Park West Dental

I have been coming here for almost ten years and the place makes going to the dentist tolerable. Olga is super friendly and you get the sense she really cares about you taking care of your teeth. Dr. Lustbader is very skilled, managing to do things so they don’t hurt.

I went to another dentist after I knew for a fact that the new woman dentist at Park West Dentist was lying to me about a cavity she claimed I had. At my new dentist office, I had extensive x-​rays and I learned for a fact that I did NOT have a cavity. The new woman dentist at Park West Dental had lied to me! HOLD ONTO TO YOUR WALLET IF YOU DECIDE TO GO TO THE WOMAN DENTIST AT THIS OFFICE!

Dishonest! I have been going to my dentist, Dr. Lustbader, since the mid-​1990s. Today, I went to his office to get my teeth cleaned and I was shocked to learn that Dr. Lustbader had sold his practice. I was forced to see a dentist, without my consent. I would not have chosen the dentist I saw today. I did not learn that there were new dentists/​owners/​managers of the dental practice until after my teeth were cleaned. Dr. Lustbader should have sent letters to all of his patients notifying them of the fact that he sold his practice. When I first entered the dentist office, there were noticeable changes, but I had no idea why there were changes. The office staff and former dental assistants had been replaced by other people. The hygienist was the same, but for some reason she did a terrible job cleaning my teeth. She spent about three minutes cleaning my teeth. After my brief teeth cleaning, I expected to have my teeth examined by my regular dentist, Dr. Lustbader, but instead a young dentist who I have never seen before walked into the examining room. At that time, I learned that the practice had been sold and that there was new management of the office. I also learned that most of the staff had quit when the new management took over. i got an examination by a dentist who I had never seen before. This new dentist lacked credibility. She pointed to an x-​ray I had taken when the other dentist still owned his practice in July 2015. I did NOT have a cavity at that time — in July. However, the new dentist told me that I have a cavity when she was looking at the old x-​ray from July — The dentist in July did not tell me that I had a cavity. No cavity on the x-​ray. I told her that. The new dentist told me that it got worse over time. I asked her to show me where the cavity was on the x-​ray and she could not point out any cavities. She wanted me to go through expensive procedure to replace cap due to cavity somewhere that did not exist. The fact is — there was never a cavity in July 2015 and I did not have an x-​ray taken today in January 2016. Possibly this new dentist has psychic powers to detect future cavities.
DON“T GO TO THIS DENTAL PRACTICE. If most of the staff quit when the new owners took over, then there is something wrong with this place. If the hygienist is now doing a quick incomplete teeth cleaning — don’t go to Park West Dental. The former dentist should have informed his patients that he sold his practice. All of Dr. Lustbader’s patients were dumped conveniently on this money hungry young dentist and practice. As you can see by the reviews, most of the terrible reviews were posted after Dr. Lustbader sold his practice.

This is by far the worst dental office I have ever visited. I went for an appointment on Dec 5^th (which was subpar and the dentist barely had any time to say 2 words to me) and it took them until Dec 22^nd for them to get back to me after multiple calls just to get my treatment plan and when they finally sent it, it was not complete because they had to send me a referral to get the majority of the work done elsewhere and they just wanted to picked the most profited part — absolutely ridiculous. I do not mind paying for dental work but they do not value my time and in return, I decided that I will give my business elsewhere.

I would’ve loved to have reviewed this dentist but unfortunately the office staff was so poor I could not even get in to see her. I did much research before deciding to go here and made my appointment through ZocDoc, rearranging my work schedule to fit it in. Six hours later I was called and told that appointment was no longer available and would I be able to take one a few days later. I agreed and rescheduled. I was also told I needed to call my insurance company and switch the doctor to my primal care dentist. Ok, seemed fair besides the inconvience of having to again rearrange my work schedule again but did all of this priminary work. The day before my appointment the office calls me to confirm that I called the insurance company which I did, ask for my card number and again confirm my appointment. Gave all my information again and said I would see them the next day. Went in the next day filled out all my paperwork only to be told my insurance was not effective till the new year with the switch to the primary care dentist so I could not go forth with my appointment. Very disappointed for the multiple phone calls and then trip to the office that no one there had thought to mention this. After speaking with the girl there she said she had no idea what happened during the week because she only works weekend. When I asked to speak with someone higher I was told she is on vacation till after the new year. So I not only spent hours rearranging my work schedule twice, two phone calls and a whole day traveling to this appointment to end up with no resolution and no concern for my time. Very disrespectful and careless treatment by the reception office.

