Dentist Staten Island- A. Christopher Bernardini D.D.S. — Attraction in New York

*I am adding to reply to the executive manager's reply down below

Quite frankly, it feels as if you did not read my review. Because if you did you would know that my problem was not that you were out of network. Or that I have limited availability. I know I have limited availability. That's why I came to your office in the first place. Because the limited availability that I do have your office would be able to work with due to the hours.

You were NOT transparent about me needing to pay 50% for all work that needed to be done until after I completed my appointment. That's an important part of your business you should be mentioning before people come into your office because no one else does this. Again, this is a person's health- how could you ask for a $2000 deposit for work that is going to be done over a few months upfront? This is about being compassionate and understanding towards a patient. This reply has upset me further as you are primarily blaming me. It's a very inconsiderate response to why I'm disappointed. And just for the record, even if I had an appointment next week, I still think it's unreasonable to charge a patient for a medically necessary service before the day of that service.

If anyone else from the office reads this, Lauren and Dr. Bernardini, you were truly a pleasure to work with and I wish I could continue my care with you but the ask of the office is too much.

This office sounded too good to be true- the staff on the phone was very friendly, the providers were also incredibly kind during my first appointment. However when it came to discussing payment for my treatment plan I realized how much more money matters.

To preface, I went to my initial appointment knowing that my insurance was out of network and completely willing to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed by my insurance. The team mentioned a couple of things that needed work on my teeth all of which sounded very reasonable to me and I was impressed by the caliber of their knowledge. When it was time to set up my next appointment to redo an old root canal, I was informed that when making an appointment I would need to pay 50% of my care plan for all the work planned on my teeth. Essentially I would need to make a deposit as if I was reserving a venue or renting a new apartment. And this was not 50% of my first appointment, it was 50% of EVERYTHING. The work that needs to be done on my teeth includes a redo root canal, 4 filling replacements, 1 crown and another cosmetic crown. I have very sensitive teeth and I also have severe issues with grinding and clenching. The cost of everything excluding the cosmetic crown was over 3,500 and they wanted me to pay 50% of that today.

Now, even if it was $100, it is unreasonable and quite frankly despicable to expect your patient to pay for a service that is over a month from now. I am a healthcare worker- I have NEVER seen this happen in the past. And this is something they hid and neglected to mention until I came to my appointment and paid for my cleaning today. The woman going over this with me said that this was a policy because they were busy which is still completely ridiculous. She also tried to backtrack and say that it wasn’t about the money and that they want to treat patients. Again beyond unbelievable to me, because then why is that your policy in the first place?

I doubt that the providers were lying about what work needs to be done to my teeth because I have a severe dental history. And they genuinely were kind and the reviews are fantastic. However this has significantly weakened my trust in them and I will be seeking out a second opinion.

I don’t think anyone should go into something like this blindsided so I am putting this out there. I was foolish to think something in healthcare could go smoothly in this country given my line of work but I do not feel like I can recommend this practice as it genuinely feels like patient care is not at...

victoria was the first person to ever explain to me why i should floss in a way that actually tells me the consequences of not doing it rather than just saying “it’s good for your teeth” AND the first person to explain to me what a cavity is other than “a hole in the teeth” (i’m technically lying because it was probably explained to me when i was just too young to remember or too young to care at all. also i was gonna say “don’t get the wrong idea she didn’t explain it because i HAD a cavity, i would never have a cavity” but actually i felt bad because poor people have less access to dental care so i realized unhealthy teeth isn’t rly your fault) (did you notice how i never closed the parenthesis until just now?) BUT also the guy who presumably owned the place (i didn’t wanna say “boss” because that sounds silly and i don’t even know if he’s technically the boss or not) he was really nice and actually very easy to talk to and that explains why all the employees are also really friendly and easy to talk to, because it seems to be part of the basis of the whole place. Also, when i was asked to leave a review with the QR code, i remembered how my default reaction to being asked to review something is always skeptical (unless i know i liked it but i have no preconceived standards for dentistry and don’t know anything about what makes a good dentist) but i also felt that there was no way i wasn’t gonna leave a good review when the environment was so nice i literally felt like i wanted to spend more time there even though the treatment was over because everyone was so fun to talk to AND victoria gave me a goody bag when i left??? it didn’t have candy obviously which is GOOD and i actually value the contents of that bag (i won’t spoil) MORE than i would value candy because this stuff is obviously more useful to me (being health related items) and cooler because it’s stuff i can actually use instead of just candy. I feel like i did not cohesively explain why i liked the place so much and instead rambled but it doesn’t really matter because probably all the reviews will say how nice the people are and that’s really why I liked it BUT don’t think that you can’t tell how good the dental care is because obviously i said i don’t know anything about good dentistry but the guy said stuff like how he thinks you should like always get wisdom teeth removed cus they cause problems later down the line often and the tissue keeps growing around them if you keep them so it doesn’t get LESS likely to have a problem, which means that he has a principle of a certain path in a common situation where people can oftentimes be misleading or not know what to do, which is almost always a sign of someone being really good at something relative to everyone else BUT actually there is about a 99% chance i’m reading into it too much and it was actually not that deep, but i just wanted to convince you that the dental care was good. Sorry this review is probably the most annoying thing ever so i’m going to end it. bye lol

sorry i lied, it’s not over. notice how the only name i mentioned was victoria? that was because because she jokingly told me to mention her in the review, a subtle way of her building friendship with the patient (me). 10/10 dentist office, i like it, and before i say again how i don’t know anything about dentistry, she actually noticed that the health of my gums was not the greatest, and i had never really flossed, so it’s really weird my previous dentist never noticed that. so maybe the dental care actually is that good here. nvm actually i know nothing. I still will maintain being here was the highlight of my entire month though 🍄

p.s. i read the other reviews and i felt so shallow 😭 because everyone else was gushing about how wonderful and compassionate people they are but i actually wanted to, i just didn’t wanna come off as silly gushing about that from people i just met (i had to delete stuff just to write this 😭) (IM NOT SHALLOW) (also apparently he’s a ridiculously good dentist so you should...

Dudes . . . . This was a 10-star experience - but Google will only allow 5. To say that Dr. Bernardini and his staff are kind. compassionate, and knowledgeable isn't saying enough. I found this dentist on Google Maps as I was in the market for a new one. Initially, all of the 5-star reviews intrigued me. But what truly sealed the deal for me was my initial phone call. The help I received from the admin in setting up my appointment and verifying my insurance was phenomenal! She made sure that I got an appointment date as soon as possible(11/4/2024 @ 4PM), which I know was tough. When I arrived, the staff at the front desk were so very kind to me and made sure I was comfortable while waiting to be called in (which wasn't long). I thought I had my teeth cleaned before. But Victoria took it to a different level. I've never had such a thorough cleaning and polishing in my whole life. Victoria took the time to explain everything to me - she was so gentle and kind. She even recommended a toothpaste for me that wouldn't make me gag (long story). She also gave me some treatment options for my molars, but she did not push the issue; she truly cares about her patients - not about the money. And what can I say about Dr. B? He's an awesome guy! He kept the conversation light and cheerful while examining my x-rays and my teeth. It's very rare to find a dentist with a professional demeanor and a wonderful 'chairside manner'. All in all - if you're looking for a wonderful dentist's office with amazing, kindhearted staff - come here. I will be sure to recommend them to everyone. I guarantee you will have a safe and...