Earl Mitchell

I am giving one star for 4 reasons: 1) I came here seeking a regular cleaning. Turns out on first visit they only do a dental exam and x-rays, and they make you come in a second time for a cleaning. I have seen multiple dentists before, and all of them have done everything in one visit. When I initially made the appointment over the phone, I said I wanted a cleaning and they said nothing about it requiring two appointments. This forced me to take more time off work. 2) They told me I needed a full mouth debridement (FMD), which would cost me $55 even with my dental insurance; my insurance would have covered 100% of the cost of a regular cleaning. I have been seeing dentists for 25-30 years and nobody has ever required me to do this extra cleaning before. I looked up photos of FMD, and the 'before' pictures showed people with a lot of visible plaque/tartar on their teeth - my teeth were nowhere near that level. When I found out I'd have to pay for that special cleaning, I asked them if I could just get a regular free cleaning, and they refused because they said the dentist could lose his license if he does a regular cleaning when a more specialized one is required. When I came in for the cleaning, the hygienist told me "I can tell you take care of your teeth, and you just have a little buildup." Why does a "little buildup" require a special cleaning? 3) Front desk staff was rude. 4) Although Dr. Mitchell was friendly, he does not seem very knowledgeable. He told me I need a new toothbrush every 3 weeks. That seemed way too often to me, so I clarified that he indeed meant 3 weeks, not 3 months. I later Googled it and saw that both Oral B and Colgate recommend a new one every 3-4 months. I'm not sure why Dr. Mitchell's opinion on this differs so much from the recommendations of toothpaste and toothbrush companies. Needless to say, for my next cleaning I will be going to another dentist.