Smiles by Design

Dr Flurry is an excellent dentist. He is knowledgeable, patient, approachable, consistent. His dental assistant Linda and all the hygienists in the office are all very knowledge and caring. Office manger Tina is very efficient and always have great response time I have issues/​questions/​appointment scheduling etc. Overall a 5-​star operation.

Smiles by Design was my go-​to dentist office when I lived in South Austin. The work I had done there was pretty basic — cleanings and two fillings — but I was always impressed with the politeness of the staff and the quality of the work performed. I did have one filling come out after six months, but they re-​filled it for free.

I have seen Dr. Michael Flurry (owner of Smiles by Design) ever since he had opened his practice in the mid 2000’s. He is a great doctor, caring, has great hands and he also has a great sense of humor! When I moved to Texas (from Canada) I first saw another dentist (overpriced and not good hands, so I was not impressed with her skills). So I looked around and found Dr. Flurry. Today (over 10 years later) I can certainly state that his dental work endures time and I am very happy with his results! And his medical staff is great: Regina the Dental Hygienist is simply the best I have met and Tina at the front desk gets things done fast with insurance and payment.
Great dental team @ Dr. Flurry!

The appointment itself was nice. The hygienist was very friendly. We had a billing issue but Dr. Flury took care of it and made the situation right so overall it was a fine experience.

I have been going to Smiles by Design for several years now. They are great people. Tina at the front desk is great at explaining the insurance side of things and Regina the DH is the best hygienist I have ever been to. She is professional, funny, personable and cares about what she does. Dr. Flury is easy to talk to and is makes an effort to talk to you when you are in the office. He explains what will be happening and what to expect. You have to try them to see what you have been missing.

Great first experience. Everyone was attentive and on top of their game. They accept new patients unlike several others around the area that won’t even give you the time of day. I have not had a cleaning there yet but will update the review with how that experience goes, so far so good.

I freaking love this dental office. Dr. Flurry has a great personality and the rest of the office is just as awesome. I got a really thorough cleaning where I am pretty sure a million pounds of tarter was removed.

I have major dentist anxiety, and Dr. Flury’s approachable, easygoing manner put me at ease. Brooke, the dental hygienist, was very friendly and knowledgeable. I left my exam wondering what it was I was so anxious about. Whew!

Excellent dentist. My girlfriend found him first, thanks to Unilocal.:-) Very personable and knowledgeable. So far, though, what’s stood out are the hygenists. I don’t think either of us have ever had more thorough cleanings than we did with them. Mine, Carolyn, was really professional and friendly. I had braces (for the second time) that were removed 3 years ago. Amazingly, she was the first to comment that much of the bonding material was still there on my teeth. She spent so much time scraping that crap off, I’ve gotta give her a big thankyou.
Another interesting bonus to having Dr. Flury is that he’s also an orthodontist. I’ve never seen a dentist before that also did ortho. I always assumed that orthos made a lot more, so they wouldn’t be interested in general dentistry, but obviously he is. This is very helpful since I’m now obligated to use night retainers for life. :-(

