James Fondriest, DDS, FICD, FACD

I have been a patient at Dr. Fondriest’s office since I was knee-​high to a grasshopper. I have never been disappointed with the service, and I have him to thank for my clean teeth, and his direction regarding care for my choppers when they are not around to clean them for me. I don’t know if the poster is still there, but while you wait for the hygienist in the chair, I used to zone out while trying to decide if the message, «You don’t have to floss your teeth, only the ones you don’t want to keep,» was a little too snarky for a medical office or not.
It really hurts to have to write this, but it has to be done. My last visit was ruined when the office ladies neglected to tell me that their policy regarding filing insurance claims had changed. I never once had a copay for my visits on my own insurance plan, and now I had to pay in full. I manage an Optometrist’s office, and I would never even think of beginning an exam until the patient was fully aware of what their copay would be. Lets face it, in a perfect world, patients research everything regarding their insurance before coming in for an exam. They remember that each year too (no they don’t). I didn’t drive all the way out from Chicago for this.
The irony here is that I left this office with a horrible taste in my mouth. I paid $ 230 out of pocket because the practice had gotten tired of the insurance companies taking too long to reimburse them. Instead they would rather give that wait time to their patients so the practice doesn’t have to suffer financially. That’s right, I have to wait for my $ 230 to come back to me in the mail. I’m not out of network either. That makes me question what might be going on with how this practice is managing its own expenses to keep it up and running to the point that they now need all this money right away.
Bottom line, it wasn’t professional, and the office ladies need to be coached on this whole entire situation. They explained to me after my exam, and tried to pass it off that this policy had been in place for some time as an excuse for why they didn’t tell me up front. Not professional at all. This is definitely not how you run an office. In fact, my office is even in the process of making sure the patient knows their copay/​exam pricing before they even come in for their exam. People forget all the time and they constantly need to be reminded regarding these kind of appointments. It doesn’t matter what they do for a living. I was floored when one of the ladies had the nerve to ask me if I’d like to schedule my next appointment after taking my check. Maybe next time office management will have a better system set in place.

I came in for new veneers to replace the ones I had. He decided to use a «natural» color which were much darker and unattractive. Right after he put them in a child said to me, your teeth are so nice, why don’t you use crest white strips? He had promised me if I did not like the color he chose he would replace them, but that was a lie. He refused to replace them. It saddens me to think how much time and money I wasted. I also know other people who were equally unhappy including one patient whose crown was put in crooked. He said it was her fault for moving during the procedure and he would have to charge her to redo it. Please look for another dentist.

Dr. Fondriest is the best dentist our family has ever been to. His attention to detail is outstanding, and he is truly a perfectionist when it comes to any dental work I’ve had done. Not only that, but he and his staff truly educate their patients on the importance of oral health and hygiene. I highly recommend Dr. Fondriest for everything from simple cleanings to complex crowns and bridges. His work is flawless.

Check out: Esthetic Repair of the Dental
Consequences of Celiac Disease if you want to be blown away by what this dental team Fondriest/​Roberts can do. It is published in a dental journal article. That is why Dr. Fondriest has so many titles after his name. He is an expert.

If you are looking for an exceptional person, as well as an exceptional dentist, to trust with every facet of your oral health and appearance, Dr. Fondriest and his team are without a doubt, the professionals you need. I found Dr. Fondriest through tremendous good luck 2 years ago, in my 50s. The health of my mouth, as well as it’s appearance, had suffered years of substandard dentists. I also suffer from complete and utter fear of dentists. Until the first day that I walked into Dr. Fondriest’s office, I truly didn’t know that there was such a tremendous qualitative difference between the «professionals» I had been trusting and what I now consider the Gold Standard. I was aware of the difference from something as relatively simple and noninvasive as my first cleaning. I have gone on to have a complete restoration of my teeth by Dr. Fondriest and his team. At every step, they have been concerned for my health, the health and appearance of my teeth, and my understanding of the process. This is the first review that I have ever written, but given my past experience, I feel a responsibility to let other people with my bad past experience know that there is an alternative to the subpar, underachieving dentists out in the world. I truly can’t recommend Dr. Fondriest highly enough. Ann CP

This dentist failed to reccomend a mouth guard for me, despite me complaining of grinding symptoms for years. When I switched to a new dentist, the dentist said I could have avoided the major damage to my teeth and gums if this Dentist had paid better attention.