Hullett Carmen - Vinings Dental Group

I visited this dental office without checking the online reviews first. Dumb dumb dumb! Of course, like all the others, they found all of these "deep pockets" in my teeth with "6" ratings (which I have NEVER had before- the highest was a 3!) and recommended a deep cleaning, which of course costs more and is only partly covered by insurance. Thank god I checked with my previous dentist in WI (Dr. Brunner - I miss you!) who said I should absolutely NOT get this done if I do not absolutely need it because it can actually harm the attachment of my gums to my teeth. So I went to get a 2nd option (Dr. Lohmann - Atlanta - you rock!!!) and of course, I did NOT need to have this done. Steer clear of this office, I am not the only one on here to complain of these sketchy practices. Go to Dr. Lohmann!

Posted 10/15/09 | Report Abuse

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I love this place! I have always had good visits. They have a childrens specialist that is great! My kids go there for their braces and it is very convenient. We see Dr. Larsen and he is always professional and caring. Never a bad experience!!!I recommend them to my friends and they always thank me.

Posted 09/15/09 | Report Abuse

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I was shocked to read what is written here! My family and I have been patients there for many years and have had nothing but great experiences. My husband has had a lot of crown and root canal work done by Dr Larson. He has never complained of any pain and his work is beautiful. I have recommended friends there who have also had excellent experiences. We have had some insurance issues, but their front desk has always been extremely helpful in resolving them and the prices have always been fair. Bottom line, this is a great dental practice. Another great thing is that they have specialists in the same office so my daughter has her braces done there. Very convenient.

Posted 08/11/09 | Report Abuse

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I too have fallen into the trap because of their questionable insurance billing practices. They chronically overcharge, and once *I* sort out all the insurance payments, they refuse to give me a cash refund - just a credit towards a future visit. Um, no.

Similarly they push all kinds of deep cleanings on you which my new dentist affirms is not required. They always do the $20 fluoride rinse, again not covered and not required.

The only reason I had to wait so long was because they also kept pushing for me to do the films every time I was in. yet insurance doesn't cover films q6months, nor do they cover full films but once q2years. No reputable dentist will take you without recent films (they refuse to provide a copy to the new dentist); so I had to go a whole year without dental treatment just to get out of their trap.

My advice - stay away, and don't overpay. Youll never see your money again. I wound up having to buy over $80 worth of fluoride toothpaste just to "get my money back"!

Posted 07/17/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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I thought Vinings Dental and Dr. Larson were awesome until I went to a qualified dentist and he told me there was an air pocket under my cap and if it isn't fixed it will cause the tooth to get an infection. Guess what my new dentist can't fix it, because the insurance company won't pay for it. I have to go back to Larson and have him fix it. I would rather my face fall off before I do that!! Now I have to pay another $1,500 to have that fixed. My daughter just left our new dentist and she does have an infection, same scenario, root canal was not done properly. So now I have to take her to a new endodontist to look at it. She will probably have to have the tooth pulled. Oh by the way, if you go to get your teeth cleaned; they will tell you that you need a deep scaling; which will run you about $500.00 (another scam)! The reason I have posted is to make sure I protect others from the horrible experiences my family had to go through at Vinings Dental.

Posted 05/28/09 | Report Abuse

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They do excellent work and have great prices. I got a much needed root canal for $350. This is a bargain. They take time and are very personable. I don't know about the others gripping here, but I can not complain

Posted 12/11/08 | Report Abuse

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I have been going to Vinings Dental for several years and have had a positive experience. At first I was a bit unsure when I was advised to get the deep scaling and gum treatments, but feel they have been necessary and that my teeth and gums are healthier. I have been a patient of Dr. Perez for the past two years and find him friendly and professional.

