Willamette Dental Group - Meridian

Patients are not the number one priority of Willamette dental! The money is! I make a monthly payment and pay for their member insurance monthly and I'm not late and not behind but they still hound me every time I talk to anybody in the financial office the dentist office or at the front counter at an appointment. The actual dentist that I see there is great.

Three and one half years ago, I had a root canal done at this dental office. Throughout the process, I knew something was not right. I had a terrible taste in my mouth for six weeks and my tooth was tender to bite on. I went back twice sharing my concerns only to be told that everything was fine. I was made to feel like it was “all in my mind”. Over the years, my tooth remained tender and I learned not to bite on that side of my mouth. Yesterday, after weeks of pain, my tooth had a second root canal. The specialist saw that the original work done by Willamette was not done properly, with two roots completely missed in the procedure. For three plus years, my tooth gathered bacteria and infection. Yesterday’s procedure cost me $1840. I am angry and frustrated that my issues were not addressed and this tooth cost so much pain.

If you read the response below, it looks like Willamette might be willing to talk about the issue because the response invites me to call and discuss the concern. So I tried the number only to be told that this is a canned response and they really can’t do anything about my concerns. I guess they think it makes them look like they care. Horrible business response.

The staff is very friendly, but the process if you have a situation that needs to be handled quickly is lacking. I had 2 doctors appointments(with 2 different doctors) over 2 weeks of pain to only get referred to a specialist (in there office) that I have to book another appointment with, all dealing with the pain. I just talked with the office to book that appointment and they cant get me in to him for more than 3 weeks. As a business owner that offers this to all my employees, I will be pulling our company out of this program.

I chose Willamette Dental because, I thought it would be cheaper to have braces placed on my daughter through them. I am a full time student, and a single mother, and only work part time. Braces are cosmetic, but my daughter was very self conscious about it. So I decided to go with Flex Payment. In the long run it probably came out to be about the same price as paying out of pocket or more compared to another orthodontic . Because, I had to drive from Nampa to Meridian. Traffic is crazy, they never have appointments available that are convenient for one. Two, you need a referral to see and orthodontics, 3rd, you have to pay a co-pay each time you go in. It just seemed that they would never work around you. When I had braces, my ortho would set up a time and if I ever needed to reschedule they would get me right in. No penalty fees, no co-pays, always willing to work with the patient and certainly not have to go 2 or 3 months out for an appointment. Willamette Group was so strict on everything, they took forever to give me the referral, so I had to pay for an extra year of co-payments and insurance. I look back and think that I should of just stayed with someone local, and payed out of pocket. it would have saved me gas money, co-pays and the hassle of working with them. I would never recommend this group to anyone. They also recommend cleanings once a year, plus a co-pay to have it done. Now I am out 2 years plus, she should have had her braces taken off a few months ago. I understand COVID hit, but the rescheduling was a huge hassel. I work In the medical field and that is just not how we treat our patients here. For the new year, I plan to go elsewhere. Well I was hoping I would. I just called to schedule for her " I think last appointment" and they want to go out till Feb 2021. With that being said I would have to renew my dental insurance with them for another full year. This is unbelievable. Especially when I told them that my insurance would be ending in December.

Visited on 9/2 for an emergency abcess. They did x rays & the whole nine yards to look at it only for them to tell me they can't do it, will need to see an oral surgeon. Said they'd call me back as soon as they know more. I finally get the call back almost a week later and their response is November 8th when I was told September 20th. The response from the lady was that they didn't have any openings in September and October the surgeon was on vacation. I responded with "Well the reason they didn't want to do it Thursday was because my mouth wouldn't open wide enough and felt safer with an oral surgeon. It was also my understanding abcess are treated as an emergency." She stated that oral surgeon doesn't do emergencies.

Funny enough I need to have benefits for my company this week, and I'm jumping off the Williamette group after 1 appointment. Wouldn't recommend them. It looks good on paper, not great in practice.

Very understanding about my anxiety, they listened to me, they were patient, they got me right in, they even did the filling the day I came in for new patient exam and cleaning so I did not have to come back. Also they helped educate me on gum and tooth care without making me feel like I was an idiot. They "sonic" cleaned my teeth and it was mildly uncomfortable, nothing like the painful cleanings if the past, I think dentistry has entered the 21st century! Very pleased with my experience.

We switched to Willamette for cheaper braces for kiddo. What a mistake. Contradictory information, unnecessary appointments (things can be consolidated), and an overall unprofessional atmosphere. It feels like a dental school for flunkies with no professors anywhere in sight.

I'm not sure I love going to the dentist but I always feel better when I get done and back home. Whether it is a toothache or just a check up and X-rays, I know it is important to keep your dental hygiene proper. I do like my dentist and he is good.

I just received an automated message about it being time for a checkup. This is the first time I have heard from them in over a year since I cancelled my insurance. To be honest I was very disappointed by their service. Their front desk employees were cold and avoidant. In regards to the coverage, I choose one of the highest levels of coverage and ended up paying extremely high co-pays. They have the practice of splitting up filling procedures to multiple visits and charging extra office visits each time And the use of silver fillings is rarely used in dentistry anymore and not a valid alternative to their overpriced charges for basic fillings. Also I was told by my dentist that across the board it was very rare that implants are included in dental packages and are strictly cosmetic procedures. Not accurate information from my research of other companies. The very first company I spoke with contradicted that right away. That is my feedback on my experience and I hope they can openly accept the criticism and incorporate some of those suggestions to their business practices. To their credit, there were some polite interactions with some of the staff on individual levels.

Cost of Willamette Dental Insurance is so expensive ($100/month) and still have to pay $$$ every time I come in, for very poor service. I have had so many bad experience from waiting an 1 hour 1/2 for a cleaning, Waiting 20 mins for the Dentist to check me after a cleaning, can't make appts. very far in advance, and 1/2 hour wait time for last cleaning appts for my kids. Can't call the office directly to talk with a secretary - always have to talk through the 1-800 number. If your running late, don't bother to try to call to let them know. I am told I only need to be seen once a year and X-rays every two years and for the price I am paying it should be cleanings every 3 months. We are also paying way to much for the Orthodontics - add up the up front $$, money I pay every single time we come, time we wait, gas, and stress of driving 40 mins of traffic makes the worst idea for braces. Can't wait to cancel this dental insurance and go back to $25 a month for my whole family (5) to get cleaned every six months, X-rays yearly, no fees to pay at every appt., no wait time, no traffic, and nicer staff.