t expect her to offer the same things for all customers because like I said, I also do work for her and offer my professional services to her.
As a patient and health care professionals relationship, she is the best dentist I’ve ever had!

Had a fantastic experience at this dentist’s office. Very friendly & accommodating team. Dr. Samaddar is so down to earth & takes great care to make sure patients are comfortable. I accidentally left my driver’s license and credit card on my first trip there. She drove it to my house & dropped it off the next day. Talk about awesome service! I would highly recommend this dentist & location is an easy walk from the Navy Yard Metro station.

My husband and I have seen Dr. Samaddar for regular cleanings/​check-​ups as well as for more extensive work, namely fillings and crowns/​onlays. I have found her and her office to be stellar in their service.
Dr. Samaddar offers same-​day onlays/​inlays/​crowns (look up CEREC for more info). It’s amazing, truly amazing. I expected to have to make two appointments, and nope, just one.
When having a dental emergency I reached out to the doctor via her email because I was having a mild panic attack and a phone call leading a receptionist/​voicemail wasn’t going to cut it for me. I received a prompt response back from the doctor; she reviewed my file and suggested a course of action.
South Capitol Smile Center offers Invisalign, and she is a «preferred provider» (not able to give reviews re. this).
BEYOND THE DENTAL: the staff here are wonderful and they know what they are doing.
Now what looks to be a receptionist at the front is actually an Insurance Administrator (no name for privacy reasons) and she is fantastic! She knows what she is talking about and if you have questions or concerns re. your insurance is very welcoming to go over your EOBs and benefits with you. I have to deal with BCBS, MetLife Dental and a FSA account, was swimming in paperwork and confused if the checks we received were correct; I brought in all of the previous claims, etc, and she was awesome explaining everything. If you’ve ever experienced concerns over your insurance benefits and claims, then come to South Capitol Smile Center because your concerns will be gone in a blink of an eye.
ANOTHER TIDBIT THAT OTHERS HAVE MENTIONED: The doctor is a resident of the District and of the neighborhood. She has kids. This practice, the doctor, and her staff have the feeling of a neighborhood dentist from my hometown. Not corporate and cold, but welcoming and knowledgeable.
PRACTICAL:
The practice is a 4-​minute walk from the Navy Yard metro; there is street parking on N Street, SE and SW and the surrounding area, but not on South Capitol Street itself. The entrance is across from the Left Field Gate to Nationals Stadium.
They accept all major credit cards including American Express. I also believe they offer payment plans and financing.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Samaddar for the past two years for basic checkups, and I also got some fillings the first time I went. She is a fellow Capitol Hill resident, and a lot of people on the local listservs recommended her. I’d never needed fillings before, and heard they can be painful, but Dr. Samaddar is so gentle that the process didn’t hurt at all. She is also incredibly sweet and patient, and does a great job of explaining the options and her recommendations. She’s quite personable as well. I am always surprised by the minor personal details of mine that she’s able to recall while making small talk. Even though I only see her twice a year I always feel like I’m meeting up with a good friend.
The staff at South Capitol Smile Center are excellent as well. The first time I had my teeth cleaned the hygienist spent a long time chiseling away at some cement that had been left on my back teeth after my braces were removed. It’s been about 15 years since I had those braces, and have been to dentists since then, so I was shocked that no one had removed it already! She said she sees it all the time.
The office is sparkling clean, with up-​to-​date technology (which is more than I can say about another nearby dentist I tried previously!). And I’ve never had to wait more than a couple minutes for either the dentist or hygienist.

Dr. Sammadar is a master at what she does. I call her Dr. Sammy Softpaws because when she’s at work I never feel a thing. She’s not just my favorite dentist, she’s my favorite doctor overall and her front desk is always helpful. If I had the same level of care from my primary doctor I would be thrilled.

**Absolutely Amazing**
I’ve been going SCSC a year now, and it’s top notch service !!!
Dr. Samaddar is fantastic — a very pleasant personality and great memory, not only as to who you are but also conversations discussed during previous visit. Very laxed atmosphere and her staff is just as great.
* Excellent dental work
* Appointments on time
* Very neat & new equipment
* Email reminders (great)
* Dental items after visit

I’m new to the district and have hated hunting for doctors, dentists, and the like. I chose South Capitol Smile Center mainly because of the solid Unilocal reviews and its proximity to my apartment. I’m glad that I gave them a try!
My husband and I both had cleanings and check-​ups this morning and had great experiences. Dr. Shelia was personable, thorough, and explained everything going on with my teeth, including problems that are noncritical but will need to be addressed in the coming year, which is very helpful in planning.
The office was very nice; the equipment all seems brand new and up-​to-​date. The hygienist and receptionist were great as well. They even offered to play a movie for me while I waited (for what couldn’t have been more than 10 minutes) for the dentist!
As far as the federal insurance debate goes, some federal medical plans cover preventative dental care; they just don’t cover corrective dentistry. I have no doubt that the S. Capitol Smile Center’s receptionist would be clear with anyone who called to inquire about what services are and aren’t covered by a particular plan.

Who is Ronnail R. Federal Employees don’t currently get dental — the program is only for medical. Some agencies do offer dental at a discount however.
My fiancé and I go here because it is close to our house and we love it. It’s a great dentistry. The receptionist will go to great lengths to make sure that everything is okay.
My wife got crowns, and the dentist gave out her cell number to have her call her if anything arises.
I love this place. Great people, and very nice Dentists!

Dr. Samaddar is one of the best dentists I’ve ever been to — and I’ve been to a lot. She is very accommodating, nice person, and a thorough doctor. She always explains all her decisions and recommendations very clearly prior to starting work. They have state of the art equipment. The office is clean and comfortable, it’s close to downtown.

I just moved here from North Carolina in need of finding a new dentist since my teeth cleaning was due. I searched all over the city and actually found South Capital Smile Center. I was happy that it was walking distance from my building and that they took my insurance. The staff is super friendly and makes you feel comfortable. The office is clean and organized. Dr. Samaddar is extremely nice and professional. Her first priority was to make sure I received the best treatment she could provided. She has a gentle hand which is important when dealing with patients. She is very easy going and very knowledgeable! They have State of the Art equipment with up to date «know how». I’m glad I had chosen them. I’ve been twice thus far and both times have been great experiences. I had some filling restoration done recently and Dr. Samaddar gave me her cell number so I could reach her if I had problems post– procedure; again this just shows that she goes above and beyond for her patients. I would recommend South Capitol Smile Center to anyone and everyone!

Well Folks. I’m a recent transplant from Kentucky. I was told to check out South Capitol Smile Center and am glad I did. The only other post to date for SCSC gave them 1 star. I don’t think this can be any farther from a true representation than it gets. I can only imagine the hundreds or thousands of dental insurance plans out there — just because they don’t take your insurance do they deserve a bad review? My favorite eyeglass place doesn’t take my VSP benefits but I am sucking it up and buying the frames that I have only found there.
I emailed the Dr. prior to making an appointment. Sheila answered me in detail herself — nice touch. I was concerned with my insurance changing after Jan 1 and she was able to get me in before then. My appointment was today. The office is small but was very clean, staff very friendly and professional. The equipment looks very new and state of the art. As type A as I am I was happy that everything was fully explained.Dr. Sheila seemed to really care about me as a patient — not as a paycheck as I have been made to feel elsewhere. This place really rocks.

I’m looking for a new dentist and I just called this location. Kelly W stated this location accepts just about all insurances, well I’ve heard otherwise. They don’t take my insurance and I’m a paid Federal government worker –what’s up with that?
Please don’t include information if it’s not accurate.