I’ve been going to this office since 2006 for me dental needs. Because the two dentists cover for each other I’ve been treated by both. At one point I thought I was Dr. Weinberg’s patient but reception said I was in Dr. Lustbaders records and that’s who I’ve seen most. Both are good at explaining problems and take their time to do a good job.
Dr. Weinberg has a good sense of humor. I’d like to laugh at his jokes but I usually have tools in my mouth. Sometimes I think he’s disappointed in my reaction. I like him a lot. He is very careful and thorough.
Dr. Lustbader, on the other hand is very serious which for the must part I find comforting but sometimes I think «woe should I be more worried about my mouth»
The dental hygienist Olga can be very business like which may bother some people but she does good work and gives solid advice. The first time I got treated for «pockets» I felt snookered walking out of the office but three days later I noticed dramatic results. 6 months later I had a follow up which cleared a lot of my gum problems. A year later I got another and had an allergic reaction to the tetracycline based antibiotic — a severe chest rash that appeared an hour after the treatment and faded after 24 hour as. So no more treatments. I brush, floss and water pic constantly as and I don’t I get the «pocket speech» anymore so I iknow it’s not a sales job/​
Th office is very well run by reception yet they’ve been very forgiving of me when they confirm the day before and then I forget my appointment. I could (and do) blame my crazy job but still after 3 times another dentist would scream — they just accept my apology and reschedule. I feel like I owe them for that alone.

I have been going to Park West Dental for 7 years now and am a fan. Olga is stern, but I have come to love her. When she compliments your teeth, you know you’ve really earned it! She makes me want to take better care of my teeth in a good way.
I do agree that it would be nice if the dentists introduced themselves– after 7 years I am also unclear which is which, but I’ve never had a problem that warranted further dental action.
There is usually a very short or no wait to get in for my cleanings which I like– in and out quickly!

dr. lustbader was recommended to my husband and i by a friend. we continued to visit because he accepted our insurance.
this is what happened to me:
lustbader recommended that i have my metal fillings replaced with composite fillings. i chose to let him do this.
right away, my back molar became uncomfortable. i told dr. lustbader. he looked at the tooth and said that it had been a deep filling, but looked okay.
the discomfort continued. we had the same conversation maybe two or three times over the course of a year +. eventually i developed swelling around the tooth, which he and the hygienist diagnosed as spontaneous bone loss.
olga confessed to me that the same thing had happened to her and that she had lost her tooth because of it.
they recommended using little bushes to clean the (disgusting) separation that had developed around the tooth, using a water pick and gave me a sript for an antibiotic.
i followed their direction to the letter, but knew that there was something really gnarly happening in my mouth.
for a good amount of this time, i had been having crazy sweats. i thought maybe it was some kind of hormonal thing or something, but it turns out it was a fever from the insane infection that was cooking in my mouth, under that same tooth.
i discovered this when i decided to (finally!) have a second opinion from another dental office.
the new dentist was horrified. he put me on some super whazoo other antibiotic and once some of the inflammation subsided, performed a root canal on that tooth. he couldn’t believe how much infection was in my jaw and told me that it could have gone systemic. it could have friggen killed me.
i just had my year later check up at my new dentist. the x-​ray looks great. i still have my tooth, the infection has healed and there is no bone loss.
however, there was decay under another of lustbader’s fillings and i had to have it replaced.
please, if you chose to let him work in your mouth, be warned.

