Rick Chavez DDS

I was trying to find a dentist after moving to Seattle. I settled on this dentist since my insurance covered the visit and figured how bad could it really be. Although the office is on the older side and kind of cluttered I figured not to judge them based on that. I ended up having two visits, one for a cleaning and one for two fillings. During my second visit I noticed that Dr. Chavez was quite condescending to the dental hygienists. It made me feel uncomfortable and based on that experience and just a general discomfort in the office decided not to go back.
Fast forward a year, I just went to another dentist for a checkup. Come to find, Dr. Chavez didn’t actually clean out all of the decay which resulted in the cavity growing exponentially beneath the filling. My new dentist told me this is rare and really shouldn’t happen.
Lessons learned, if you have a feeling that something isn’t right it probably isn’t. Please learn from my mistake and DO NOT go here.

Worst experience ever. Teeth still hurt 9 months later. Told one price — with me stating that I could not pay more — then given a bill for hundreds of dollars over that price a month later. Would not respond to voice mail, and when I finally spoke with the owner, he said he would «take care of it.»
A month later, I’m in collections and being told by their extraordinary rude staff «oh well, you signed away your rights to dispute.»
Went in and office manager Marie P. refused my requests for billing records and told me to leave or she would call the police.
Zero stars

While I am sure Dr. Chavez is a nice enough gentleman I did not feel I had the best of dental care after visiting his office. The office is in an old house and in my opinion needs to be brought out of the 70’s and into the 21^st century. This aged feeling moves on to the equipment used. There was also a definite need to clean and organize. The hygienist was nice and I felt sort of sorry for him because he seemed out of place. I have never had so many X-​rays at a visit in my life. I was really suspicious and my concerns grew. Even after a typical cleaning and check up I received a bill! However, based on his office staff I shouldn’t be surprised. Marie… wow. Customer service training is needed as well as a course on anti-​bullying. I can’t even begin to describe her behavior and actually I don’t want to. I just get angry every time I think about it. By far, this has got to be the worst customer service experience I have ever had in my life and it has been from a type of business that is supposed to be helpful and caring. Dr. Chavez and Marie… if you are reading this, which I doubt since you are still using old technology, pay attention to these reviews, including the hidden ones. Stop. Look in the mirror. Take a hard look at how you are running your business and running your customers out of it. Catch up with things. Freshen up. Be nice. Stop making patients feel bullied or demeaned. Maybe it is time to retire.

This was a lesson in proper Unilocaling. Quickly I used Unilocal to read some of the reviews because I needed a cleaning and this was the close option to my house. Seemed simple and basic. I did NOT read the hidden reviews. FAIL. So I went, and had the WORST experience of customer service, rude billing folk, poor communication, old equipment, creepy office, just awful. I was over billed twice, I wasn’t given the proper pricing for services given, and apparently they can’t even bill insurance properly. I was uneasy in the place from the start, and it just got worse. I implore you, PLEASE read the hidden reviews. This would have saved me so much time, effort, and money. Oh, and office people, you should be ashamed.

