District Smiles

"The actual hygienist and dental work was fine. However, those handling the insurance info and billing were frustrating- when asked whether my insurance was accepted, I was told yes. What they meant was that the insurance company could be accepted, not whether the provider was in network or not for my plan. This led to being charged excessive amounts for a cleaning and filling, with this coming to light after the fact. Blame also goes to a poorly updated insurance webpage as well, but lack of transparency at every step until it is too late is the general frustration. Best solution that I learned living in DC- get confirmation in an email before going to a dentist that the provider is in network, or see a dentist outside of the DC area to avoid unnecessary charges and shady practices."

"Beware!!! of fraudulent medial billing scams from this place. On 8/29/2022 We were told it would be $220 to examine and clean our 2 kid's teeth. We were charged $787.60 which we reluctantly paid and were given a receipt showing we had paid in full. Now, in April of 2023 received a bill for another $140.40 for a past due amount. The charges on the bill don't make sense and the math on the bill doesn't even add up. Two of the items on the bill are for "patient transfer" on 8/30."

"Mint Dental took over District Smiles in Tenleytown NW and poorly handled a simple situation. I accidentally melted my invisalign retainer while cleaning it. Instead of explaining to me that I'd have to go through the former management/ownership to simply order a new set of retainers, they had me come in and redo the fitting. They lacked transparency and wasted my time when they informed me they didn't get what they needed and said I'd have to go to their Rhode Island Ave. office for additional scans. The story goes on from here, but in short: the new management/ownership is greedy, irresponsible and owes me a refund."

"My family has been going to District Smiles about 3 years. In that time the ownership has changed several times and it felt like the staff was completely different every time I went in for a cleaning. The final straw came when my wife went in for a crown and was advised that the office was now listed as out of network. Our insurance has not changed. If the insurance network of the office changes that kind of information needs to be shared up front. Ultimately the constant volatility of ownership and staff turn over leading to a network change has driven us to a new family dentist in Bethesda. The people are nice but the odds are you will only ever see them once."

"I made an appointment here for an impromptu cleaning and now they’re my new dental team! Everyone is warm, professional, and thorough. I left without any questions unanswered as well as a solid treatment plan. They are thoughtful and patient about comfort/discomfort while in treatment, and take non rushed time to help sort through things like insurance and discuss options and health. I was able to schedule my follow up treatments promptly and always feel very comfortable and well taken care of- thank you!"