Austin Laser Dentist – Helen Ragsdale, DDS

I started going to Dr. Ragsdale’s office when I had multiple issues with my teeth and overall health. I followed the advice I was given and kept up with the recommended cleanings. There is no way explain how much better off I am now.

Great dentist. The proof is in my smile. Wonderful personality. They have all the latest and greatest technology. The front desk us very kind and professional. The office atmosphere us peaceful, quiet yet very warm, comfortable and friendly. Best dentist around. I am constantly complimented on my white teeth and my smile.

Doctor Ragsdale and Staff are amazing. Very friendly atmosphere. Her staff tends to know who you are says hello to you by name recognition. If you are looking for someone who knows what they are doing and who is super gentle she’s that dentist. I was always scared to go to the dentist due to past experiences but she has managed to put all my fears to the side. I would highly recommend her to all my friends and family.

Dr. Ragsdale and her entire staff have been wonderful. After many years of dental neglect, and utmost dental fear, I have finally found a place where I feel completely comfortable and well cared for. I called on a Monday morning for a slight emergency and was seen right away. Several employees have been there for decades, That itself says a lot!
Still can’t say I look forward to going to the dentist but this dr and her staff have made a big difference in my dental world.
Highly recommend! They also have nitrous that I didn’t even have to use. not yet anyway
Alicia Richards

Dr. Ragsdale and her staff are always very professional. It is always a great friendly environment. The staff is very nice and always ask about my family. Phoebe is the best and gentlest hygienist I have came across so far. I 100% recommend Austin laser dentist to anyone.

Over the years (even as a child) I have had unpleasant dental experiences. Not so with Dr. Ragsdale and her team. I break out in a sweat and grip the chair throughout a procedure. But Dr. Ragsdale and Carrie try to make sure that i am comfortable and at ease. Carrie is very thorough and quick. Quick is great when you want to get it over with. I moved to the coast a few years ago, but I have kept Dr. Ragsdale as my dentist. It is not worth it to me to take a risk on having another bad experience.
Years ago there was a billing issue. Dr. Ragsdale stepped in and went above and beyond what was fair.

It’s not hard to see that this office goes out of their way for patient comfort and care. When I first came into the office, I was taken to this awesome little «smile lounge» as they called it and got to wait in the cozy area while I waited on treatment. Everyone is so friendly and Dr. Ragsdale is a fantastic dentist! She answered all of my many, many questions thoroughly and is great at what she does!

I just had the most amazing experience at this office! I wanted to write this review because I believe everyone should have an experience like this with their dentist. I needed to find a dentist in Austin after relocating to the area and I am so thankful I found Dr. Ragsdale. I had a filling performed and I could not believe how relaxing and fun the experience was. Her assistants make you feel like you’re talking to your best friends. Dr. Ragsdale is beyond fantastic. She was gentle, kind and calmingly patient toward my dental fears. I felt absolutely nothing throughout the entire filling. I have never had an experience like this before and everyone deserves to experience this kind of treatment. You will love your visit to this office.

Dr. Ragsdale has been my for over ten years and she is the best. Almost everyone at our office uses her and loves the way she runs her practice. All the people in the office are very warm. I wouldn’t go anywhere else.

The office staff cares about the opinions of their clients and customers. I have received several notes encouraging a revalidation/​visitation of my review. Here goes… My observation and experience was only for the phone conversation to gain knowledge about a dental procedure I was thinking of getting. this current review update involves, the mentioned above as well as their follow-​up with me. I’d like to give the follow up staff (those reaching out to Unilocal reviewers) credit for working hard for their office and small business.
I still can not comment on any actual dental procedures.
I would still call to obtain prices for procedures before I visit.

Dr. Ragsdale has been my dentist for about 5 years. She has given me a beautiful smile! I’m what you might call a drama queen and I don’t deal with pain well when it comes to my teeth. In spite of my drama queen ways they are always patient with me. Phoebe & Stacy are wonderful. I highly recommend Dr. Ragsdale.

I am soooo impressed with Dr. Ragsdale and her amazing staff! I am no stranger to the dentist… Periodontist, oral surgery… You name it, I’ve done it. This office is by far the best I have ever experienced. AND I get everything I need in one place! I needed some hand holding and Dr. Ragsdale went out of her way to keep me calm and cool. I never feel silly about my questions, fears, or anxiety. Call NOW! You won’t regret it!!!

Great dentist, really awesome staff! Since moving to Dr. Ragsdale’s practice, I love going to get my teeth checked and cleaned. I can’t recommend Dr. Ragsdale enough!

I’ve been very happy with Dr. Ragsdale and her office. I’ve had a bit of maintenance work done here, along with a crown, and night guard, and have been very pleased with my treatment. Additionally, my wife and mother in law have visited her and had similarly good experiences.

I am originally from Houston and since I moved I was having trouble finding a Dentist to go to that was in the Austin area, and after searching forever I luckily found Dr. Ragsdale. Helen is so sweet so kind and she always makes sure that I leave happy! I am more than thankful that I found such a great Dentist here in Austin!

Dr. Ragsdale is the best Dentist in the Austin Area for sure! She is so kind and gentle. I can see why everybody has such wonderful things to say about her and her dental practice. Her front office staff is top notch! They always greet you with a warm and friendly smile! The hygienist are phenomenal! If you haven’t had Laser whitening before, this office is the place to get it done! I went up 4 shades in one day and the prices are super affordable! Love Love this office and Dr. Ragsdale!

I usually do not like going to the dentist but the experience at Austin Laser Dentist with Helen has definitely changed my mind. The staff is extremely sweet and I enjoyed my appointment. Thank you so much for taking care for me!

