out of Read Reviews for Dr. Ana Balica
They wouldn't give me my deposit back when I had problems with coming to Astoria from upstate NY.
About Front Desk: Rude
About Hygienist: no hygienist
My Experience: Filling, Onlays & Inlays
Duration: 2
I know this doctor: 2 fillings and temp crown
Agree 1
Disagree 0
Agree 1
Disagree 0
I wanted a holistic dentist, so I tried her instead of going to my family dentist. What a mistake! She said I had 7 cavities and gum disease. I had none of this. So I am back with my family dentist and glad I didn't listen to her recommendations.
At first she gave me a huge bill with a loan program to pay, even though I had insurance, then wanted $100 as a down payment for my next appointment. I didn't do that and the next day got a call that I got the wrong price as an insurance patient. It was $1,000 less.
Be very, very cautious if you want to go to this office. Make sure you get another opinion.
I know this doctor: went once
Agree 2
Disagree 1
Agree 2
Disagree 1
Dr. Ana is very experienced and keeps abreast of the latest technologies. She is gentle and knowledgeable about complementary medicine. Any referrals she provide me have been top notch and the procedures that I have had done in he office over the years have been 100 percent successful.
About Front Desk: Helpful with insurance and scheduling.
About Hygienist: Dr. Ana's hygienist was very pleasant, gentle and thorough.
I know this doctor: 10 years
Agree 1
Disagree 1
Agree 1
Disagree 1
Went there last summer, got a cleaning and one cavity filled. Overall, a good experience. Dr. Balica is pleasant, and the procedures were painless. She advertises her office as a holistic facility, but I didn't find it much different than other dentists aside from the fact that she does composites instead of amalgams.
About Hygienist: I was very satisfied with the job done by the hygienist.
I know this doctor: 8 months
Agree 0
Disagree 0
Agree 0
Disagree 0
Like other reviewers on Yelp, Dr. Balica's 'Natural' approach attracted me in the beginning, and for a while I was pleased with her work even though the office was shabby and the bathroom is also the ganitor's closet and you were brushing your teeth next to the dirty mop in the corner.
Things turned sour for me when she failed to inform me that i had a failed root canal on a tooth that she was fitting with a new, mercury free crown. The thing is that six months after receiving this new crown, which i paid for out of pocket ($800 cash), I had an abscess on that tooth and was immobile from pain, fever and nausea for three days over a holiday weekend. Second opinion dentist told me that a crown should've never been placed over an area that was infected like that.
Her staff gives conflicting information and when push came to shove I felt that Dr. Balica was greedy and uncaring. She made me feel humiliated when I requested a copy of my records (about 10 pages) and she wouldn't give them without a $75 fee. I'm pretty sure that's unethical. Patient rights is a law that assures you access to your own medical records without money being a prohibitive factor. Approach this situation cautiously or better yet go somewhere else.
I know this doctor: approx. 3 years
Agree 1
Disagree 0
Agree 1
Disagree 0
I saw Dr. Balica for several fillings, a root canal and a partial extraction. She was very gentle and very understanding. As I have a dental phobia, I really aprpeciated the little extras, like watcing seinfeld while I waited in the chair. She is very good with injections and I experienced minimal pain afterwards. On the one instance where I was feeling some pain (was not given any medication) Dr. Balica offered to come in on a Saturday to check things out. Although the office itself is not much to look at, the service makes it worth it.
I know this doctor: 8 months
Agree 0
Disagree 3
Agree 0
Disagree 3
Very capable dentist. She is both skillful and gentle. She demonstrated genuine concern for the patient's well-being in general and the longterm success of the procedures. The doctor is a hollistic practitioner and has a vast knowledge in the area of hollistic medicine. She works with discount dental plans which really helps. She is very pleasant and polite. The rest of the staff are pleasant and efficient. I wa very satisfied with the results.
I know this doctor: 3 years
Agree 0
Disagree 2
Agree 0
Disagree 2
