Willamette Dental Group - Bend

UPDATE: It has been determined that I am an exsisting patient so I was able to get scheduled. I would have changed it too 5 star but I am still upset over the whole situation.
I have been going to Willamette Dental for several years. The last 11 years I have not had dental insurance so I have been playing cash at the time of service (including the cleaning and checkup just last month). This weekend I chipped a tooth. I called to get an appointment this morning and was told that I could not make and appointment without insurance. To say I am upset an disappointed is an understatement. Thanks for nothing Willamette Dental group....you are the worst.

We just had the sweetest appointment! I took my one year old daughter in for her first checkup and absolutely loved our experience there. We were quickly taken back and the dentist came immediately-no waiting! She mentioned she came right away because she knows littles get wiggly. Everyone was so sweet and gentle and we had no tears! They also gave my two year old a toy and toothbrush for tagging along, which in itself was so nice - to not feel guilty for having to bring an extra kid along during Covid. So thankful for the staff at Willamette Dental!

I have been to this office 3 times and every time I have had extremely nice and professional interactions. They have never tried to convince me to do an expensive treatment if not needed. I just had my cracked front tooth fixed and Dr. Van der Bunt did a great job. Kate, the dental assistant was very nice and Alyssa, the hygienist did a wonderful job cleaning my teeth.

Initial exam was great (8 months ago). However they lose points to a new policy. They claim new studies show that based on your oral health (off of first exam they do), that having your teeth checked more than once a year is bad for your enamel. I haven't found anything online surrounding this and the person I spoke with could not cite anything. Calling at least two other dental offices in Bend, they are the only one so far that has this policy. Until that info is given, I have to assume there are other reasons. And this being the USA, where health like everything else is a commodity, it is most likely profit. This policy amounts to an iron clad mechanism to now refuse preventative measures. Maybe they only want to go after those mid - high level cost treatments? Idk. Seems sketch. For the first time ever, my insurance actually pays for something, but now the provider doesn't want to do it! Amazing! That my insurance is ending in a month and I wanted piece of mind for my oral health didn't matter to them. Even if I went along with believing some study existed, how does just "checking" my mouth ruin enamel? They did not offer this. I am willing to revise this rating if somebody from that office cites the study supporting their claim.

If you have their insurance it can be a low cost option. However, be aware that if you have children the dentist we had almost immediately got impatient with our four year old who was understandably nervous. She snapped at him and so we had to reschedule and try again. The second hygienist and dentist were friendly so our boy did fine. Unfortunately they made us pay for both visits with no apology or ownership. DO NOT BRING YOUR CHILD HERE unless you are willing to gamble.

Dr Kawasaki-Jones, Hygienist Allison, X Ray tech Kim, and all the other staff were fantastic. Made me feel very comfortable & safe. Facility is very clean and super modern, including hypersonic tools instead of drills. Cleaning was very quick, efficient, and relatively painless. They answered all my questions & listened to all concerns. I'll happily keep going here as long as my insurance covers it.

I just returned from my first appointment with Willamette dental. Everyone was extremely and made me feel at ease. It had been at least ten years since I had been to the dentist and my apprehension over going to the dentist was quickly replaced with a sense of relief. Lisa, was great and was extremely positive with me even though I haven't been as proactive as I should have been about my flossing habits. Danielle handled the X-rays and I was comfortable the entire time. I knew what to expect each step of the way. Joy and Doctor van der Bunt filled my cavity during my initial appointment. It was handled quickly and professionally. They were easy to talk to and very honest with me. The receptionist Carolyn was also very helpful and was a pleasure to work with. She gave me a detailed printout of my procedures to keep for my records. This was the best dental experience I have ever had. If my past experiences had been like this I would have been in to see the dentist years earlier. It was all smiles and a great atmosphere. I highly recommend Willamette Dental in Bend to absolutely everyone. They truly care about people and it is apparent that the goal was my overall health. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone there. I look forward to seeing you in 6 months for my next routine cleaning.

Worst dental experience of my life, unless you like spending a few grand on teeth and walking away with a over bite and being told during the fitting it's your fault and the only way to fix the problem is to buy another set and by the way its going to take another six months to complete and no guarantees. Do yourself a favor find a dental company that really cares.

Update on this complaint: after much back and forth communication, Willamette Dental made an exception and is willing to see me at their office, since I am an existing patient. Thank you for allowing me to come back for a cleaning and exam! I have been happy with the dental work done at your office.

First I would like to say I have had good experiences in the office itself, the dentists seem competent and professional.

I have been a Willamette Dental patient for a few years. I recently got dental coverage again, and I called to see if they would accept my dental insurance (through OHP). They said no, even though I had gone to them for over two years. Then I was assigned Willamette Dental Group through OHP. I called Willamette Dental Group scheduling and said I was happy to be back with Willamette Dental, but that the office in Bend said they would not see me. The Willamette Dental scheduling line said the Bend office is required to see me if I have been assigned that office through my dental insurance plan. So I scheduled an appointment. A few days later, I received a call stating the Bend office does not accept my insurance. So basically, I was told they wouldn't accept my insurance, then I was told they were required to accept my insurance, then I was told they wouldn't accept my insurance.

I have lost precious time and energy trying to set up a simple tooth cleaning, and have been misinformed multiple times as to whether or not I can be seen for a cleaning.

I have been very frustrated with my experience. Although front desk staff and dental assistants have been friendly and helpful, I don’t feel the dentist are looking as much to help me as to get as much money from me as possible. I came in for a toothache that needed a root canal. Between appointments with them and appointments with other dentists they have referred me to, I have had more than 10 appointments for this same tooth. Luckily my insurance covers most of the costs but with just copayments has been over $200 because they don’t do much of the work themselves and refer me out of most of the work. A few of my appointments at Willamette have been about 15minutes in which the dentist came in for less than a minute to basically tell me “yes you need this procedure, we will put in a referral.” It seems unnecessary for me to have me come in and pay for all of these appointments when they are not actually any work. I am frustrated with the money and time I have spent on this one tooth that has seemed excessive.