Summary:
Marie at the front desk makes this a definite avoid at all costs. She treated me like a child, accused me of lying, being irresponsible, and, when she reduced me to tears, of crying to try to get my way. She was deliberately unhelpful when I attempted to clear things up. I would not recommend this place to anyone.
Here’s my story:
I made an appointment with them for the first time after switching to a new dental insurance. I asked Marie when I made the appointment if they accepted my insurance and she said yes.
I gave her my information when I arrived at the appointment. After the cleaning and x-​rays were over (Dr Chavez and my hygienist seemed nice enough, thought there was some weird passive aggressive stuff going on as he asked her if she was sure she cleaned my retainer properly) I was told I would be contacted to discuss the results of my x-​rays. He could visually see I had at least one cavity that needed filling.
Nobody ever called me. Another red flag. So I called Marie. She scolded me for lying to her about my health insurance. Apparently they do not take my health insurance. She demanded that I pay the bill in full with a credit card over the phone. I asked her if there were any other options, and she chastised me for being irresponsible. She told me to call my benefits office and ask them to switch my insurance so that Dr. Chavez and Seattle Rainbow Smile were covered.
I called my benefits to see if there had been some sort of mistake. It turns out there was a misunderstanding on my part that could have been cleared up if Marie had bothered to check my insurance eligibility prior to the appointment when I gave her my info.
I called Marie back and told her that unfortunately I needed to find a new dentist and asked if she would send me my x-​rays. She angrily accused me of lying to her. I began to cry out of anger and frustration and she accused me of crying to get my way. I repeated that I just wanted the x-​rays, and she told me they wouldn’t send them to me until I paid my bill. I hadn’t even been billed yet! The appointment had been 3 days ago!
I paid my bill in full by sending in a check after they billed me. Six months later, Marie called me to remind me of «my cleaning on Monday.» I was shocked that they had kept me on the calendar after all that, and told her I wanted it cancelled immediately. She asked angrily and in a very rude tone why I wanted it cancelled, and I told her it was because of her.
I’m never going back, needless to say. Perhaps Dr. Chavez is a competent dentist, but if he’s kept Marie on for this long, I don’t think much of his judgement.

I was visiting friends in Seattle and developed a painful tooth issue. Dr. Chavez saw me right away, explained things clearly, and did a great job fixing the tooth. He also gave me a photo and x-​ray of the tooth to give to my home dentist, so he can see what Dr. Chavez did. …I was in and out so fast! The staff is super friendly. …as is he! :) No complaints! Plus, from what I understand, all of his staff see him for their dental care as well. That says something.
So thankful and blessed by this experience. :)

I saw Dr. Chavez for about 2 years. I was kind of turned off by all the Jesus stuff (books, magazines) but I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. The place is kind of dirty and old and could use a serious update – it looks more like a free clinic in a rundown part of town that a normal office. but I liked Dr. Chavez. Or thought I did until they told me it was my fault that an dental implant I had done in his office failed and his receptionist told me it was my fault because I didn’t «follow through» with their recommendations. I had been in their office at least 6 times since the implant was put in for teeth cleanings and a cavity or two and they even charged me for x-​rays that Chavez never even looked at or he would have seen the failed implant in my jaw.
These people wrung $ 2,500/year from my dental insurance and even more from me for over 2 years and then blame me for not following treatment while I’m still having appts every few months. These people are unethical &should take the Jesus off of their building as I feel it is false advertising. This place sucks. DO NOT GO HERE. Fortunately I have found a new dentist with a very clean office who was SHOCKED that Chavez would not address the failed implant that cost me $ 1500 out of pocket and half of my insurance for the year. Greedy, unethical, and rude. STAY AWAY!

I tried to cancel one appointment for a cleaning — I gave them a 45 hour notice instead of a 48 hour notice, and they charged me the full amount of the appointment.
That’s right — $ 240 for a cleaning I never got, because I gave them 45 hours notice instead of a 48 hour notice.
When I explained that if they charged me this, I was going to stop being their patient and I was going to talk about this experience to anyone who would listened — this ‘lady’ — marie — asked me if ‘as a responsible adult behaves’ — not keeping their word for not remembering something I signed SIX MONTHS AGO.
Yes. That is how responsible adults behave — I will pay the bill, but I will warn people that this is the policy at this office.
This is NOT how a good business treats their customers. Instead of trying to work something out with me, they just proceeded to try to shame me into changing my mind? Well guess what — people’s schedules change and sometimes they can only give a 45 hour notice.