Posted 11/01/08 | Report Abuse

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Unfortunately, I have gone to this office for two years. They did the same gum tests with the poking instrument on me and tried to push all kinds of periodontal procedures and specialists on me. I opted to do the cheapest solution (flossing every night on my own...no specialists or procedures), and miraculously everything cured itself (while I saved lots of money). Unfortunately I didn't understand the difference in a regular and a deep cleaning and ended up paying out of pocket because they kept giving me deep cleanings and my insurance wouldn't cover that many in such a short time frame. They also ALWAYS give you the $20+ fluoride rinse (not covered by most insurances)...tell them you don't want it. I told them no last time and they left it on my bill anyways. I had to tell them at check out to take it off. Dr Perez told me I needed a filling replaced and only gave me one option of a filling (the one my insurance wouldn't cover). In the procedure, the hygienest kept poking my mouth with instruments while he was drilling, as which point he yelled at ME in the chair to stop moving so he wouldn't drill too deep into my tooth. Yes, he yelled at me, not his hygienest for poking me over and over!

Additionally, in the last 6 visits my wife and I have made, the office made errors in the insurance claim EVERY SINGLE TIME, resulting in us having multiple phone calls to resolve, before finally having to go in person with all the paperwork each time. At the conclusion of each instance, the answer was always, "oh, I see now, we billed it wrong to your insurance." This would have been close to $1000 in total had we not protested each time (plus all our time we spent going into the office and on phone calls).

And Dr Perez has the WORST bedside manner. He is short with patients, and even if he says hello, he does it so quickly that he never even looks at you while he shakes your hand. It is very disingenuous. He is very arrogant. And my last two visits he never even came in the room to see me...just the hygienest.

Save your time, money, and hassle and go somewhere else.

Posted 10/09/08 | Report Abuse

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I just had the worst experience in my life!
This doctor is all about the money then he is about your actual care. Dr. Perez spends 3 minutes reviewing your chart and finally introducing himself for another 3 minutes. He could care less whether he knows you are not. Quite a handsome man but ready to move on to Room "E". If you are a HMO policy forget being respected.

Posted 08/21/08 | Report Abuse

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Its amazing how all of the negative reviews are about Dr. Perez. He is truly the worst dentist ever. He tries to abuse your insurance and claims that you have issues with your mouth that you don't really have. I had dental work done in PA 3 weeks before the moving to GA, where I went to Vinings to get a filling done. Dr. Perez had x-rays taken and then claimed that I needed a crown for the SAME tooth that I had gotten filled in PA 3 weeks prior. He said the dentist must have made some kind of error and that I risk infection in the tooth, and because I don't know much about dentistry, I believed him. Now, my insurance doesn't cover the procedure he performed so they want me to pay over $800. Ridiculous!! Don't be fooled by the friendliness of the staff...ITS ALL A FAKE! They reel you in to milk you dry. So, like I said, DO NOT DO IT!

Posted 07/18/08 | Report Abuse

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My son just had his wisdom teeth removed at this office. The entire staff was very friendly and understanding and explained everything. Great office.

Posted 07/09/08 | Report Abuse

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Office is always clean, staff is always friendly, I have had nothing but good experiences at this office. I was shocked to read all of the negativity posted on this site, so I thought I would share my experience.

Posted 07/04/08 | Report Abuse

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This office was awesome! My friend referred me and she had a good experience as well. My neighbors have been going there for years, no complaints. I am surprised that people don't take the time to leave good reviews but will quickly complain if they have a bad one! I want to let you all know that this place is not a scam!!! They are packed with people every time I go in there. I hardly think that a dishonest buisness would always be busy. So, for what it is worth, I would highly recommend this dental office.

Posted 07/01/08 | Report Abuse

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I tried this office out for the first time last week. I had a teethache and had a root canal and crown done. I was amazed to have NO PAIN afterwards! The dentist was very kind and knowledgable and the nurses were also pleasant. My wife went the other day and had a deep cleaning and we knew she needed it. She also had a great experience. My kids are having their braces done there by a specialist. I can't tell you how nice it is to not have to drive in Atlanta traffic to a bunch of offices because they have specialists right there. Again, I totally disagree with the comments on this site! Maybe there used to be a different dentist there but our experience has been nothing but positive. I guess you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet!