I am appalled to see (after reading all of the reviews) that all of my issues with Park West Dental were the SAME as others… if only I had come to Unilocal before going to tthem. Here are the problems, and people, if you choose not to listen after reading them, you’ll surely be back here after seeing them, and saying that you now see what we’re all saying. THE SHORT VERSION OF THE PROBLEMS WITH PARK WEST DENTAL:
1. OLGA — the hygienist — IS A BULLY!!! AND AFTER TELLING YOU THAT YOU ARE LYING ABOUT CLEANING YOUR TEETH, AND IS SUPER HARSH IN HOW SHE CLEANS YOUR GUMS (OUCH!), SHE SAYS IF YOU DONT HAVE THE SO CALLED ARRESTIN SHOTS ($ 50 per shot… I ‘had’ to have 9 of them in one visit!)…THEN YOUR TEETH WILL FALL OUT. YOU LEAVE THE OFFICE PREFERRING TO DO ROOT CANAL WITHOUT ANY ANESTHETICS THAN TO DO ANOTHER CLEANING WITH OLGA!!!
STAY A-​W-​A-​Y FROM OLGA!!!
2. The front desk messed up what my insurance covered (Aetna) and charged me a fortune… then I go home, call Aetna, pretty sure I shouldn’t have paid anything, and have now to have a two-​way teleconference call with an insurance rep and one of this office’s incompetent secretaries… I eventually got a refund… and so much headache and waste of my time. SO IN SHORT, THEY SHOULD KNOW WHOS COVERED, WHOS NOT, BUT THEY APPARENTLY DONT
3. They said I had no other problem… no cavity… only to go to another dental office that tells me now that I HAVE THREE… THREE CAVITIES… why didn’t this office pick it up!!! Maybe because now they knew that my services would be 100% covered by Aetna? I don’t know… but REALLY FRUSTRATING. If you can’t trust the word of your dentist to tell you if you have a problem when you might, then LEAVE!
SO…DONT GO… unless you want to pay an arm and a leg, waste a lot of time fighting with their office to make sure your covered services aren’t being charged to you, and get out of the office needing a psychiatrist after seeing Olga, and a broken wallet… bad deal, don’t you think?

Originally posted for Park West Dental
This is a wonderful place, convenient location, everyone is super friendly. The whole place looks like a spa with beautiful floor and flat screen TV in every room, and everything looks so high-​tech. Nevertheless, I don’t go to a dentist’s office for it’s décor. I go there because I care about my teeth. The hygienist Olga and the Dr. Lustbader do just that… take care of my teeth! I never had any problem with Olga and her techniques, because I know she is doing a good job at getting my teeth cleaned when she spends a good amount of time with me, compare to other places when the whole process takes less than 5min. She also gives me good tips on how to keep my teeth healthy. After that, I see Dr. Lustbader who is very efficient. He does a brief but thorough exam so that when I walk out of the office, I am confident that my teeth are clean and cavity free.

Originally posted for Dr. Lustbader:
Nice office, clean and modern. Friendly efficient staff. Dr. Lustbader took care of me quickly and painlessly. What else could you ask for? 4 stars.

I came here after a friend told me she came here for her dental care and they are in the network for my insurance. They are located in central park south, in a the basement of a building. The office is small with a low ceiling and no windows making you feel a little claustrophobic.
One my first visit, I saw Olga, the dental hygienist for a torturous cleaning in which she berated me the entire time how I dont floss enough. Then she proceeded to tell me I needed the antibiotic treatment Arestin for $ 200 outside of my dental insurance. I said sure and paid. Then they did xrays and the dentist, Dr. Lustbader examined my teeth for 10min and told me I did not have caviities. Fine. Made a second appointment.
Now here is where I had it. I made the second appointment for 4 months ahead of time as Olga instructed. I came on a cold winter morning for my appointment only to be told it is not covered by my dental PPO. And they BARELY found this out NOW… instead of calling me and informing me so that I dont waste my time coming to their office after my all-​night shift, they wait for me to show up to tell me. This was FRUSTRATING!!! Why did they waste their appointment and my time when they knew it was not covered until 6 months. This was a new insurance for me so I didnt know. I decided then and there as I was leaving that I needed to find a new dentist. Not only was the dental hygienist mean, the dentist impersonable and brief, but the staff incompetent.
I found a new dentist and like him much better. He explains things to me, does a good job and doesnt charge me here and there for things I dont need. The way it should be! Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere for a dentist.

I would not recommend Park West Dental, and here is why:
(1) Dental hygienist (Olga) continually asked if I smoke or drink tea, coffee or red wine and five minutes after I told her that I didn’t, she said «You drink tea, I know it»
(2) Room was plastered with advertisements for «Arestin» which claims to fight bacteria (reviews online say otherwise), which they try to up-​sell
(3) The offices and waiting room looked cheap and bland — who wants to go to a dentist office that feels like a dungeon.

