Bahram Arian

I think this is the first time I have ever taken the time to write a review on professional services, but my experience at Smile Dental Clinic was laughable. It was like amateur hour at the dentists office. My first visit to Dr. Bahram was for a general cleaning and check-up. Immediately upon taking x-rays, I was told that I needed two root canals and that they needed to happen immediately. I was caught off guard, because I had been to my long-time dentist six-months earlier, before I moved here, and he hadn't mentioned the need. I was then told that normally it takes weeks to see [the other dentist in the office who does root canals], but today was my lucky day because he had just had a cancellation. This was my first clue that something was up, because I was the only patient in the office. (I might add that the layout of the office is a little weird as well. All the dental chairs are just next to each other--no separate rooms) I told them that I was going to think about the root canals, but she could proceed with the cleaning and I would let her know afterward. Her "cleaning" consisted of no poking, prodding, or scraping with utensils (which I always hate, but it seems to be the standard), and was done with an electric brush in less than 30 seconds--no joke. Then she was back to the root canals, so I said I would do it. She told me to go to the front desk and find out how much it was going to cost me and how much my insurance would cover, etc. While I was up at the front desk, the dentist came back and grabbed the receptionist to talk about the pricing. They then went into a room next door and began discussing my situation. I got curious, so I went to listen. What I heard blew me away. The dentist, despite being listed as my primary care dentist with Aetna DMO, wasn't willing to do the work any longer because my insurance was too good. The words I heard from the receptionist were, "We can do this work, we accept this insurance." To which the dentist replied, "Yeah I know, but he'll basically have no co-pay. I don't want to do it." She then walked out and simply said, "I'm sorry, you'll have to get this work done elsewhere." I asked why and she said, "We don't take your insurance." I then explained that Aetna had them listed on the website and her name was printed on my card. She said it was a misunderstanding. I then said, "I heard what you were saying behind that door." She said, "Goodbye, sir." And walked away. The receptionist apologized all over herself after the dentist left and couldn't offer me an explanation. I left without further incident.