Ashish C Patel, DDS

Ever since he saved me from having an unnecessary root canal, Dr. Patel became my dentist for 4 years. I moved to Houston recently and I am going to return to Atlanta to see him for my bi-​annual check ups. Lindsey is my hygienist and she always responds to my questions, no matter how hypochondriac in nature. The Seinfeld DVD collection is always a treat. Kind off the beaten path from the city, but well worth the drive. I highly recommend Dentistry at East Piedmont.

This was the 3^rd of 4 dentists I visited for «smile consultations». I had braces when I was in high school but was never really good about using my retainers so my teeth are only mostly straight. Since then, I’ve also had 2 professional bleachings (3 years apart) and more recently, a deep cleaning for gum issues that are starting to become a problem. My point is, my teeth look fine and no one would ever have anything bad to say about them, but they certainly aren’t Hollywood perfect either.
I’ve always been intrigued by veneers and the way they can improve a B– smile to an A++ smile so after thinking about them, and saving up, for the last 6 years or so (I had heard that veneers were approx $ 1k each), I finally decided this would be the year to start seriously considering getting veneers and Googled my way to 4 cosmetic dentists with fantastic reviews. NOTE: I automatically crossed off the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry because I knew it would be insanely expensive simply because it’s a «name» everyone knows and thinks of first when it comes to veneers.
Below, I’m going to review THIS particular practice for the most part and link you to the other dentists so I can keep these reviews as relevant as possible. Also, keep in mind that I’m reviewing these practices for COSMETIC dentistry only. If I were to guess, all 4 of these would be great choices for general dentistry.
Dentist #1: Dr. Boulden (
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+ spent 90% of my appointment talking to the Dr.
— $ 1700 per veneer
Dentist #2: Dr. Giesler (
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+ spent 85% of my appointment talking to the Dr.
+ quoted me $ 1500 total for bleaching & bonding to achieve the look I wanted without veneers
+ $ 1500 per veneer if I really want to go that route
Dentist #3: Dr. Patel
— My appt was for 2PM but I showed up at 1:30 to fill out paperwork, only to discover that the entire office takes lunch from 1 – 2 daily. A hygienist who wondered to the front desk saw me & attempted to locate the new patient forms without luck so she suggested that I go to Starbucks. I thought it was a bit strange of a suggestion coming from a dentist’s office but took her up on it anyway and went next door to stain my teeth for a half hour.
+ The waiting area is small, but comfortable. There’s a big TV playing Planet Earth (yes!) and a smaller TV showing before & after photos of Dr. Patel’s patients (kinda gross sometimes) and a chimp getting fillings (??)
— Instead of «smile books» like the other offices I’ve been in, the table here had mostly pageantry and Jezebel magazines. This made sense later on when I learned that Dr. Patel did Miss Georgia’s veneers.
— At 2PM, Christina, the «new patient concierge» who used to work at «The Center [for Cosmetic Dentistry]», took me to a small office that seemingly had no other purpose except to host consultations. This was unexpected as I had gotten to sit in the usual reclining dental chairs at both Dr. Boulden’s and Dr. Giesler’s offices. And as the change in setting indicated, I did not actually get my teeth examined at Dr. Patel’s (which, in my mind, equals a less accurate assessment of what my needs are).
— Similarly, Christina only took 2 pictures of my teeth whereas Dr. Giesler’s office got at least 4 and Dr. Boulden’s office got at least 10.
— I told Christina that I’ve been really bad with using my retainers so I would like my teeth to be whiter and straighter in general. She recommended that I look into Invisalign for $ 5500 + bleaching instead of veneers. Umm,…I really appreciate that you’re providing me with an alternative to consider but did I not just say that I’m bad with retainers? If I can’t even keep those in for more than 24 hours/​week, does she seriously think I can deal with Invisalign’s 24 hours/​day for the next 365 days routine?! If I really had that kind of discipline, I would just use my current retainers for free and get the same results in a year…
+ Finally, Dr. Patel made his appearance and looked at my teeth pics on the big screen. From talking to him, he seemed very knowledgeable and I got the sense that he is very good at what he does. He said he didn’t really think I need veneers but that he would do them if that’s what I really wanted (this is a plus in my book because I tend to get riled up when people try to tell me what to do or what not to do). He also said I wouldn’t be the youngest person he’s ever done veneers on… as a matter of fact, I would be the same age as when Miss Georgia got hers.
— I only got to spend 50% of my appointment talking to the Dr. and I found him to be overly nice and a bit fake (we just didn’t click).
— $ 2000 per veneer
SUMMARY: Very good doctor overall, but I would personally choose Dr. Boulden for veneers based on his expertise, past patient photos, and price.
Dentist #4: Dr. Flax (
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Let me preface this: I’m sccarreeeddd of the dentist…
.Okay so If you want a dental experience with mood lighting… Cd’s. TV… or movies. calm mood lighting. the waterfall. Oh yeah and a place where Miss. Georgia goes to get her teeth cleaned too… this is the place to go. I went there for an initial consultation several weeks ago. (haven’t gone back for the dental procedure it’s self yet – I know I’m SCARED) But the staff and Dr. really put me at ease. And they were more than willing to work with me (even through the tears.lol.)They have up to date equipment and allot of new technologies for detecting cavities etc… This is the most comfortable I’ve ever felt going into a Dentist. and I will be going back. ahhh now if I can only find the courage. lol…
they were also recently featured on the news: