1 /5 Tiffany: I would advise everyone to avoid this clinic. I found Dr. Mello through reviews/instagram, and I liked her thorough consultation. We planned to get Invisalign and veneers, but it failed.
Everything went well until I changed my mind - I wanted Invisalign refinements instead of prepping for veneers. Dr. Mellos demeanor changed after this. She kept hinting she’s ready to "get rid of me" a few times. She even joked shes not "married” to me. I kept a neutral face to hide my annoyance, but she mistook it for stupidity and tried to explain the joke... Ok, I dont want to be there too, but I want my desired smile even if it takes longer due to refinements - it’s what I paid for. Another time, I wanted to discuss options, but Dr. Mello held her hand up in a "stop" motion and told me to stick to her plan. Wow, I should shut up and nod along then. Due to my disappointment with my previous provider, I like to be well-informed and confident in my treatments moving forward, but my relation with Dr. Mello dissolved into a tensive, fake-nice interaction that prevents open dialogues.
My gut instinct told me to not hand over money for veneers. After I told Dr. Mello Im doing veneers elsewhere, she give my teeth a final check and send me off with a plan to return for retainers. I went to a few providers that noticed my tooth was not aligned. A hygienist also urged me to get refinements during my cleaning, since I paid lots of money to have properly aligned teeth. Worst case is Dr. Mello disagrees and says no to refinements, right? Wrong. The worst is she agrees a correction can be made, but she wants $2500 to fix the issue she created. She says it’s a new case because I got veneers and could not wear my aligners for weeks due to temporary veneers. However, my stance is why didnt she mention the misalignment before sending me off? Other professionals noticed, but she somehow did not? It’s because shes losing $18,000 worth of veneer business from me, so she doesnt care much and is ready to "get rid" of me. If she had been thorough, she would fix the misalignment BEFORE sending me off, and this would be the same case without a fee. Or even better, if she completed Invisalign PROPERLY the first time, I would not be in this situation.
Don’t be duped by the 5 stars reviews, instagram presence, or the dentist’s initial presentation. I have now tried two cosmetic dentist, but it’s time to acknowledge you should go to an orthodontist for Invisalign. No amount of courses/certs boasted by these dentists will be on par with the medical training of an orthodontist. Sure, a dentist could drive the Invisalign car and produce good results, but an orthodontist knows best on what is happening under the hood. For veneers, one of the best specialists is "doctorduval" on instagram. His instagram shows his work, while NYC Smile Design’s instagram is full of filler posts that faintly reminds me of influencers. Its an effective marketing tactic to lure in patients like me, but I now see it lacks substance in comparison. This office does lots of things like Invisalign, veneers, botox, TMJ, etc, but remember: a jack of all trades is a master of none. For dentistry, I would rather have my Invisalign done by someone who does braces all day, everyday (orthodontist) and veneers done by a master in restorative works.
High prices do not always equal better products. I regret wasting money/time to this weird dentist with dollar signs in her eyes, who failed her due diligence for treatment. The only star is Stephanie, who’s always genuine and professional - a true asset to help offset the hidden ego lurking here.
Update: Their response is digressing. Yes, theres improvements and a refinement done already, but final result shows an obvious tooth misalignment (ruins progress). Yes, I know why it falls under a new case - my issue is why wasnt the misalignment noted/fixed before I left for two months. All tooth should be properly aligned in original treatment plans. I appreciate humor/directness, but this was passive aggression and lack of discussion.
