Dental Innovations

I am a long time patient, finally time to put up a review. Dr. Murray and his talented team have take excellent care of my dental health. They have done teeth cleaning, cavity filling and tooth extracting; all with the same high level of care. On top of the high quality care, the staff is genuinely friendly and approachable.

I have been working with Dr. Murray for 7 years after having a dentist who missed a bunch of issues in my mouth resulting in two root canals. Dr. Murray helped identify all of my issues and also identify what did not need to be done. He also referred me to other providers for services that were not his specialty (e.g; root canal) and did a fantastic job with reconstruction I needed on my front teeth. From his fantastic work, I have only needed maintenance since my initial «clean up» was done. My entire family are clients of Dr. Murray’s. I am impressed with his ongoing effort to stay current with new equipment, materials and procedures. This is what my old dentist missed and I did not even realize it until I had crumbling teeth. It makes a huge difference to have a tiny camera examine your teeth that can take blown up pictures and find tiny cracks that a human eye would miss! His staff is great and the location is perfect.

Location is fantastic– It seems like most places are «9000 N Western» or «9500 W Irving park»! with no place to park and not close to anything else…

I have hated going to the dentist since I was a little kid. It was a painful, awful experience that left me in tears on more than one occasion. So I let my dental care lapse a little as an adult. I brushed and flossed regularly but avoided those visits to the dentist’s chair as much as possible.
I finally buckled down, found a new dentist (Dr. Murray) and went to see him this spring and have to say — I’m a convert! I actually ENJOYED my experience. So much so I found myself telling my friends about my great new dentist and his digital toys.
Before getting started Dr. Murray spent time talking to me about my past dental experiences, what I wanted and needed to get done, and what it was that typically made me dread the dentist. During the exam and my subsequent visits he’s been great at communicating what he’s doing, why he’s doing it, and what the impact is to me.
Dr. Murray’s office is digital so during my first exam he walked me through my xrays on a large monitor and then used a tiny camera to take photos and show me images of what was actually going on in my mouth and with some of my past dental work.
When I went back to get a cavity filled I had my first experience with the no-​pain needle. Incredible! Dr. Murray has actually made me enjoy going to the dentist again, and no one is more surprised about that than me!

I actually enjoy going to Dental Innovations.
The office is located in an older building and up a bit of a flight of stairs. Yet it is well appointed, clean, and bright.
The staff is always friendly and attentive.
Yet, the best is Dr. Murray himself. He is thorough, compassionate, and fair. I don’t remember the last time that I felt any significant pain while having work done. I will say that I believe that it is as painless as dental work can possibly be. Dr. Murray will always discuss my options. As expected, the work that will last the longest will be a bit more expensive. However, this isn’t always the prime consideration. Dr. Murray will point out when getting a gold tooth, for instance, if it will show while smiling. He his quite helpful when offering what options are available.
He always asks how I have been, and even how my wife is doing. I might add that he keeps up on the latest in dentistry, and that his equipment seems to get regular upgrades as well. For special procedures, the specialists that he has sent me to, have always been top notch as well.

I dread the dentist. Really, Really, Really dread it.
My appointments with Dr. Murray and his staff have been fabulous. I am quite impressed with the level of comfort I have, their thoroughness and communication. They are wonderful and telling you what is going on why they are doing it and what if there are any alternatives there may be.
Overall I have had nothing but lovely experiences at this clinic.

I had been going to a «dental studio» in Wicker Park for a few years until I got fed up with being upsold to the latest and greatest in dentistry. I was looking for a dentist that knows their stuff and makes decisions based on what is right for you, not their wallet. I have found that dentist in Dr. Murray. I had a cracked filling (poor job by my last dentist) that needed to be repaired. Dr. Murray was able to take my appointment at the last minute, told me my treatment options and the pros and cons of each, and then he got to work. He also did a great job explaining everything to me. I’m happy to have this dentist in my neighborhood.

I have been getting regular check-​ups and fillings from Dr. Murray’s Dental Innovations for, dare I say, 10 years now.
Dr. Murray always has the latest equipment — have you ever been to a dentist with a PAINLESS needle?! Or digital x-​rays you get to see right away on the monitor? Had a tooth density test to early detect cavities? They even have email visit confirmations.
The work is well done, and done well for the money. My friends — I plead you to go for regular or at least once a year visit — the savings from a yearly cleaning to a crown are immense! I have been recommending Dental Innovations to my friends for years and ALL have been pleased with their visit (even the scared ones).
I agree with the posters below, I love this dentist who does take the time to get to know his patients and staff that is always knowledgeable and supportive.

