1 /5 Andrew Mason: The hygienists are polite and kind, and the office staff are generally friendly and want to help. That said...
1st Advantage is a corporate dentistry practice that seems to prioritize income opportunities over truly necessary procedures. I and three friends and family were all recently pushed to get crowns when 2nd opinions in all cases suggested that it really wasnt necessary yet. They ended up killing my tooth which now requires a root canal and possible extraction because I didnt think to get my second opinion until it was too late.
1st Advantage shows an over-reliance on technology when simple human interactions may suffice. When I checked-in, the front desk apparently marked me as "confirmed" instead of "checked-in" which meant the hygienist didnt get an alert that I had arrived, so I was left waiting for 40 minutes until someone apparently walked back and told her that her patient was in the waiting room. Why is the system set up such that theyre just waiting for a computer notification instead of people simply communicating effectively?
They threaten to cancel an appointment if you dont confirm a few days before- but only leave a voicemail requesting that you call back-- the callback number is an overly-burdensome touch-tone dial menu (which allegedly doesnt actually direct calls to separate areas anyway). Most practices offer text or email confirmations and still dont threaten to cancel your appointment.
I never know which dentist Ill be seeing until I arrive for the appointment, and the last few visits, I was told the dentist on duty was a non-employee of 1st Advantage and only substituting because the in-house dentist had time off. In some instances, the substitute wasnt comfortable making care decisions for me so what was the point in seeing them anyway?
A recent billing question submitted multiple times in writing, in person, and over the phone took 8 MONTHS to get someone to simply acknowledge, let alone respond.
Just go to a private practice and pay the higher, out-of-network costs. 1st Advantage is not worth the savings and definitely not worth the trouble.