The Downtown Dentist

I'll admit, I am typically not a huge fan of going to the dentist, which partially explains why I hadn't been to one in over three years. As someone who recently moved to Colorado Springs, I chose The Downtown Dentist because of their great reviews and convenient location. However, after visiting, I will now be continuing all of my dental cleanings and treatments with them because they are way more than good reviews and a great location! All of the staff are friendly and helpful. And as someone who hates to wait, I appreciated that I was immediately seen upon arrival, all three times that I have been there. They ask the right questions and take fantastic care of you. Oh, and their hygienist, Holly is remarkably thorough, kind, and knowledgeable! I would highly recommend The Downtown Dentist to anyone!

I love this place. And yes … I’m saying that about a dentist office!!!

The staff is always welcoming and happy. They provide amazing top-quality service and at amazingly reasonable rates (especially when you don’t have insurance).

For once, quality service no matter what!!!

(Plus … no waiting 4 months for an appointment)

I was very surprised at how pleasant the experience was. There was very little discomfort and they were very accommodating. I felt like I was in an environment where people enjoyed each other and their work. The techs and doctor were very informative and precise on the condition of my teeth. I've never had such a glowing experience with a dentist office before.

Fun and friendly staff especially Dr. Julia. I had to get some teeth filled and she talked me through it step by step. The whole procedure was no big deal. A nice office in the middle of downtown. Everything runs smoothly with hardly any wait time. They even offer you quarters for the parking meters! Highly recommend!

I was hesitant to go back to the dentist, since I'm still basically in lockdown while everyone else seems to have moved on. With the measures The Downtown Dentist has in place listed on their website, I felt more comfortable trying; I was deeply gratified to see they're even actually following their own guidelines, unlike some people! Masking isn't a universal requirement in the building except during treatment, so that's one area that could be improved, but with proper ventilation that's less of an issue than it could be. When interacting closely with me, everyone with the exception of the doctor wore KN-95 masks, which I definitely appreciated, and all surfaces were regularly being sanitized while I was there, so I felt safer in this environment than, honestly, any other medical environment I can remember being in since COVID. Knowing they are properly ventilated and filtered is a big, big help.
As important as hygiene and safety measures are, and how glad I am to know the Downtown Dentist respects that, it was really the staff who made my experience today such a pleasant one. Everyone I've interacted with from scheduling the initial appointment on has been very friendly and helpful. I have sensory issues that make the dentist an even more daunting prospect than most, but when Rita heard my reservations she instantly and smoothly adjusted to make my experience as sensory-friendly as possible, which really just made my whole day. It can be hard to self-advocate, but her welcoming demeanor made it easy for me to try, and it was very gratifying to have my needs heard and then accommodated with zero fuss or making it weird, which is honestly what often happens. It was just a really nice foot to get off on with an experience I've been dreading for more than a year.
I ended up getting my exam done with Lauren I believe, who was very nice; she was gentle and kept me abreast with everything that was happening, explaining what she would do before she did it, which always makes things better for me! I appreciated how she interacted with me like I was on her level, by being thorough and to the point in her explaintions and recommendations, while neither coming across as condescending OR judgemental, which is never fun but unfortunately a common experience with dentists for me. As a child I used to dread the dentist not only for how awful it would feel but also how they'd always scold and lecture me. That's gotten better as an adult, since I guess they figure I'm going to do what I'm going to do and trying to scare me straight is a waste of time, but it's still an ingrained expectation; due to my disability, oral hygiene is something that has always been a *huge* struggle for me, and despite trying what feels like every trick in the book, it has never gotten any easier. Everyone I worked with today was so good about meeting me where I was at, with compassion and without judgement, and honestly it was just so encouraging to have that realistic approach.
The doctor (whose name I unfortunately didn't catch, nice young guy) was gentle, efficient, and effective. He also made a good balance between giving Lauren notes about my teeth to explaining to me what he was seeing and why he made the recommendations that he did. I won't be apprehensive about working with him in the future the way I was with my last two dentists!
Overall, I would describe my experience with The Downtown Dentist today as overwhelmingly positive. There seems to be a comraderie among the staff that gives the whole office a cheerful and welcoming vibe. Everybody seems to take pride in what they do, and patient comfort is way high up the list of priorities. It was a busy and chaotic morning, and despite that everyone still seemed on the ball; kudos on the professionalism! The level of care I received was phenomenal. I feel confident going to the dentist again for the first time in years; not just like before COVID where I forced myself because I knew I needed to, but because I feel like I'm going to be taken care of in a safe & supportive environment.

As always, I am grateful for being a patient of The Downtown Dentist. Today I had a routine cleaning. Holly is a dental hygienist extraordinaire not only with her professional skill, but her care and concern for her patients.

Dr. Burgos was there today and has been an outstanding addition to the staff. Dr. Rohleder opened a practice many years ago and she has always made me feel like her only patient. She has built a staff who follows her professional and caring nature.

Jeanne Williams

Amazing people. Got us in immediately with no wait. Very cool staff and made my daughter relaxed and feel comfortable. We will definitely be using this dentist in the future.

Hadn’t been to the dentist in quite a while. The staff was non judgmental and very nice! I highly recommend them. Best experience I have ever had at a dentist!

Went here to have a filling done. After the first attempt of doing it I had a ton of sensitivity and couldn’t chew anything. They are only open for half the day so it was difficult getting a follow up appointment where I could get off work again quickly. When I went in the dentist looked at the filling she had just done 6 days earlier and said “oh I see what’s wrong this filling is no good at all we can’t send you home with this.” So I then had to stay for another couple hours while they drilled out the entire filling and tried again. Now that filling has been getting increasingly sensitive a couple weeks after having it done and is to the point where I can’t chew right with it. I am looking for another dentist to correct it as I do not want to continue with this loop of poorly done work and working around their half day schedule.

Have been seeing Dr. Julie, Bernie, and team since we moved to Colorado Springs 8 years ago. They are amazing, caring, sensitive or any issues or concerns, and do not try to upsell you on treatments you do not need! Recommend them to everyone!!!