Posted 07/01/08 | Report Abuse

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I too had similar experiences. Although the staff was very friendly, I always had a nagging feeling that I was being taken advantage of. I never had to have a deep cleaning before nor did I have to go every 3 months for a cleaning. 3 crowns and teeth whitening later, I am out of pocket for more than $3,000. On my last visit, Dr. Perez insisted that I needed 2 more crowns. I have now switched dentists. I am so glad I read all of these reviews. They really helped me make up my mind to switch. These people at Vinings Dental are so smooth. They give you enough information to make you think that you really need all of these procedures.

Posted 05/05/08 | Report Abuse

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I, too, had a bad experience here. I switched dentists a couple of years ago because this group tried to tell me I needed a very expensive deep cleaning! When I went to another dentist, he said it wasn't at all necessary.

I switched to Dr. McMasters, right down the street, across from Vinings Jubilee, and am very happy with him.

Posted 02/25/08 | Report Abuse

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Do not feel trapped when dealing with this dentist office. There are plenty better ones out there. I had a horrible experience here and do not recommend them to anyone. Customer service was somewhat decent until confronted about concerns. The dentists were nice but the whole time it feels like you and your insurance are being taken advantage of, and you both are. If you do not believe it at first, go back a few times. Please leave if you can, but don't come here in the first place. Thank you to those reporting them to the Dentist authorities!

Posted 01/15/08 | Report Abuse

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I had the same exact experience. X-rays, the Deep Cleaning, and they first thing they did was pull my insurance to see what i had available. They didnt even clean my teeth.I must say some of the staff is ok, but the other half not so much. SO they ripped me off just like the rest of the patients they have. It cost me over $3000!!! I talked to several other people and had them get a estiment from their dentist on the same work I had done by Vinings Dental and the other dentist only charged about half those types of procedures.

Posted 01/11/08 | Report Abuse

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I wish I had read these reviews sooner as well. Prior to moving to Smyrna, I went to a dentist in Decatur who didn't see any problems with my teeth. I started recently with Vinings Dental and Dr. Perez told me that I had early signs of Periodontal disease and the bone loss was concerning for someone of my age. They said that the fact that my gums bled when they flossed was a sign of this. Previously, I thought that gums bleeding was just a sign that I didn't floss as often as is recommended - which is true. They did the gum depth test and seemed to be pushing rather hard to get a deeper score. Before starting, they told me that scores higher than 4 indicated that I needed a deep cleaning. Sure enough, I had some 5's and 6's that corresponded to the times that it seemed like they pushed harder. That day, they immediately did the first round of deep cleaning. As other writers have mentioned, this treatment is not covered much or at all by insurance. They also told me that one of my fillings was compromised and would need to be re-done. I was scheduled for another visit to do the second phase of deep cleaning and re-do of the filling. The whole time I was wondering if any of this was really necessary. How could my other dentist have seen no problem at all and this dentist see so many? There are 2 possible explanations and I don't know which it is. I got the second round of deep cleaning and the rework on my older filling last week. Dr. Perez said that it looked perfect after he completed the filling. As I write this, a week after the filling was re-done, my tooth is starting to ache when I bite down. I am wondering what to do next - do I go back? I feel inclined to do this because the problem originated there, but now I feel a little trapped.

