Great Hill Dental - Somerville

Had my first appointment today at Great Hill Dental and cannot be happier with my first visit. Elizabeth was my hygienist for the x-rays/cleaning and made the process as painless as possible. As a patient looking for a dental team in Somerville, I am happy I made a such a great choice!

I've been seeing Dr. Michalowski at Great Hill Dental for about 25 years. My experience has been completely positive for that entire time. All the staff have been very professional and I feel that I am receiving exceptional care. Melat, my hygienist, is very thorough and has made many helpful suggestions over the years. That's one of the things I like most - there is little turnover in the dentistry staff so I have been able to build good relationships with each one. Dr. Michalowski is careful to make sure I am comfortable during procedures, explains what his happening and what to expect, does excellent follow-up and is, in general, my idea of a model dentist. His assistant, Rosa, is welcoming and interested in making my experience as positive as possible. They work together smoothly and expertly. I highly recommend this practice.

Modern facility with all the new toys. Going to the dentist is not at all unpleasant anymore.

ok I'll try and keep this short and sweet...
I'm a new patient. I was extremely nervous, I knew I needed a lot of work done and was worried about pain and cost...

Ill start by saying the office and patient rooms are extremely clean. The young ladies at the front were extremely nice and helpful.

I was greeted by an assistant I believe her name was Flora. She was very kind and gentle while taking my ex rays. She made me feel comfortable during my visit.

I then met Dr. Michalowski, who was extremely nice. He went over every tooth with me and provided me with a mirror, so he can show me as he explained everything. He explained everything so well it was like I was taking a class lol. He addressed all my questions and then performed my cleaning. He was gentle and caring throughout the whole process.

The administration team then went over my treatment plan and insurance coverage and out of pocket cost.

It was the best dental experience I personally ever had. Trust me I have had some pretty bad experiences.

So much for short and sweet. Hope this was helpful...

To the Great Hill Dental Staff
Thank you 😊

I had a poor experience with Great Hill Dental Somerville. I tried them out after moving to the area and was very disappointed 1)with their concern for my comfort 2)with their technology and 3)with their misinformation about the cost and billing. I would recommend finding another dentist.

1) I came in for a cleaning and then had to get a filling. I've had fillings before and this was by far the most uncomfortable experience I've had during one. Neither the dentist nor the assistant asked me if I was comfortable or could feel anything during it. I could feel the pressure of their drilling the entire time.

2) Their technology is not as advanced as other offices I've been to. It is obvious that their office and tools could use an update- this would also contribute to problem #1.

3) I asked ahead of time if they accepted my coverage. They told me yes. When they forced me to get x-rays (otherwise apparently they could not care for me), they checked my insurance and again told me I would be fully covered. When I checked out after my filling, they told me I owed nothing. Months later I a notice that I owed $500+. They didn't even send me a breakdown of the charges! I was very upset and it put me in a tight spot. DO NOT trust them. They do not care about you. Just your money. It is unfair to the patients to do this to them.

Find a trustworthy, caring dentist. Great Hill is not it.

Thank you Dr. Taker for making my daughter visits fun and educational!

I have been a patient for several years and have had the best dental care. Melat is my hygienist and she is always very thorough. The reminders to keep up with flossing has helped me to do a better job between visits. Dr. Michalowski is my dentist and he filled a chipped tooth about a year ago, answering all my questions and did a great job. The tooth feels just like any other tooth in my mouth and have had no problems.

Staff at Great Hill are wonderful. They were so supportive of our nervous nelly family. Everytime my son goes in he almost vomits. They prepare the room just in case. The compassion runs through the entire office.

If you are afraid of the dentist, call Great Hill they will put your fears at ease.

I have had a lot of dental work done here the last 3-4 years and I have nothing but good things to say about this place and the dentists and staff here. I'm overdue for giving them a review, so here we go. Genetic factors including a small mouth, crowded teeth and severe dental procedure anxiety do not make me an easy patient as much as I try, but the level of professionalism and understanding is wonderful here!
The front of house staff is efficient, and caring, making it easy to book appointments and they knowledgeably explain bills and treatment plans. I have not had the experience of being up sold anything- if they say I need a procedure or a treatment done here, it's because I do. The dental hygienists are professional and are really good about telling you what they're doing, what to expect on your visit, and providing care.
I have to give a shout out individually to the dentists I've worked with:

For braces you *need* to work with Dr. Mahshid Bahadoran. I worked with her over about 2.5 years and I cannot say enough wonderful things about her care. I was in my late 30's with stubborn teeth that didn't want to move. I was chipping and breaking my front teeth monthly due to their misalignment and was really uncomfortable with how they looked. While the braces process sucks, she coaxed my teeth into a good alignment and I've not had any chips or problems with my bite since. She's very patient, caring, really listens and she really wants to do the very best job for you and what you need.

For general care, I work with Dr. Richard Michalowski. He's knowledgeable, good at explaining what's going on, and while he may seem a little brusque and doesn't sugar-coat things, I appreciate his no-nonsense approach. He's efficient, thorough and doesn't waste your time. When I expressed my concerns over my upcoming root canal (more on that in a second), he listened and told me what the procedure was, and even prescribed me a small dose of an anti-anxiety medication to take as I wanted and needed for the procedure (I mentioned the several dental procedure anxiety right?)

For a root canal, I highly recommend Dr.Aliyah Shivji. I had my first ever one this morning (I'm still really sore as I write this), and believe me she deserves a gold star after this procedure! She started by asking me questions, listening to my concerns and giving me advice on how best to handle my anxiety. I came back later for the procedure, anti-anxiety medicine taken and headphones and podcasts to distract me ready. When injecting the Novocaine, she does a really helpful countdown so you know exactly how much longer you need to deal with it. She tried using a moderately sized bite guard, but between the position of the tooth (way in the back on the bottom) and the fact that my mouth is, as previously mentioned, small, I kept breaking the instruments because she couldn't get the right angle. We finally had to use a really large bite guard and she really did her best to make it as quick and as painless as she could. It was traumatic (remember that dental procedure anxiety I mentioned?), but she and her assistant really did the best they could to make me comfortable, check on me and help me out. It's a sucktastic procedure in general but they made it bearable.

All in all, I go to Greater Hill Dental because the care here is top notch and I trust them to deal with my special considerations. Going to the dentist is not fun, ever, but here they make it as best an experience as they can.

Never have I had a worse experience at a dental practice. I chose great hill dental after seeing the positive reviews, and was in the market for something more local after moving to boston. one of their dentists, dr michalowski told me all my teeth were decaying, i had 6 cavities and would need to go on a treatment plan that included fillings and a root canal. i was confused as this contradicted the assessment of 2 other dentists and was asked for a deposit for a dental treatment without first telling me the overall cost. i went to get a second opinion and the other dentist told me i only needed one filling, should not have a root canal done (which would have costed $1500+) additionally he took out a permanent filling I had from another dentist and put in a temporary filling without explaining the process and he also got the numbing liquid into my eyes when treating me. I was so clearly uncomfortable and tried to ask questions about my treatment to which he said “no time”

the type of dentist trying to take advantage of people's dental health to buy a boat. shame on them. Maybe their other dentists are more ethical, but i would strongly discourage anyone from using this practice.