I moved to Chicago recently for school and finding a new dentist was not a priority until I started feeling some serious pain in my mouth. I stumbled upon Dental Innovations online and I am very thankful I did. Dr. Murray has been extremely helpful and personal. For the first time I am able to say that I have faith in the dental work being done to me and I no longer dread my visits to the dentist.
I would recommend Dr. Murray to anyone!

I am not really sure what the other people are talking about — I’ve never had to wait long for my appointments. Yes, they are thorough, but better to have that than dentures in the future.
Dr. Murray gets to know his patients personally and the rest of his staff is great. I told them right up front I’m a coward who hates the dentist, and let’s just say I haven’t missed a 6 month cleaning since.
Thanks, Doc!

I just started as a patient of Dr. Murray. First, a possible negative for some people, he clearly is a believer in thoroughness. A patient’s first visit is just an exam that lasts about an hour. He says they don’t do cleanings then because it would take too long. Although his prices are not wildly expensive, paying for the exam and the cleaning separately definitely added up to more than some other dental offices in the area charge for an initial visit.
Personally, I think he is worth the extra time and money. Dr. Murray gave me two filings on my next visit, and I was extremely impressed with his work. He didn’t mess around and before I knew it, he was done. It took less than half an hour, even though he seemed relaxed and was talking the whole time. It was definitely the most pleasant experience I’ve had involving someone drilling in my mouth.

I love this place! I have only been going for about a year and a half after leaving a terrible dentist. Coming here is like Cheers — where everyone knows my name… literally. The moment I walk through the door they know exactly who I am without having to announce myself. Not only that, they remember my kid’s name. I have never particularly cared for dentists (who does?) until now, it’s like visiting friends and I no longer dread those appointments that I now voluntarily schedule months in advance! The waiting room is just like a living room including the fireplace that’s going in the winter. I have only experienced waiting one time and I only waited about 5 – 10 minutes but what doctor is realistically on time every time? My previous dentist kept me waiting every time on average 20 – 30 minutes and then rushed through my appointment. Because of the great care and service I received, I opted to have an elective procedure and finally got my teeth whitened. This was a long appointment which I have avoided because I really didn’t want to sit in a dental chair for 2 hours but they let me bring in a movie to watch and next thing I knew it was over. I know in the beginning I was probably a bit of a difficult patient due to having been scorned prior but regardless they catered to me and made me feel welcome. I had a problem with my insurance not wanting to pay for a procedure and although it took some time, the gal there fought for me and finally got it resolved. My previous dentist would make me pay everything in full and deal with the insurance on my own which is very aggravating and confusing with all that paperwork. I’m glad that I was able to find a place that cares about me as a person and not just my teeth and my money.

As the other reviewer says, they have a nice waiting area. That’s good because you might spend a lot of time in that area. I had gone to this place regularly for quite a while and was happy with the dental work. But I started to really HATE the idea of them constantly optimizing the operation around maximizing throughput. It seems that having enough patients queued up in the waiting room keeps the staff fully occupied.
I think this is why a few days before nearly every appointment I would get a call asking me if I could change the scheduled date or the time. The last straw was when I walked in for a scheduled appointment I was told that I was there on the wrong day. I had my appointment card with me and so I knew it was the right day. It turned out that when they where optimizing their schedule they rescheduled me and forgot to call me. The dentist was there working — and they still expected me to just leave and come back on the other day they had in mind for me. Can you imagine? I obliged on the «just leave» part but I never went back.
If the rating here was dental work alone it would be higher. There were numerous annoyances beyond what I mention here but it all comes down to the same basic issue.

I LOVE this place. now you may be thinking…“this woman is NUTS! she loves the dentist?!”
Well here is why…
They have a cute little waiting area that looks like someone’s front room, which is much more relaxing than waiting in a room that could have been a morgue at one point.
I hadn’t been to the dentist in years, mainly because I was too scared. (I’m sure MANY of you fellow Unilocalers are in the same boat) But i knew i had to go. Well It turned out that i had to go in 3 times with in two weeks, twice for cleaning and once for 5 fillings. And i was never once scared to go back. They make sure your experience isn’t a nightmare. They talk to you the whole time, keep you informed on what’s happening and what’s going to happen. They always say, you don’t have to be in pain.
The people who work there are what makes this place. They are all professional, informative and most of all, friendly! They get to know you and genuinely want to know about you… They really make an effort to get to know their clients. Which is so refreshing, especially now a days.
So if your looking for a non-​terrifying dental visit. i recommend this place!
and FYI: My teeth are not nasty or anything they are actually really straight, with out braces.(i know, lucky) But they made me realize HOW lucky i was and that i should take EXTRA special care of my lovely teeths!
Hooray for pearly whites!