Chris Katris, DDS

I’ve been coming to dr katris since I first moved to Chicago 5 years ago. I like that he does it all himself, is quick, and doesn’t waste money on luxuries like a free toothbrush at the end of your visit. No spit sucker, just a cup of water and a sink to spit in.
He is also honest and doesn’t try to upsell you on things you don’t need.

got my teeth cleaned and a check up. He was friendly and approachable, did the clean up in 20 minutes. I was born abroad and never had any work done on my teeth but he didnt pressure me to get anything done. he just complimented my teeth and in fact, when I asked about my wisdom tooth he recommended I cross that bridge when I come to it since it doesnt bother me now and hasnt been a problem. Clean office and helpful assistant who made good recommendations as well as helped me with timing etc. I’ll be back in 6 months, he did a good job.

He’s great

I hadn’t been to a dentist in a year due to a lapse in dental insurance. I was terrified that I would have a cavity but Dr. Katris put my mind at ease with his efficient exam and cleaning. Will definitely go back in 6 months!

After reading the reviews, I was confident that Dr. Katris was going to be my new dentist. Even thought I was going to refer him to a friend of mine. I was wrong!
His office is hidden on the first floor of an apartment building that you need to get buzzed in to. My appointment was for a routine cleaning and check-​up. I arrived about 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork and the dentist was waiting in the waiting room. Quick and painless I filled out the paperwork and was in the chair 5 minutes before my appointment. X-​Rays were taken then the cleaning began. I felt as if he was a one man circus, doing everything for himself, no hygienist or chair assistant — is he really this efficient?
However, literally 11 minutes goes by and I was completely done with my entire appointment. He didn’t even floss me after the cleaning. I felt it was too quick and not thorough. I do practice good hygiene, but seriously, 11 minutes! When he was done, I asked him to email me my x-​rays (because I will not be returning) and he said he doesn’t have digital copies, only film. Its 2013, who’s not up to speed on the latest technology!!!
I have left dentist appointments 30 – 45 minutes after sitting in the chair. Others complimented him on his punctuality and quick routine; I, on the other hand, did not appreciate the lack of service and dated office. I didn’t even get a toothbrush at the end.
As I was about to exit, both him and his receptionist just said «Bye» and I knew I had a $ 5 co-​pay they did not collect. I’m an honest person and I asked about paying my co-​pay. They pulled out my file and confirmed I needed to pay. They collected the money and I had to ask for a receipt. I would highly not recommend Dr. Katris for any type of service, unless you want below average quality.

I have been seeing Dr. Katris for about fourteen years and I feel it’s great to have such an outstanding and professional dentist in the neighborhood. He is very thorough, hardly ever lets patients wait past their appointment times and in my experience the quality of his work is top notch. I highly recommend Dr. Katris!

I had my first appointment today. (My face is still numb) I have to agree with most of the the previous posters. No frills, but I don’t want to pay for that anyway. I had a broken tooth so I called and was told the first available appointment was June 6^th. When they learned it was a broken tooth they got me in right away even though I was in no pain. They said to come in at 1:15. I showed up at 12:45 and when I arrived the doctor happened to be in the waiting room and asked «are you matt?» I said yes and was in the chair within three minutes. I can’t remember EVER being seen on time with any other dentist ANYWHERE. I’ve never seen a dentist work so hard and efficient. He explained everything thoroughly. While waiting for me to get numb, he did a cleaning for another patient. It took him less than an hour to restore my tooth and do that cleaning. I had lost my dental insurance for about three years and with my new insurance had to find a Dr. That was in my network. I have found my new dentist. I’m afraid to recommend him though. I don’t want more competition for appointments. Did I mention it was totally painless?

First, I need to say that Dr. Katris is a very nice, genuine guy. I’ve seen him twice for basic cleanings and I have always gotten in on schedule. My CIGNA Dental Insurance is accepted here and is fully covered, which is nice.
I have had a bit of trouble calling the dental practice and getting a hold of someone. I have even left a voicemail and never got a call-​back. It wasn’t an extremely important question, but that’s beside the point!
During my second cleaning, I was in-​and-​out of the office in 15 minutes. With any normal service situation, I would be pleased to have that quick of a turnaround. However, my mom works in a dental office and I have never had a cleaning that was less than 30 – 45 minutes. He didn’t do any tooth scaling and did not floss my teeth — which I thought was kind of strange TBH. I guess I’d say I am used to a more in-​depth cleaning.
Anyway, generally a good experience, nice guy, decent office.

