2/5 JAGS K. 6 months ago on Google
On
my
first
visit,
Dr.
Merchant
gave
what
seemed
to
be
an
impressive
sales
pitch
regarding
her
wholistic
view
of
dentistry,
especially
regarding
sleep-
and
breathing-health.
Unfortunately,
over
my
next
few
visits,
I
saw
less
follow-through
in
terms
of
basic
diligence
and
quality
of
care
than
is
required
of
dental
professionals.
A
few
specifics
from
my
experience:
-
Disorganized
office.
In
only
four
visits,
Dr.
Merchant
/
her
office
dropped
the
ball
on
two
aspects
of
my
care:
a
cavity
on
the
back
of
a
tooth
and
a
dental
crown.
For
the
cavity
on
the
back
of
the
tooth,
Dr.
Merchant
sent
me
to
an
endodontist
for
an
opinion
on
whether
a
root
canal
was
necessary.
Not
only
did
she
not
follow-up
with
the
endodonsit’s
office
about
that,
she
completely
forgot
about
that
cavity.
The
“treatment
plan”
that
she
*so
carefully*
prepared
focused
on
other,
less
urgent
work.
I
had
to
strongly
advocate
for
myself,
because
she
was
*so
certain*
that
another
aspects
of
my
care
were
the
priority
and
that
she
knew
better
than
me.
When
she
finally
looked
in
my
mouth
(imagine
a
dentist
doing
that!),
she
agreed
with
me.
And
about
the
dental
crown:
it
took
almost
5
weeks
to
make
-
ridiculous,
given
that
other
dental
offices
have
a
turn-around
of
at
most
1-2
weeks.
In
this
situation,
I
again
had
to
advocate
for
myself
-
if
I
didn’t
call
to
ask
about
the
status
of
the
crown,
it
would
have
taken
even
longer.
-
Subpar
restorative
/
cosmetic
services.
Dr.
Merchant
refused
to
offer
advice
about
the
color
of
my
crown
("shade-selection").
She
said
that
“we
don’t
do
that”.
*She*
may
not,
but,
as
far
as
I
can
tell,
the
rest
of
general
dentistry
does
offer
advice
about
the
shade.
There
are
plenty
of
resources
(for
dentists)
online
on
how
best
help
patients
with
shade-selection
and
what
information
to
send
over
over
the
lab
for
the
most
natural-looking
crown.
Dr.
Merchant
did
none
of
that.
She
should
not
be
offering
these
services
if
she
refuses
to
do
(or
learn
how
to
do)
that
part
of
the
job.
-
Poor
bed-side
manner
and
inter-personal
skills.
Dr.
Merchant
approaches
patient
concerns
with
impatience,
and
she
sees
any
questions
as
a
challenge
to
her
/
her
expertise.
It
seems
to
me
that
she
has
a
massive
(yet
somehow
fragile)
ego
and
a
“chip
on
her
shoulder",
resulting
in
a
callous
approach
to
her
patients.
Dr.
Merchant
does
not
seem
to
understand
that
time
and
care
need
to
taken
to
explain
the
necessity
for
dental
procedures,
to
describe
and
set
expectations
about
how
the
work
will
proceed,
and
to
discuss
options.
That
is
an
essential
part
of
being
a
professional,
especially
since
dental
work
results
in
permanent
changes
to
the
mouth
and
so
many
patients
have
had
poor
experiences
with
dentists
in
the
past.
-
Overtly
money-oriented.
Dr.
Merchant
complained
to
me
that
she
will
have
to
“eat
the
cost”
of
a
modification
to
my
dental
crown.
I
understand
that
she
runs
a
business,
but
it
is
tactless
to
bring
up
her
costs
in
the
exam
room.
This
led
me
to
question
any
further
recommendations
she
makes
about
my
dental
care.
I
have
to
wonder:
is
that
other
work
necessary
for
my
dental
health,
or
is
it
just
beneficial
to
her
bank
account?
Bringing
up
money
like
that
is
not
just
crass,
but
it’s
professional
malpractice:
it
will
lead
patients
to
make
the
wrong
decisions.
From
my
experience
I
can
only
conclude
that
Dr.
Merchant
finds
personal
satisfaction
only
in
complex/challenging
cases
and
in
feeling
“smart”,
but
is
bored
and
impatient
when
it
comes
to
“trivial”
general/cosmetic
dentistry.
At
the
same
time,
I
imagine
that
general
dentistry
is
where
most
of
her
business
comes
from.
That
leads
to
a
situation
where
the
Dr.
Merchant
treats
most
of
her
patients
as
just
a
paycheck,
and
it
shows.
She
takes
the
little
bit
of
effort
to
try
and
sell
a
new
patient
on
her
“special
expertise”,
but
then
it
is
about
churning
through
procedures
as
quickly
as
possible
without
the
necessary
diligence.
If
you
need
a
general
dentist
in
Tucson,
I
would
stay
far
away
from
Dr.
Merchant.
3 people found this review helpful đź‘Ť