Robert N. Ryan, DDS

Went there for a sleep apnea appliance originally. I was a patient for a couple of years. Made the mistake of telling them I had Medi-​Cal Anthem insurance and now they won’t let me pay out of pocket, even though that’s what I did before. So I have to find a new dentist. If I hadn’t asked about insurance, they’d still be taking my money. Pretty ridiculous.

Dr. Ryan is the best Dentist I have ever worked with. I have been the patient of at least 6 Dentists in Chico and am so relieved to finally find a Dentist that I trust. Dr. Ryan is gentle and honed at his craft. He has this amazing way of jiggling a cheek so that you never feel injections. His work is top-​notch and I always appreciate his sensitivity and excellent communication skills. The staff at Chico Creek Dental are friendly, professional and really seem to care about their patients. Many thanks to Dr, Ryan and his wonderful staff who always make me feel comfortable and well cared for.

Unsatisfied overall.

I have gone back and forth about whether or not to review this dentist, as he IS the only dentist in Chico that I know of who provides IV sedation, and in the case that I would ever need to go back for the need of it, it would be awkward. However, I feel the duty to do it and so here it goes.
Several years ago I was in a predicament. I had no dental insurance and I had a dental issue that could not wait. Further complicating things, I had developed what seemed like an immunity to Novocaine. I had visited several dentists who could not get me numb enough to work on me pain free, and the large amounts of Novocaine left me nauseous. When I heard about Chico Creek Dental, and that Dr. Ryan provided IV sedation, I was relieved to find a solution.
The office staff was incredibly helpful and gave me the care credit application, which is a medical financing institution. I was able to obtain the amount that I needed to go forward with what ended up being quite a bit of work.
The day of the procedures went fabulously. I was completely out and have no recollection of it. I was driven home by my mother and slept the rest of the day.
The next day is when things got crazy. I woke up with bright blue teeth. I kid you not. Smurf blue. BRIGHT! And the teeth were toward the front of my mouth, so not easily hidden. I was mortified. He had put on temporary crowns made of bright blue material.
If I was going to come back the next day to get the permanent crowns put on, and if he would have let me know that I would have BRIGHT BLUE teeth for 24 hours, well then maybe this could have been a 5 star review. However, Dr. Ryan was aware that I had only received financing for the temporaries and would have to wait to get the permanents. I went into the office to complain, and I could not believe the level of rudeness I was greeted with by Dr. Ryan. He has absolutely NO bedside manner, no social cooth. It makes sense to me that he has specialized in IV sedation, therefore rendering it unnecessary to interact with his patients. He hires a very pleasant office staff for that purpose.
I spoke with the office staff, who were completely wonderful in every way and totally sympathetic. One woman confided to me that Dr. Ryan is an ass, and that I am not the only patient who has been treated with such disrespect by him. She told me that she had been looking for another job for months because she hated working for him so much. What kind of Dr. has a staff that would admit such a personal thing to a patient? To me, this does not speak very highly of him.
The bottom line is this: I give him 2 stars because I would like to be fair and give him credit for the wonderful IV sedation experience. I truly felt nothing. However, I think the lesson here is that no matter how good you are at what you do, having a basic understanding of how to communicate with and respect people is essential to being a successful doctor.

If you are at all sensitive about seeing a dentist, do NOT go here. I have had phobias of dentist since I was a child and carefully explained that to the staff. Over the past few years that I got major work done…(root canal, which eventually fell apart in 6 months, then they wanted more money to put on a crown…). They said I would be pleasantly asleep for all the procedures, but I was in a twilight state the entire time. I felt pain, pressure, and was panicked. Dr. Ryan is not good with people, and does not address your concerns, or is at all sensitive. He left glue on my teeth, (which is still there), and the dental hygenist didn’t finish cleaning my teeth because I was in so much pain. But I still paid for all of the service. I have spent thousands of dollars at this place, and always left in agony, (physically and emotionally)…I am just now getting the guts to write this review. Bedside manner terrible! I need some more work done, but there’s not a chance in hades that I will go back to Dr. Ryans. I fully regret staying their customer for so long, I always thought I was over reacting… but in retrospect, I should have left the business after the initial work he did fell apart in months.

I’ve been treated very well and billed fairly. Pain free!