Columbia University College of Dental Medicine — Local services in New York

UPDATE: Patient Advocate never followed up with me. Only called me to ask me the same questions in a suspicious way AND to basically say we believe you now that we have see with our own eyes,and said "we are handling it". Never got back to me with what actually was the result, which led me to leave a VM and no one responded. DO BETTER! I am so glad DR OZ has been covering this. This needs to change! My experience started out well with one of the student dentist she actually did a great job! Unfortunately, when I went to complete the work I was called during this pandemic to come in and complete it with a faculty member Dr B this doctor was very unprofessional and unhygienic she risked my health by using unsafe practices. When I confronted her in a calm assertive manner she lied to my face telling me she did not do what I saw her do with my own eyes insulting my intelligence she may have gone to school a few extra years to get that degree but she is not operating to the best of her capacity to fulfill the oath she took to do no harm. During my visit someone interrupted the procedure to share with her patient information for another patient while I am sitting in the chair waiting for my procedure to be completed this person who interrupted not only shared patient information with the doctor which is supposed to be private while I'm sitting the doc also interacted in a way that in normal non pandemic conditions would require her TO WASH HER HANDS AND CHANGE GLOVES BUT she tried to proceed with the same gloves to re-enter my mouth with! I immediately asked her to change her gloves it is standard for them to wash their hands and change their gloves when something like this happens. Instead she told me to my face after I saw her with my very own eyes NOT UPHOLDING STANDARD CLEANLINESS PRACTICES by touching&interacting with outside items&then proceeding to want to continue her work on me that she was following standards. This was a lie-standard confirmed by staff later-she lied to my face. Gaslighting me: She then tried to tell me over&over again that she did not do what I saw her do which was a lie. I asked her to please change her gloves multiple times. She refused. I could not believe that my patients rights for safe hygienic treatment we're being violated and that this doctor alleged doctor who is supposed to hold hygiene to the highest standards during a PANDEMIC right now and after apparently they were taking new steps to be clean and safe were being thrown out the window because she felt I did not deserve that treatment. It is not unknown that black women are many times treated unfairly in medical facilities pain not taken seriously and given subpar treatment I was shocked that this white doctor given the opportunity to be a faculty member at this popular hospital was willfully creating this dynamic in my face. She editorialized her notes using racially charged words to describe me asking her to keep clean standards and basically cover herself and make herself look good. When we coming to the hospital we have to have our temperatures checked twice why is it that this doctor Dr cannot even change her gloves and wash her hands which is a standard practice even outside of this pandemic when a patient sitting in her chair and she is not following standard cleanliness protocols while interacting with someone not wearing gloves. I after this horrible encounter complained verbally to the manager on the floor then I received the Patient Advocate's information and called her immediately giving a verbal complaint. Spoke with the patient advocate twice. Questions I was asked did not bode well with me &I felt as though I was not believed because I had to wait for them to confirm that "dr" who did not follow standard protocol who denied&lied when I saw her with my own eyes.The work I was supposed to complete that day was not the patient they discussed, patient created a precedent over my treatment, because of how vocal she was and I was rushed out.Complications next day due to her uncleaness never happened b4...

I’ve spend over $17,000 there for dental work. At the beginning they were pretty good. Although it took almost two years to get all my issues resolved. I signed a contract, stating that the entire cost would be about $12,000. But I has a few things that they felt that needed to be done. I complied, I always paid in full prior any of the procedures was performed. Toward the end of the treatment plan, I was told that the prices have increased and that the student that told me about my insurance coverage told me some disinformation and that certain procedures were not covered. Still I said ok and paid them. Then during the last day of my treatment, I was suddenly told that because they’ve raised their prices since I’ve sign my contract, I will have to paid for the extra charges. The clerk, in their finance department, Denise Martinez, made a call to another person in front of me and was told , to paraphrase the conversation “ we have to tell the students how to inform patients about insurance coverage”. So on that day, I gave them my final payment and was told that I am all paid up. Now about a month later, they told me that I owe another $1000. They also did not tell he that my regular dentist is no longer affiliate with them. I’ve signed the contract with a certain price, the fact that their prices have increased after I’ve signed the contract is not my problem. They should still honor the prices in the original contract. I should not have to pay for Their sloppy finance practices. My originally contract should be valid. Now they are trying to collect that money with a collection agency. If they can do this to me, someone who speak English fluently, can you I imagine what they have, is and will do to patients who don’t speak English fluently. Patients who are vulnerable, the senior citizens? I would not recommend this place to anyone. They are over working their students. All they care about is billing and milking the Medicaid and Medicare system. They are truly disgusting. If you’re looking for a good place to get your dental work done, DO NOT, at any cost, go there. Get yourself a real dentist. Someone who will get your dental work done faster and will not subject you to their sloppy and fraudulent bookkeeping practices. They need to be reported to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and be investigated. Who knows how many other they have tried to cheat...

I switched to Columbia Vanderbuilt College of Dentistry Clinic from the NYU Dental School clinic which was a total and utter disaster (that institution should really have all of their teaching and operating licenses revoked!). My recent experience with Vanderbuilt Clinic since July 2020 has been like the day to the night compared to NYU. My case, requiring post and core in very long root canals and two crowns was particularly complex and I was passed from 3rd year student dentists on the 7th floor to the 4th year student dentists on the 5th floor who are on the verge of graduation and beginning their residency. Though I was initially apprehensive of being passed around multiple students, boy was I happy that I got into the hands of the 4th year student Dr. Alexander (Alec) Litrel!!! He was an absolute star, which is attested to by two other stellar reviews on here. From the outset, Dr. Alec got in touch with me by text and phone, welcoming me to the upcoming appointments with him (I mean, how many practicing doctors can you expect to receive a welcoming message from nowadays?). He went out of his way speaking with both supervising faculty and the admins staff making sure my scheduled appointments were firm and I would not be passed over by somebody else. During the appointments, he explained every step of the treatment plan, every detail on the X-ray pics and the impression molds, and texted the images with explanatory graphics to me for my own records. I felt immediately reassured that I was in great hands! Not only has he obviously acquired a great deal of knowledge in the field of general dentistry, he’s also got rare character traits, such as having outstanding communication skills and being extremely personable. I’m sure every residency would be thrilled to accept him upon graduation and any patient would be lucky, as was I, to have him as his treating dentist. I’ll be sure to follow his professional career path which I’m sure will be very bright for him and become his patient again if he decides to practice in NYC area and accepts my insurance. I would highly recommend anyone exploring dental treatment at the Vanderbuilt Clinic to seek out Dr. Alec specifically, his schedule permitting - you won’t regret it. Many...