I wish I had read some of these reviews before booking my first appointment. I have insurance, and have never paid more than what I considered a reasonable amount for basic work done on my teeth. So far in the last month and a half, I have had 1 cleaning *full mouth debridement I think it was called, which just means they scraped the hard tarter from beneath my gum line, three cavities filled (amalgam was used despite my not wanting it because my insurance doesn’t cover it and it was for back teeth that nobody sees anyway), and building up for a crown they say I need. The cost so far has been about $ 1,400 out of pocket. And each time I’ve been (three times) I have paid more than they’ve quoted it would be. For example, when I went today for three fillings and the mysterious crown prep-​work, I wrote down that they quoted that I would pay about $ 150 — when I was done, the receptionist (who I will get into more detail in a moment), said I had a carry-​over of $ 150 from the last visit (I payed $ 180 for 1 filling). Also, I had this and that on the bill, my bill was about $ 1,000. When I confronted the receptionist, she back-​pedaled into what I described to her as sounding like a shady mechanic who does work without my permission. Finally, when I tried to reschedule an appointment because I have work priorities, she practically refused to let me saying something about things being ordered for my appointment. I had to email her stating that I would NOT be making my appointment and we had to reschedule. This experience has been unreal and embarrassing to discuss with my friends. I am not made of money and can’t afford this dentist office suckering me into all this dental work. It is unethical and completely sleazy. By the way, everything about it being extremely creepy and bizarre inside is 100% true as well. I am jumping ship and going to get my dental work they started finished somewhere else. STAY AWAY

Just after moving to Seattle, I went in for a root canal and crown. I was referred by a friend so I trusted this would be a good dentist. Boy was I wrong! The office was dirty and offputting. The instruments look like hand-​me-​downs from the 70’s. The place altogether made me nervous! But i had the procedure and was told to come back to get a few cavities filled. I went back a few weeks later to get fillings and the doctor told me I needed another root canal and crown, and he was ready to do it right then. I told him I did not want that right then, I just wanted the cavities filled that I planned for. He then sent his office manager in who tried to BULLY me into getting the procedure. I refused and she got very unprofessional and downright rude! When i was leaving, I asked what the co-​pay cost would be if I got the root canal/​crown for planning purposes. She then proceeded to tell me that all my dental benefits had been exhausted for the year so I would have to pay the entire cost! WTF?!! You were trying to pressure me into a major procedure that you knew insurance wouldn’t cover!!! I don’t think so. And now, for some reason, I’m getting bills for $ 1400 for the fillings!
Shady…very shady! I wish I could give this place 0 stars! PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT GO HERE!

Not long after I moved to Seattle, I went in for a root canal for which I would be paying out of pocket. After the procedure was complete, the bill was several hundred dollars higher than quoted. Apparently, Dr. Chavez performed an additional filling on another tooth without my consent while I was under nitrous oxide, without prior consultation and without permission.

Please for the love of God drive by this place before you schedule an appointment. Do not just decide on this place based upon the fact that they accept your insurance and the location alone.
First of all, the customer service is non existent. The staff is unprofessional and the office is DIRTY. It feels like a crazy grandmother’s house, dusty knick knacks, stinky furnishings and all.
How this place has stayed in business since the 70’s, I have no idea (ps: The whole rainbow theme was out of style before the 70’s ended, so let’s have enough pride in your business to update your logo and identity). The dentist I saw is no longer there, bless his heart, he should have retired twenty years ago.
I hope you read this review and do some research before booking anything here, because no one wants to feel gross in the environment they spend hours in with their mouths wide open.
And one last thing… DO NOT look at the photo albums of bloody implants on the coffee table in waiting room. Yuck.

Dr. Chavez was recommended to me by a friend. It is a quirky, caring bunch at the office. There is a fireplace in the waiting area. I appreciated greatly that they allowed my to pay off bills in increments when I had no insurance.

Dr. Chavez’s office is located in a cozy, converted house right on 15^th Ave NW. Some people might be put off by the circa 1970s dental equipment. Ok, I confess, I was put off by it. But dang, they get the job done with their ancient equipment. It might be old, but it all works just fine.
I love Dr. Chavez. You can tell that his clients are 90% children. He’s soooo friendly, and he gives out «pretty flowers for pretty ladies» after he fixes your teeth. The other dentists and dental assistants at his practice are also very nice and competent.
I’ve gotten routine cleanings, a root canal, a gold cap, and 4 wisdom teeth removed (one impacted and needing surgery) here, and I’m very pleased with the results.