Dr. Katris has been my dentist for over 15 years. He is really good, fast, and efficient. He is very thorough no matter what your insurance. I’ve had and HMO plan that wasn’t the best and on a PPO and he has done an excellent job every time.

I really feel lucky that I randomly found Dr. Katris as a dentist in my area. I basically chose him off of a list of options from my insurance and thank goodness it worked out so well. He is courteous, considerate, and efficient. I’ve had two «emergency» toothaches and I have been able to get into the office promptly. Dr. Katris, in his quiet way, makes you feel like the most important patient he has when it comes to those kinds of unexpected issues. He also doesn’t push unnecessary procedures on you, because let’s face it, every day Joe Shmoe doesn’t always know if he needs the dental procedure or not the way you know when you have a broken arm. The only downfall to this office is the location if you have to drive (like I’ve done when coming straight from work) — parking is tight but there is a Resurrection lot across the street you can pay for in a squeeze!

Prompt, courteous, efficient. I completely trust his medical opinion — in the past I have been untrustful of dentists who find «cavities» where there had not been any 6 months before (nor were there any on second opinion!). I recommend him to anyone who needs a new dentist.

Dr Katris has always been prompt courteous. I appreciate the fact that he does his own cleanings. He is not big on small talk but its not like I want to spend longer than I have to at the dentist! Their new office space is much better, updated and fresh. His receptionist is a sweet woman who has on two occasions watched over my infant while I was being looked after.
Just this past week I had an overwhelming awful tooth pain and when I called they said, come right now and we’ll see you — and he did. My chart was out and waiting when I walked in the door. How refreshing.
I wasn’t aware that all dentists don’t do root canals, but I was giving a referral from Dr Katris to a specialist.

FYI: Dr. Katris has a newly remodeled office space within the same building. It’s really nice– feels more «professional» without the dingy brown carpet. I think he moved into that space September 2010.
I’ve been going to Dr. Katris for a few years for regular check-​ups, cleanings, and the occasional cavity. Service has always been prompt, friendly and thorough. While he’s certainly very pleasant, he’s not big on small talk, but I appreciate the fact that he’s «no frills.» He just focuses on doing great work and sends you on your way. I highly recommend him, particularly if you’re typically afraid of dentists!

I found Dr. Katris very relaxed, but not in a good way, lax is probably a better word. All the reviews are accurate in describing how old-​fashioned his office is, it was like I stepped back in time to the 1960s. I was fine with the old equipment, seeing how expensive equipment can be, but when I saw spots on all the equipment, it just looked unsanitary and unsettled me deeply. Dr. Katris did use gloves but I was just praying that his tools were sanitized. He did not floss my teeth and only took two x-​rays which my previous dr. took four x-​rays of my mouth every two years and then in the off year he only did two. Dr. Katris did not say anything about a problem that my previous dr. had been reminding me about to keep clean and floss every day but this was proably because he only had half the x-​rays he needed to see this issue. He said nothing about anything really, didn’t ask about the health issues that could be complicated by poor teeth and gum health, didn’t ask about what my previous dentist said.
He kept asking me if I wanted to spit instead of just telling me to do it like he was uncomfortable with people. Since it was just a cup of warm water and a spit bowl instead of a water shooter and spit sucker, I was worried about the spit getting outside of the bowl and then never getting cleaned up. I just wish I would have been told to go visit the office first to get an idea of what I was getting myself into. I also wish I had read the filtered reviews and that there were more reviews from people who had been to better dentists first.

I’ve seen Dr Katris a few times. The only complaint I have is that he isn’t a full service dentist. He doesn’t do extractions or anything like that. If you need your teeth cleaned and easy stuff like that, he’s good. If you need an extraction or other intensive work, he refers you to other places. His prices are reasonable and if you’re in pain, he fits you into his schedule for that day. As for the dingy office he has a new one across the hall from where he was and it’s still under construction so I’ll hold off on a review of the office until after it’s done.

Somehow, I found a dentist that is exactly like the one I grew up with and loved. I’m used to the old-​fashioned way he has his office, so it doesn’t bother me that it doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles of other practices. I actually appreciate that he is the one who does all the work, as I had tried another fancier dentist first, and I was not used to having a dental hygenist handle the majority of the appointment.
Also, just like my old, beloved dentist, you can trust him not to do any unnecessary work. The aforementioned fancy dentist I tried previous to Dr. Katris insisted that I needed to have my wisdom teeth removed even though my lifelong dentist had encouraged me to leave them alone unless they began to bother me. She also insisted I had several cavities that needed to be filled (which I knew was impossible). I’m glad I refused and got a second opinion because Dr. Katris confirmed that there was no need for any work, and I was cavity-​free.

