Madison Dental Spa

Dr. Robin Nathanson is a great dentist she is thorough, professional and makes you feel comfortable no matter what the procedure is. I would definitely recommend both her and all her staff at Madison Avenue Dental spa for someone looking for a great experienced dentist in New York City!

Unfortunately, I would have to agree with other patients regarding this office’s lack of professionalism and would recommend seeking dental services elsewhere. There are literally dozens of dental offices to choose from on the Upper East Side, and hundreds in Manhattan. I came to this office when my dentist retired and Dr. Salm picked up the practice. I cracked a molar and required a crown. The temporary he installed cracked three days later. Due to the Covid-19 shutdown I could not get a replacement for nearly three months, and when I did, that one ALSO CRACKED, this time within a couple of hours! I lost an entire day having to return to this office for a third temporary crown. So, that alone would make me skeptical about the quality of Dr Salm's work. But what was really disturbing was how his office handled the billing. First, Ethel (the office manager) told me that they did not accept my insurance and insisted on a payment for half of the amount up front, with the rest due when the permanent crown was installed. I put that on my credit card. Then she turned around and submitted a claim to my insurance company anyway. When Ethel found out that my insurance company sent a reimbursement check to me instead of her, she panicked, calling me on a Saturday demanding payment of the remaining balance right there on the phone. I reminded her that that I was not supposed to pay the balance until the new crown was installed. Ethel grudgingly conceded the point. But her behavior was really aggressive and I found the call to be quite stressful. When I arrived at Dr. Salm's office for my second temporary crown, Ethel was not there. I let Dr Salm know that Ethel had been extremely rude and we both agreed that I would pay the balance when the permanent crown was finally installed. But on my way home from his office, Ethel called, demanding payment and THREATENED TO CANCEL my follow-up appointment for the permanent crown if I didn’t pay her immediately. I reminded her again of the original understanding and added that I had just discussed the matter with Dr. Salm and that he agreed that it was appropriate to wait until the crown was installed. And then an hour later the second temporary crown cracked! I headed back to his office; he again agreed that I would pay the balance upon completion. Then, the day before the appointment to install the permanent crown, Ethel called again to demand the remaining balance despite the fact that Dr. Salm had agreed that I would pay the balance upon installation. She told me that they had been “getting lots of emergency calls” and “wanted to make sure we can get you in”. When I protested, she started shouting at me and then hung up on me. Shortly after that I got a call from Dr. Salm himself canceling the appointment and dismissing me as his patient. He said that he would send the crown to another dentist of my choosing and that “we’re even”. It's hard to see how having receiving half of a medical procedure makes us even.