W Dental Group

The office and the staff are all very nice.
However…
I went in for an initial exam about a year ago (mid 2015). Everything was fine, but my insurance didn’t cover the stuff they wanted to do. So I left and didn’t go back. Got new insurance, found another dentist closer to work.
Except…
About a month after my visit to W, I started getting emails. And letters. And texts. And voicemails. They’re about once a month now. The last time they called & I answered, I politely informed the nice lady that I was not interested in further messages or appointment reminders, and that I would not be returning. She thanked me, we said goodbye, all was well.
Until…
This was in my mailbox today (verbatim; the grammatical errors are theirs, not mine. My attempted translations are in the brackets):
«WE MISSED YOU!
HAVE WE DONE SOMETHING WRONG? [Why don’t you love me?!]
This isn’t normally like you, so I can’t help but wonder if I did something wrong? [I’ve been watching you sleep.] If we did anything to offend you I would like to know so that we can talk things over and make sure that you get the best care possible. [Was it the homemade ice cream soup I FedExed to you? Or the letters? I can stop the letters! I will cut off my hand, just please TALK TO ME!]
I know life gets busy and it’s easy to let things go by, but it’s really important to keep up with your regular dentist visits. [I just can’t help but worry about your teeth… you rich, tasty teeth…] Considering that 4 out of every 5 adults suffer from gum disease, it worries me when patients miss their hygiene appointments. [Sometimes I sleep with extracted teeth to feel closer to my patients. It’s not weird,]
As I’ve said before, I’ll always be here for you to help and support you. [I used a water pik to etch your likeness into the tartar on another patient’s molar yesterday… didn’t quite get the eyes, but it was close] I.‘d much rather see you come in for a teeth cleaning now than versus pulling a tooth or having to do a root canal later. [It would be a shame if I had to hurt you.] I’m pretty sure you feel the same too. [You don’t want me to have to hurt you, do you?] So if there’s anything I can do to help please don’t hesitate to give me a call.»
Sincerely, Dr. McCreepypants, DDS
So…
High-​pressure sales tactics are one thing, but this… this is just a blatant (and really kind of sad) attempt at psychological manipulation, to say nothing of how creepy and stalkery it is. Whoever wrote this letter spent time at the Abusive Codependent Ex-​Boyfriend School of Dentistry.
Avoid this place. Photo of the actual letter below.

I have to agree with much of what Scotty G. said. I too had been in search for a better dentist and thought I had found the perfect one. I stay on top of my dental work and go regularly for cleanings. Like Scotty, they took gum measurements and really pushed the laser treatment. I have been down this road once before (with another dentist) in one specific area and they just did an injection of antibiotic and did a deep cleaning. This cleared things up in the past. After some convincing, I agreed to the laser but only to the bottom gums. I knew up front that it was going to cost around $ 300 or more out of pocket. I drilled and drilled them about the cost, they even brought back the accounts lady to explain. They were doing the laser treatment on the bottom and so I had questions about cleaning the top teeth. I was told that they couldn’t do it on the same day for insurance purposes and that I need to return for that to be covered. Fair enough… I return… BUT it wasn’t covered by insurance and they did the whole mouth. I tried to explain this to the lady that handles the accounts but she made me think I was wrong because «they wouldn’t have never done them on the same day in the first place» and that these were different services. I left confused and $ 140 poorer. It turns out that they forgot to give me the estimate for all the followup care I apparently needed. They schedule you for 3 weeks, 10 weeks, then once every 6 months after. I was never told about these extra visits. In addition, a traditional cleaning is not good enough and I need something more than what my insurance covers so even if I am using my insurance, it won’t all be covered. On my most recent visit the accounts lady looked over my «treatment plan» and confirmed that this follow up care was never discussed with me. Had I known all the expense that was involved with this treatment, A. I would have never agreed to it and done it the old fashioned way and B. not had a cosmetic procedure (whitening) around the same time.
Now, I did have a filling here that went well. But there were two other times I had less than quality service. The first time was with a Dr. that is no longer there. He needed to numb me and it wasn’t working so he kept giving me more and more. While I am not a Dr. it seems he was just giving it in the wrong spot. While I usually take a little more time to numb up, this was nuts. By the time I left, I couldn’t feel my throat when I swallowed and I felt so sick that I needed to go home and lay down. The second time was when I went in for the whitening. First off, I was told the wrong amount of time I needed to schedule for this. I have to admit I was a little late that morning (15 min) but they underestimated the amount of time by almost an hour. I had to get to work and ended up having to come back for the last round. The first time I was there, they left me alone in the room with no way to communicate with them. My suction had fallen to the floor and I was drooling like crazy. I was then instructed to NOT hold it by straw… yeah… I didn’t… when it fell I grabbed at it and it popped off. When I came back for round two she did leave a bell which was very nice and should have been done the first time. HOWEVER she did burn the crap out of my gums with the whitening gel on the second time. She waited to put the cotton between my lip and gums until AFTER she put the whitening gel on. Well she brushed up against my teeth as she did this and got the gel all over the inside of my gums. unfortunately once it touches your tissue, it’s going to burn the crap out of you. I doubt I will ever do this procedure again. The only nice thing is that they do send you home with a kit to do touch ups with your own molds.
I really wanted to like this place but they have lost my trust. They are very nice but I don’t really have a whole lot of confidence in them either. After my most recent visit where it was going to be another $ 140 teeth cleaning I walked out. Again, I’ve had the gum procedure before at another dentist years ago and it was not this intense. They do offer these handy folders with an estimate of costs but in my case the aftercare was not mentioned. I gave them more than one second chance so I will not be back. If you do decide to use W dental, ask for an estimate and then double check BEFORE you have the procedure. I really thought I understood what I was getting into and I did not. It shouldn’t be this complicated.

