Franklin Dental Health

I wish I had seen this site prior to coming to this dental office. My experiences are similar to others. I was attended by totally unprofessional staff, who at one point even lost my folder and all of my private insurance information. Another time I waited for 2 hours in the lobby. Dr. Youssem, is a total scam. After a painful cleaning from one of their incompetent dentist assistant, she finally saw me and after 15 minutes told me I would need over $6000 in dental work; claiming tooth decay and excessive perodontist (something I have never had in my life and I floss twice a day). She did not listen to what I told her was bothering me and instead, jumped right ahead into giving me a root canal, costing me alot of out of pocket. She also without my knowledge ordered the most expensive crown, after I said I did not want it. She kept insisting I needed to have it and that I would regret it if I didnt get these much fancier ones, which she also said were more comfortable on the gums. Sadly so, 3 months after having this work, I am having excessive pain in the gums where she put my crown that spreads causing me a headache. I really kick myself for not trusting my instincts from the beginning. And please, please, spare yourself from this totally incompetent and scamming dental office.

Posted 03/11/09 | Report Abuse

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Unless you're with the Better business Bureau... Indeed, I wish I found this webb site before I went to Franklin Dental. Because the reviews sound like what happened to me. The dentist found decay in teeth that, as I later found out, didnt have any. Of course, the dentist recommended the most expensive treatment available.
I was told that I need extensive work done on a number of teeth, which would have totaled over $6000. They said I needed to replace severel fillings and strongly encouraged the most expensive service. On six, the dentist recommended an onlay, and quoted an out-of-pocket expense of around $1000. I didnt want to spend that much, so they offered a reduced price of $800. I got two done. They also mistakenly filled the same tooth twice. I finally got a second opinion from another dentist. The checkup found that no work needed to be done. A year later, my teeth are still fine.
I then went to the Aetna webb site, and found out that Aetna quoted that the out-of-pocket cost for the onlay should only be $678, instead of the "discounted" $800 procedure. I appealed and won some of the money back. But Franklin Dental wont mail it to me. I now have to go to the office, which will take an hour round-trip, to sign for it. I hope the word gets out about this dentist's misconduct.

Posted 07/28/08 | Report Abuse

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I can't BELIEVE I suffered through several procedures at this depressing office instead of finding another dentist. The entire staff seemed miserable. No one ever introduced themselves. In fact, they barely talked to me or looked me in the eye. I was seen by several different dentists, so there was little continuity of care. Some of the work I had done there I have since had to have redone. Worst of all, they did work after leading me to believe that my insurance would cover it, only to discover later that it didn't, at which point they slapped me with a GIANT bill that I couldn't afford with no apology. They then refused to continue the work until I paid a portion of it. HORRIBLE place. I now go to a LOVELY dentist who does great work, is kind, caring, and great about dealing with insurance. Look elsewhere--great caring dentists who take insurance DO exist!

Posted 07/23/08 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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While I have had decent (NOT terrific) dental services performed at Franklin Dental Health, the owner - Dr. Patricia Youdeem has a strong tendency (or should I say self-serving financial interest?) to sell the patient on extra procedures, especially ones not covered by insurance!!! When certain procedures are only partially covered, she fails to disclose upfront how much the patient would need to pay out-of-pocket prior to the procedures are performed. Aside from this, they require that the patient pay upfront, not after the service has been performed. When I complained that it is normal protocol to pay after the service has been rendered, Dr. Youdeem just complained that it takes a month for insurance claim forms to process. But, isn't this standard for all dental & medical offices? All in all, Franklin Dental is very aggressive (unreasonably so) about payment, and Dr. Youdeem tries really hard to sell extra dental procedures so she can make more money.I would not recommend this dental office!!

Posted 02/14/08 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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I should have run out the minute I was shown to the exam room. There was paint chipping on the walls, dust bunnies in the corners of the room, and the counter was covered with rusty equipment that looked like it was from the 1960's. When the dentist came in to see me, she was wearing a ratty old lab coat with dried blood stains on the sleeve. I'm sure she thought she was speaking in English, but I couldn't understand a word she said. This place was absolutely FILTHY and DISGUSTING, and the dental care is perfunctory at best. I will never return--don't go anywhere near this place!

