DeltaCare USA dentist for 7 year old?
Does anyone have a positive, kid experience with one of these dentists below? My very active 7 y.o. son needs some cavities filled for baby teeth.
We've gone to Aloha and POW Dental for cleanings but their costs for fillings are high. If we want dental coverage for our kid under Kaiser, we're restricted to using these providers under the extremely limited Deltacare USA network. We can't access the broader Delta Dental network nor see a pediatric dentist unless referred by one of these providers.
We're new to Kaiser as of March 2019 and new to Berkeley as of Aug 2018. Initially I was pleased for pediatric dental coverage but so far the customer experience with Delta Dental has been really disappointing to say the least. 3 offices just told me they're not accepting new patients (one hasn't accepted in 3 years); I deleted from the list below. Caution to anyone considering Kaiser who's also attracted by this so called benefit.
DeltaCare USA providers per www.deltains.com
In Berkeley: Western Dental Services, California Dental Group, Refresh Dental.
In Albany: Shadan Jabali DDS.
In El Cerrito: Dentists of El Cerrito Plaza Dental, Firoozeh Lavassani, Rodney Kim, Western Dental Services.
In Richmond: Bay Dental and Winning Smile Dental Group.
In Oakland: Oakland Smile Center, Uptown Dental Group, Franklin Dental Care, Western Dental (Broadway), Western Dental (International Blvd).
Thanks in advance!
Parent Replies
We go to Firoozeh Lavassani for exactly the reason you describe. She's been great with both of our kids, starting around 3 years old.
I used to have the crappy delta dental plan through Kaiser for myself about 10 years ago. I saw Dr. Jabali, and later had to have the filling redone by a competent dentist.
My daughter and I love Rodney Kim in El Cerrito, we've been going off and on (depending on changes in insurance) for 17 years. He doesn't try to do anything "extra," just gets the teeth cleaned and checks for problems and we're out the door. When my daughter was 2-3 years old, however, he said that if he found any cavities he didn't have equipment small enough to fill them. So not sure about a 7 year old, so you should check with him.
We were in the same position, needing a Delta Care dentist for two (slightly older) children. We chose Dr. Shadan Jabali, and haven't looked back. She's been the kids' dentist for over 10 years, and has become my husband's dentist as well.
She's from India and is very smart. She's "no nonsense," but kind. My husband tells me that the dental patient areas are "no frills" (one room for two patients), but it's never bothered him. She knows when to make referrals to oral surgeons and the like, and her staff is on top of all paperwork.
Finally, Dr. Jabali has a much nicer waiting room than my own "fancy" dentist (I have better dental coverage than the rest of my family), and parking is never a problem on her residential Albany street... which is nevertheless close enough to San Pablo to not be off the beaten track.
WARNING: Dr. Jabali has limited hours these days... something like Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (but don't quote me). So be patient... if you leave a message, her receptionist will get back to you.
As an adult with DeltaCare (not taking my kid), I've had a terrible experience with Refresh Dental. Their dentists turn over every few months (I've seen someone different every time I've gone), they have a ridiculous amount of mandatory add on costs (mandatory $25 oral cancer screening EVERY time I go for a cleaning??Really??), and recently they told me I needed a filling replaced which was done right before I switched to them (3 years ago). My old dentist kindly saw me for a second opinion and was absolutely clear there was no problem. He suggested that dentists who get such low reimbursement (like DeltaCare dentists) have to come up with work they can charge you for since their reimbursement rates are so poor. I wouldn't recommend Refresh. The only thing they do really well is a very friendly receptionist who writes herself notes about you and asks friendly follow up questions so you feel like there is a "personal touch" ("How was that vacation you took right after we last saw you?", etc.)