Thought I’d found a great dentist. Boy was I wrong. The first time I went, they were very attentive and did a great job. I was very happy. Dr Tom would personally call to see how you were doing. Well, that personal touch may be good, but other practices leave something to be desired.
That first time I went in, they measured my gum line. They recommended deep root scaling, something my new plan wouldn’t cover yet. I told the hygienist to go ahead and go deep as deep as she could. I could take the pain. She was surprised how well I took it. They also tried to sell me a Sonicare toothbrush. They explained how good they are, but I declined, figuring I’d get a better deal online (which I did). The next time in, my numbers were much better and they told me to keep up the good work. No more mention of deep root scaling. When I got a bill for that visit, it confused me because I’m supposed to get 2 cleanings free each year. Well, it wasn’t much so I just paid it.
Some time later, I was having cold sensitivity issues on a tooth. I told the doc which tooth I thought it was, but he told me it was the one next to it and I needed a crown. Ok. We did the crown that day. That evening, about 2 – 3 hours after I got the crown, the tooth I had complained about, cracked and split, causing me to return for an emergency root canal. They explained, because of the split, they couldn’t do a crown without first doing a crown lengthening procedure (oral surgery.) Now this is two crowns in a short period of time, plus surgery, exceeding my insurance coverage. Not cheap. I’m not convinced the surgery would’ve been necessary had he taken care of that tooth when I mentioned it. Anyway, I have it done. I get fitted for the crown and in on my way. Twice I’d had to get the crown shaved down because the bite was too high. This crown lengthening was not my first either. I’d had one done while I was still active duty Air Force and never had an issue with it. With this one, my water pick still gives me a jolt whenever the water hits the gum they worked on and it’s a bad place fit food to get stuck while eating. Not happy at all.
The next thing that bothered me was my last cleaning with them. Once again, they measured my gums and found two measurements that were bad. Explained I wasn’t eating normally or brushing/​flossing normally because of problems with that bad crown. Of course they said I needed deep root. (Expensive procedure recommended, ask because of 2 teeth) I told the hygienist to just go deep during my cleaning. She said she couldn’t. I said another girl had and it’s ok I can take it. She said she wouldn’t do it, I needed deep root. I told her I wasn’t going to pay that for 2 teeth. So she did my basic cleaning.
To top it all off, when I went to leave, they told me I owed for the cleaning. What?!? I’m supposed to get 2 cleanings a year with no co-​pay. They told me I didn’t get a cleaning. I got a pro-​fee (spelling?) procedure. They explained that a normal cleaning doesn’t involve removing tartar and such. It’s only polishing the teeth. What?!? Now, I’ve been going to the dentist, regularly, for almost 40 years. I think I know what a cleaning is. I told them, as I angrily (and vocally so) paid them, that I would not return because I felt I was being scammed.
And guess what? They called me to see if I’d like to set up another «cleaning». I laughed and told her absolutely not.
And to this day, that crown still isn’t right. It’ll probably have to be redone. At my expense, of course.

I returned and must say that they went over and beyond with their services in every respect. I am a happy camper and extremely satisfied and will continue to patronize this establishment. Lets just say it’s easy to be spoiled when your pampered.

I visited W Dental Group this May to do a tongue tie surgery and also did two following ups before I relocated to San Francisco. Dr. Tom Watkins operates the surgery. It is fast and clean. Just like that.
The service is great. No complain. Highly recommend.

Super friendly staff from the admins to the hygienists to the doctors! I found them on Angie’s list and they’ve exceeded my expectations. I drive 10 miles out of my way to go here. I didn’t want to put my teeth in the hands of some box dental business trying to sell you something you don’t need. They are down to earth people who care about you and your needs. They go out of their way to make you comfortable. I have seen Dr. Samuelson each time… she’s sweet, friendly, and takes the time to get to know her patients.

It takes a while to find a good dentist and I visited two other dentists this year before finding W Dental Group. The third time’s a charm!
I had a fabulous experience here! I have been to a LOT of dentists in my life (constantly changing dental plans) and Dr. Watkins is definitely one of the best I’ve ever been to. I had been to another dentist the week before who just didn’t want to talk to me at all. Dr. Watkins sat down with me, actually looked me in the eye, and told me about my condition in a way I could understand. He even illustrated it with pictures. He was so kind and informative. I really surprisingly comfortable with him (doctors terrify me, but he was just so nice that I kept forgetting to be terrified).
He introduced me to the other dentist on staff there who is also extremely nice. He also sat down and talked about my teeth with me. His staff is great too. The hygienist I had was one of the gentlest I’ve dealt with. I was there for much longer than I expected, but it was a small price to pay to actually have all these people talk to me. I was rarely left alone the entire time I was there — I think I met every single one of the staff by the time I left and they were all extremely kind and professional.
But just a heads up — they do charge $ 50 for missed appointments so don’t forget! I will definitely be coming back here!
EDIT: I notice all his reviews have been flagged. I bet it’s because they started offering incentives to patients who would write good Unilocal reviews (win a free TV or something). I did not participate in that incentive program. Dr. Watkins is still great, but he now has two dentists on his staff that I don’t know much about. His practice is seriously growing, and they appear to be sinking a lot of money into PR.