Review Update:
So, after my initial, wonderful first visit, once it came time to actually implement my treatment plan, things went awry. After walking out with my temporary bridge, once the numbing meds wore off, I realized something was horribly wrong.
First of all, Dr. Flury shaved down a perfectly healthy tooth (yes, I was aware that was part of the process of placing the bridge…) but he exposed the nerve, causing horrible, unbearable pain and suffering and an infection while wearing the temporary bridge. I had to be placed on antibiotics and given hydrocodone for the pain, then made to wait for about 4 weeks while the infection went away and the bridge came in.
When the bridge arrived, the pain had more or less subsided, but the bridge didn’t fit. The process of removing the temporary bridge, exposing the now-​exposed nerve to cold air, trying to cram an ill-​fitting permanent bridge on, then yanking it back off was torture.
The bridge didn’t fit. At all. So he cemented the temp back on and I was sent away to wait another 3 weeks.
During this time, Flury told me that they were squabbling with my insurance over coding so I may need to contact my insurance because «it’s not my problem if they don’t like our coding.» Excuse me? Yes. It is your problem and I’m shelling out about $ 1800.00 out of pocket for this work, so the attitude is unacceptable.
Finally, I get the bridge in, we get it placed, I make my last $ 600 or so payment and walk out. I’m done. And I knew right there I was never going back. And I knew still that my tooth could possibly die underneath this bridge he just placed, because of how much he damaged a healthy tooth, which will require removing the bridge, a root canal and major cosmetic work in the future.
These days — the tooth is bleeding under the permanently cemented bridge. I still get temperature sensitivity and I can literally suck on that tooth and spit out blood.
Do not give your money to Dr. Flury.
His office sent me another bill asking me for over $ 700.00 because of their coding issues. I’ll have to take this up with my insurance now and will fight with them.
This scuzzbag wants to get every dime out of your insurance AND every dime out of your pocket — all the while being an incompetent and dangerous dentist.
Sincerely,
Livid, in pain, and not paying one cent more.
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Gotta say, I’m on the «Flury is great» bandwagon. And Teresa has a wonderful bedside manner — I honestly really enjoy my visits because of her. Tina at the front desk has always been extremely helpful to me.
I visited twice and honestly didn’t like my first experience, but it wasn’t Dr. Flury I saw. But Teresa was very wonderful and comfortable to be around that I decided to go through with x-​rays and just make sure my next appointment was with Dr. Flury. I’m glad I did.
I was in a bit of a bind — have a baby tooth that has hung around as long as it could and now, in my late twenties, was threatening to hit the road. I was NOT prepared to have a gap in my teeth even for a minute. So after a consultation with Flury, he laid out my best options. I was adamant that I wanted an implant. So he wrote me a referral, let me know what the process would be and said he’d see me back after the referral visit.
In the meantime, I looked at the treatment plan and potential cost and completely switch my game plan on them. I waited about a month and called back to say I wanted a bridge instead. They shot me a new price estimate and treatment plan that day and we scheduled the appointment.
Today, I went in for the major portion of the procedure and left within an hour and a half with a beautiful temp in place. I had no issues with pain, discomfort or not being walked through the process completely as it was going on.
Sorry, it’s never fun to go to the dentist. That’s just true. But they gave me the best possible dentist experience and I’ll stick with them for that! This whole team was fast, effective, attentive, kind and put me at ease.
And the chairs are massage chairs.
Highly recommend them!

Seriously the best dentist ever! Doc and staff, especially Regina, are fantastic. They remember you every time, will let you know exactly what everything costs and what’s covered on your insurance, and does excellent work. Dr. Flurry even pulled 5 of my daughters baby teeth and she said it was «fun». Amazing. Such great service. I would drive long distances to see this office.

I saw Dr. Flury. Things went well during my consultation. Then I tried for weeks to get an estimate for the work proposed. Nobody was of any help. When I was finally contacted by Dr. Flury, he was dismissive and rude. Don’t bother with this dental practice. They are wholly unprofessional and don’t give a damn about their patients. I suspect they make their money by just charging people’s insurance for consultations and then ignoring the patients thereafter.

Muuuuuch better than my previous dentist. I don’t have to pay anything for my cleanings/​x-​rays because of my insurance. Previous dentist (right down the street) charged me a lot on top of my insurance.
All the dental hygienists here are wonderful as are the dentists. They make going to the dentist a very pleasant experience that I don’t dread at all.

I went to Dr. Paiva a couple weeks ago for a regular exam. Dental experiences aren’t my favorite, but Dr. Paiva and the dental assistant were very kind and efficient.
After my exam, I got a statement from my insurance company that said Dr. Paiva was out of network (even though Dr. Flury is in network.) I called my insurance company and they reiterated what was in the letter. I then called Smiles by Design and the person who answered the phone took care of it right away. I was relieved when another statement came showing everything was paid in full!
I’m very happy with the service at Smiles by Design and will be seeing them regularly as long as I’m in Austin. (:

Excellent customer service, caring doctors, and a convenient location. I have had nothing but good experiences with Dr. Paiva and Dr. Flury and I highly recommend them!

Let’s put it this way — Dr. Flury and his staff is so superb, I brought them all lunch one afternoon! My previous and vry expensive dentist was the president of some fancy Dental Association and the results were painful (literally). After a friend’s referral, I couldn’t be happier. They squeezed me in for numerous appointments before my insurance ran out within a week! Then when I obtained insurance again and came back a year later to the same great service, pricing, honesty and results! They went out on a limb for me. I have found many friends from this office b/​c they are real benelovent human beings.
Can’t say I have recommended anything else in my life as strong as I do them.

My wife and I started going to Dr. Flury and Smiles by Design when we moved from California. We have since started bringing our kids. Michael is professional, light, funny and a fantastic dentist. I have had a crown made, night guards fitted, cavities filled, teeth cleaning and have never had anything shy of a perfect experience. My family loves Michael and his staff, David, Regina, Tina and Ashley. Smiles by Design has now added a new dentist, Dr. Paiva Woo who we are looking forward to meeting as well. If you need a dentist, look no further.

Pleasant, fast, friendly and professional. They book up quickly so book ahead. The staff is concerned about your dental well being but doesn’t pressure you with guilt or outrageous costs for neglected teeth. Truly a dentist that wants to help you. I look forward to my next visit.