I reluctantly had to deduct a star because I’ve been a customer of Dr. K for almost 10 years and I only go there twice a year for a cleaning. I initially paid $ 45 but he jacked his prices to almost $ 100. I understand if his expenses increase but you don’t charge a good and faithful customer double of what you initially charged him/​her for the same service. And the kicker is I think it only took him 15 minutes for the last cleaning. His service is still great but his prices can be matched or beaten anywhere in the city.
I’ve been going to Dr. Katris for over 5 years. He has a great disposition, cares and knows about what he’s doing, and is competitively priced. His secretary is also a doll – very professional yet personable. The only drawback is getting a quick appointment, which is hard to get because he’s so popular.

After not seeing the dentist for about 2 years, I located Dr. Katris through an online search. He was listed as a dentist that took my «discount» insurance card, so I made an appointment.
I left a bit early to walk there (his office is in my neighborhood) and to fill out any paperwork that might be given to me. His office is actually located in a rather large apartment complex on the first floor, and after some confusion getting buzzed in and actually finding my way to the office, I was quickly greeted and given my paperwork to fill out, which merely consisted of a one page crudely photocopied page asking basic health and insurance information.
Dr, Katris greeted almost immediately after I was done with my paperwork, and quickly seated me. I only wanted a check up, but he took some x-​rays just to check everything out. This took only 2 minutes and I didn’t even have to get up. He even had the x-​rays developed during the course of my cleaning, which I have never had a dentist do before (but maybe that’s because i’m behind the times).
He cleaned quickly and throughly, and only scolded me on not going to a dentist sooner. I didn’t get a toothbrush or a sticker for being a good patient, but I was just glad to be done so quickly.
When it came to my discount insurance, neither he nor his secretary had seen it before, but the secretary quickly called the number and found out all the information I needed. It turned out, I wasn’t really covered on my x-​rays, so Dr. Katris took it off my bill, which I thought was amazing.
His office needs some work, but I found Dr. Katris to be friendly and timely. I don’t think I would recommend him for anything serious, such as cavities or other heavy dental work, but for regular check-​ups, he’s your man.

Dr. Katris is the first dentist I ever had that did his own tartar removal and cleaning/​polishing in addition to the actual dentistry — and is the only one to do so without it hurting so much afterwards even when I came in after – I confess – no cleanings for about three years. Now I don’t mind coming in every six months (ish).
The office is located at the southwest corner of Surf and Sheridan. You have to be buzzed in at the front door but the sign to the right of the panel tells you the number (*991 if memory serves). Then it’s through the swinging doors almost immediately on your left (resist the temptation to sit back and relax in the lobby).
The office is a bit spartan but you want to be in and out quickly, right? Dr. Katris is a young guy but he knows what he’s doing and only lightly scolds you for not coming in every six months (not that I would know anything about that…). I’ve never had any serious work done there (haven’t neede it), but I wouldn’t hesitate to do so, especially because my last dentist seemed overly eager to do work that seemed unnecessary. I hope that, once his practice grows, that he continues to offer the same top notch service.

Dr. Katris has restored my faith in dentists and I would give him one star for every tooth in my mouth if I could. He’s prompt, friendly, professional, and did not ask me how long it had been since I last flossed. My visit was quick, painless, and free (though I suppose my insurance company should get part of the credit for that last part).
Dr. Katris does everything himself (no hygienist) and he didn’t try to sell me any unnecessary treatments or services. In fact, I thought I had a cracked filling, but he told me that it was in fact a sealant that had come out and I was just feeling the normal crevice of my tooth. He said he could replace the sealant if I wanted, but that it wasn’t really necessary.
The other reviewers are correct about the office space. It’s not glitzy and I didn’t get a free toothbrush, but I’m kind of suspect of the spa-​dentist phenomenon anyway (they have to pay for those flat screens somehow, right?).
I should also mention that the staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. When I initially called, I didn’t have any of my insurance information on-​hand, and Annette offered to call the company herself and verify my coverage. She also squeezed me in quickly since I thought I had a cracked filling.
Finally, they have Saturday hours.
It’s a huge relief to have finally found a good dentist in Chicago. Now if only his brother were a mechanic…