While my body may be American, my teeth are definitely of British descent. The point being, I’ve been to this place a lot. Enough that I’ve probably paid for Dr. Ragsdale’s vacation home at this point in our ‘relationship’…and despite the sadness I feel over this expense, I’m happy to have a dentist I trust instead of one that leaves me feeling like I’ve just paid to visit a sadist.
Dental work is a disgusting process, but having been a patient since 2007 and have always had a great experience with her.
While I can definitely understand some of the negative reviews tied to the billing and back office, I’ve never had a bad experience there aside from the occasional delay, which is to be expected in a clinic which is consistently booked.
So all in all — good work team. I dig your style.

I called to make an appt for myself and my teenage son, We were able to get in as new patients within a week. When we got there, we were greeted by the front desk. We were both soon called back. The assistant took X-​Rays, pictures and talked with me about why I was afraid of the dentist. The doctor come in and was very kind, she was gentle with me, she spent time asking why I was afraid. She gave me a couple of options for treatment and wasn’t pushy. I believe her when she says she will help me get through this with minimal pain.
Then Carrie cleaned my teeth, she was so gentle, again for someone as scared as I am, I cannot express how much I appreciate them. The lady handling my insurance was efficient and good at explaining the details to me.
I will be back for the actual dental work soon, hoping this review stays a 5 star then.
I have to make a few comments based on other reviews that almost prevented me from going in.
It was CLEAN.
EVERYONE in the office smiled at me, or said hello.
The dentist wasn’t rude to her staff, at least not where I could hear it.
I don’t believe they tried to talk me into anything that wasn’t necessary
My teenage son isn’t 18 and we didn’t have any issues getting him an appt.
The front desk did greet us very kindly

First off, let me say that it seems this is a polarizing place as people either love this office or really hate it. I «tolerated» it until recently when I had a horrible series of experiences.
First off, I had a gum deep cleaning a couple of years ago and have been diligently following my home care and coming in for maintenance every 4 months. After my last cleaning they told me I was doing so good I could change to 6 month cleanings. I went back 6 months later to find out my condition had reversed and was told I needed to do the full gum cleaning again, which is very expensive. I was upset that because I followed the technician’s advice in lengthening the time between maintenance visits, as I felt that advice probably should have come from Dr. Ragsdale (seeing her is like a celebrity spotting, but more on that later). I was willing to let this go as I know that no medical advice can be 100% correct every time.
So here I am coming in for my maintenance and I’m told I need to have the full cleaning again. The tech goes ahead and does the maintenance then sets me up to have the full cleaning, which wouldn’t be for 6 months. I asked, since it’s six months away shouldn’t I come in again within 4 months for my regular maintenance? «No, there’s not point» she tells me in having the maintenance again when I need the full cleaning.
Later on I started asking myself why she had done the maintenance that day in the first place, knowing I needed to have the full cleaning procedure again. I felt like they had performed a procedure they knew was unnecessary and just made some extra money off of me. This dentist is very pricey, by the way. I called several other dentists and my insurance and all confirmed that the maintenance should not have been performed when the full cleaning was needed.
I called Helen back and this turned into a multi-​week ordeal. Let me just say this: her staff is great UNTIL you have a problem. Then they lose all customer service skills completely. I spoke to several people, every one except the receptionist was curt. The main billing lady is the worst. I had to call multiple times because people wouldn’t call me back. I asked to have Dr. Ragsdale call me and this request was denied because she’s «too busy.»
Weeks later I finally succeeded in getting a refund for the service they provided that was unnecessary by even the technician’s own admittance.
Now the second part… I asked for a copy of my X-​rays that were taken that day (since I planned to change dentists). Of course the charged me $ 35 for this. I emailed the form with my CC number attached, and asked they reply to me acknowledging the received it. Never happened. I called and they said they didn’t get it. I sent again, and AGAIN asked for confirmation. Didn’t get it. Finally two weeks later I called a third time for these and the receptionist just went ahead and processed and sent them herself, which could have been done at the very beginning.
Finally, a note about Helen herself. When I first started she would come in and say hi and review my charts. This slowly tapered off. I’m sorry but if I’m paying these prices I would like at least a cursory conversation with the dentist. On one of my teeth the tech said «if this doesn’t get better by your next visit, we’ll have Helen look at it.» This never happened over my next several visits, then I find out my condition had gotten worse. I was also furious when I was told Helen was too busy to call me back to discuss my procedure and grievances.
One last thing: this dentist office will push every product they have on you to make money: Sonicate toothbrushes, Mi Paste remineralization treatments (other dentists say this should only be for people with enamel problems), teeth whitening, Biotin mouthwash. I feel like every time is a sales pitch for everything under the sun. My last visit she didn’t even ask whether I wanted the Mi Paste treatment and just gave it to me, so I spent the $ 28 without even realizing it or being give the choice.
Again, many people love this dentist. Just wait until you have an issue with them and you’ll see them turn into completely different people.
**One of my friends who goes there had a problem with billing due to their error. Even though she had provided her current insurance provider multiple times over several visits, one day they tried to push her bill to her old insurance provider (from two years before). When this was of course rejected Helen just charged my friend’s card on file, WITHOUT EVEN THE COURTESY OF CALLING HER TO TELL HER IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. This mean she was overdrawn in her account. And this was all due to Helen’s original error with the insurance. They were rude to her when she called and even hung up on her one time, then wouldn’t call her back. It took multiple calls to get them to refund her and charge it to the correct insurance.**
Beware!!!