Well I originally put this review up for park west dental (the name of the practice) and I see that reasonable people just review the specific dentist… oops. I can definitely reiterate what everyone else is saying: I’ve been going there for 3 visits now and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to claim that I’ve spent a total of 5 minutes with Dr. Lustbader. If you want a dentist who is going to know your name and chat you up and spend a lot of time making you feel good then park west dental just isn’t going to work for you. But besides that I’ve been happy with Park West Dental and just re-​upped my Aetna dental insurance so I can be sure to be there another year.
Here is a link to the review I wrote for Park West Dental which applied equally to Dr. Lustbader

I’ve been going about 5 years, and my sister now goes. Not much more to say then that. I have pretty high standards, and have been very satisfied here.

Dr. Lustbader was recommended by a friend of mine, who claims he is one of the best dentists in the United States. I think NOT!
He doesn’t do cleanings himself… he has the hygienist do it, and she does a fabulous job, but I would rather have my own dentist check my mouth. He came in for literally 10 seconds to look at my mouth to check for cavities and walks away. Most dentists usually look and poke for longer than 10 seconds… cavities are not sitting there with signs saying «here i am»… they have to look through thoroughly.
Not only is he NOT thorough, he also doesn’t pay attention to detail. I had a couple of my old fillings replaced with the composites (white ones), and he didn’t even match the tooth color. Not all of us have bleached-​white teeth! I also had a chipped tooth that he «bonded,» and he didn’t match it to my tooth color. Now I have a two-​toned tooth in my mouth! After confronting him about it, he said that it’s supposed to be like that. I’ve actually had bonding done before on other teeth and my former dentist matched my teeth color every time. You would never know I had bonding done.
Don’t go to him, unless you settle for mediocre… I, on the other hand, DO NOT!

Excellent doctor!
I had a nasty toothache, and found Dr. Lustbader covered under a dental plan that I had purchased. I got something scheduled as quickly as I could (2 weeks), and basically had to deal with it. The wait turned out to be okay, and the Bayer Maximum Strength passed the time for me nicely.
Dr. Lustbader is sort of a no-​frills kind of doctor — he gets in, checks you out, and does the job. I actually noticed the quickness that the previous reviewer noted, but I honestly think he’s just an in-​and-​out type of doctor without all the fluff in between, so it seems very quick. He’s not a very talkative guy, unless you get him started on baseball.
I’m used to going in to a dentist and expecting a whole ordeal and an hour long appointment, and I’ve been sort of relieved that I haven’t had to spend forever in his office getting done whatever I’ve gotten done.
I’ve been back several times since then. . two fillings, two crowns (my teeth are effed, I know) and I haven’t had any problems at all. Things have gone smooth, I felt great afterwards. Absolutely zero complaints about the service.
The previous reviewer mentions how long it took to reschedule. I agree this can be a pain, but it’s not isolated to Dr. Lustbader. In my experience, if you can get a fast appointment with a doctor, then his schedule isn’t full, and I’m wondering why. Also, Dr. Lustbader has his office on Central Park South — I would expect him to be busy.
Highly recommended!

I saw Dr. Lustbader twice in 2006 at the Park West Dental office at 200 Central Park South. Everything was as I would expect — relatively modern and clean-​looking equipment, clean office, etc.
Only two things weren’t to my liking:
First, Dr. Lustbader only spent about 5 – 7 minutes with me on each visit, basically just looking over what the hygienist had done. I’m accustomed to dentists spending more time in my mouth. Were the other dentists being more thorough? Just creating the impression of thoroughness? Who knows.
Second, I called several days in advance of my third semi-​annual check-​up to reschedule it. This would have been in September, 2007. When I made the appointment six months before, I didn’t know what my school schedule would be, and it turned out that I had a class conflict and couldn’t keep the appointment. Well, they didn’t have another open slot until JANUARY, 2008! In other words, they’re booked a full four months in advance. I’m somewhat flexible in my schedule, so I asked to be called if they had any cancellations — nothing, not even 2−½ months later. If you can’t keep an appointment, you’re basically screwed for that whole semi-​annual visit.
That’s why I’m looking for a new dentist. They don’t need my business, and if I go somewhere else that’s one more appointment slot that will be available to one of their other patients who might need to reschedule.