Posted 12/03/07 | Report Abuse

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I wish I had read these reviews sooner!!
just had the dental appointment from HELL with Vinings Dental. First I had trouble locating their office. I called about 7 times to get better directions, but I kept getting a recording, never a live person, so I left a message. FINALLY 20 minutes later, someone called me back. I was about 20 minutes late for my appointment and they said, We dont usually see people if they are 15 minutes late, but since you are a new patient, well make an exception. Then I filled out all the paperwork and waited another 14 minutes. It was just after 1pm when they finally took me back. They began with a series of extremely painful and uncomfortable x-rays. I have never in my life had such a set of x-rays. They stuck about 20 different films in my mouth in odd positions and kept saying Cant you open wider than that?! Finally the torture of that was over, and I waited another 10 minutes for the hygienist. She said, Im going to check for gum disease and began a series of pokes into my gum tissue that Ive never felt before. She kept calling out numbers as she did it and later explained that was the depth of her poker. So then I wait another 10-15 minutes, and the dentist comes in to do his exam. He tells me he is referring me to an oral surgeon and orthodontist that I need my wisdom teeth removed and braces. Ive heard that before, but I dont have any pain or problems with my mouth. After another few minutes, they tell me that I have an infection in my gums (however, I have no pain or bleeding when I brush) and that they are recommending my gums be irrigated with medicine for the infection. This is not covered under my insurance, so my out of pocket expense will be $109. By this time, I have been there nearly 2 hours, so I ask if they can just do the cleaning and I come back for the medicine later. They hem haw around and finally say no, that they refuse to treat me if I dont take the medication. I was so upset and angry, but I needed the cleaning, and I had already been there for 2 hours, so I reluctantly agreed. It took me nearly 2 months to get this appointment and I was overdue for a cleaning. I am nauseous from the medicine they flooded my mouth with and have a headache from all the noises. I have had my teeth cleaned twice a year since I had teeth, and I have never had any "infection" or other problems requiring such treatment. RUN FROM THIS PLACE! I reported them to the GA Dental Board.

Posted 10/25/07 | Report Abuse

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I went for a scheduled cleaning appointment. They took xrays. They also took out the insurance information so that they knew what they would be able to bill for. Dr. Perez said that I needed my teeth to be whitened and that they were running and special AND had a cancelation so he can do it today. He stated that he wouldn't refill an old cavity until I had the needed whitening. Also, he recommended a deep cleaning. When I was presented with the treatment plan, I didn't want to sign. The assistant insisted that I had to sign. So, I did, with the words "I do not accept this tx plan". I asked about my regular cleaning and she said they wouldn't do it, they would only do the deep cleaning which my insurance doesn't cover. I know I need a deep cleaning, but I don't have the $169 out of pocket this second. I have been in the dental field for many years and something just doesn't seem kosher about this. Also, their xray arms are loose and it kept falling on me during xrays. The hygenist actually held the device, without a lead apron, during most of my xrays.

Posted 08/01/07 | Report Abuse

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This place over several visits in 2006 had ONE dentist and about 12 plus chairs. Felt like a puppy mill. Each person left with a whole lot of extra billed items, rinse, toothpaste, special this $$ or that $$. Anything to make a buck. I had xrays taken and the next visit just a few months they dont ask, just throw the xray cover on you. I say WAIT! She says oh dont worry we bill your insurance. Yeah right. They only pay every so often. A rinse in a little cup they hand you is billed $28. Any gum cleaning? They will add arestin which may be good, I dont know, but SO expensive and insurance wont cover it. That added multi multi hundreds. Beware. You will leave paying 6 times or more what you thought you were going to pay.

Posted 07/30/07 | Report Abuse

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This place is shady. I got the same gum diagnosis with a really expensive treatement program spread out over a long period. I've seem alot of bad reviews. I am changing doctors for my next visit.

Posted 07/12/07 | Report Abuse

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Please do yourself and your teeth a favor and find a different dentist. Dr. Perez looked at my private insurance maximums and developed disease states from there. I was diagnosed with horrible periodontal disease that required a total of 12 visits costing $3000 worth of care(and 6 office visits). I got a second opinion at one of Vinings most reputable dentists and was told I was in wonderul dental health a mere 5 days later. This man has the WORST bedside manner I have ever encountered - he coughed in my open mouth while he had an instrument deep into my gums gashing it open. I am contacting the Georgia Dental Board.

Posted 01/30/07 | Report Abuse

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I have been to this dentists three times in the last three months, my fault (cavities), not theirs. Once signed in, I've never had to wait very long. Also, it is not too bad if a schedule change needs to be made. Plus, they take appointments starting at 7:30 - great way to start a work day.

Posted 07/13/05 | Report Abuse

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