Posted 01/03/08 | Report Abuse

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Walking into the office I had a bad gut reaction to this place. It does not seem to be the cleanest, and as a previous reviewer mentions, the walls are only partial and do not extend to the ceiling. The space is dingy to say the least. Additionally, staff was not entirely fluent in English, and the woman who helped me was "training," so she spent 1 hour digging around my mouth, trying to set up for x-rays correctly but just causing me pain. my dentist had an incredibly condescending tone, saying that i should get my teeth whitened because i needed it, and that i was doing a lot of damage to my gums by brushing too hard. these are normal things for a dentist to say, but they were expressed in an inappropriate tone.

Posted 07/30/07 | Report Abuse

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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This is where I have been taking my daughter-in-law when she needs to go to the dentist. Although she dreads having to have twice a year cleanings, the hygenists here manage to calm her down enough so it's tolerable. They also have special games that kids can play while they're in the chair. It seems like a perfect distraction. The rest of the staff are also friendly and flexibile when scheduling appointments.

Posted 08/06/06 | Report Abuse

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I made an appointment with Dr George Manolarkakis (whom I heard very good reviews of) a day before my appointment date. The lady who talked to me took forever to get all the information from me...and finally gave me an appointment for 2 PM the next day. When I called the office next day to confirm the appointment I was told that Dr does not even come to the office that day....my call got transferred to the lady I spoke to a day before and she started lying to me about the conversation I had a day before. I am so glad I called to confirm the appointment otherwise I would have been seen by some another doctor without even informing me.

Here I canceled all my other appointments because of this appointment.and here I am in pain again. I do not know how the Dr is as I never visited him BUT I would recommend not going here at allbecause all you will get is stupid receptionist and frustration.

PROS: no pros that i see.
CONS: Careless staff.

Posted 08/03/06 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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I go to the dentist every 6 months. I was seen by a new dentist each visit. At my last visit (May '06), I was told that due to a hair-line fracture in my tooth plus tongue errosion, it caused an opening for food (decay) to settle in btwn my filling & tooth. The dentist seeing me told me this, as she was using x-rays from 6 months ago. Why didn't the dentist who had seen me 6 months prior tell me of this? Good question. When I called to speak to Dr. Youdeem to get an explanation, I was yelled at by her and told "we're all human". $1200 later, after finding out I was very close to getting a root canal due to how severe & deep the decay had gotten, I had it fixed. Not once did Dr. Youdeem apologize for her staff member's incompetence. Nor did she practice good customer service and offer some sort of discount (I wouldn't have minded paying the difference at least). Bottom line- she overcharged me for the in-lay, which I came to find out after seeing my claim online & having my dental insurance investigate further. She claimed the entire procedure costing $2456 (not $3000, which is what her receptionist claimed previously). I wouldn't recommend this dental office, nor Dr. Youdeem's services at all. It'd be in your best interest, including your wallet's, to go elsewhere due to Dr. Youdeem's shady billing practices. I'd stay FAR FAR away from this dental practice.

PROS:
CONS: Expensive, shady billing practices

Posted 07/11/06 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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New to NYC, I had to go to an Aetna DMO dentist. While the lobby was clean and my wait there was short, I sat in the office "room" for some time waiting for the dentist. The electric outlets were exposed, papers on the wall were stained, the "spitting basin" was cracked. Immediately, I was pressured to have xrays taken (which you sign a form that they'll charge you $25 if you want a copy). My teeth were practically pulled out by the first dentist during the cleaning (possible permanent damage?) as he used a metal pick to go between the teeth. Because the office has high ceilings and the walls don't go up to the ceiling, I heard every word of the patient next door -- it is bad enough to sit through your own appointment, but to hear complaints about a crown that it too tight, the problems loosening it, the drilling, etc. Too much! The second dentist examined my teeth and found nothing. After I was out of the chair and out of the door, she asked to take another look at my teeth (didn't she see them already?) and was going to suggest some cosmetic procedure but she said I didn't need any but that I should know that they perform such services. I was going to try Metropolitan Dental, but after reading the reviews on this page, I won't go to a place that got only one star when Franklin got three!!! I also felt obliged to add this description because I had learned something from this page. Keep submitting info please!

Posted 05/02/06 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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The offices here have been under construction for a while, but they are shaping up nicely. The dentists are great for cleanings and teeth whitenings, but when I needed a crown replaced, they balked and couldn't do it. Good for basic services, not the place to go for major work.

PROS: Good location, cleaning
CONS: Not highly skilled

Posted 07/15/05 | Report Abuse

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