Ave Maria Dentistry

"Today I just set up services with Ave Maria Dentistry. I was thoroughly pleased with the staff I encountered from the folks at the front desk, the hygienist, to the dentist (Dr. Nicole Ricart). Everyone was very professional, attentive, and personable. I had an excellent in-depth initial assessment. I was provided with a clear and reasonable dental plan to move forward with. All costs were presented on an organized hardcopy form which included my insurance coverage."

"I delayed writing this review for over a year because I wanted to provide a fair assessment. However, recent interactions prompted me to share my disappointing experience with Ave Maria Dentistry. On December 7, 2023, I contacted Ave Maria Dentistry and spoke with Diana, expressing my intention to share my experience through a review. I specifically sought to provide Dr. Wisdom Akpaka an opportunity to address and rectify the issues I encountered. However, despite my outreach, I have not received any response or acknowledgment from the office. This place is HORRIBLE. To them, you are just a number and not an actual patient. I had terrible experiences with both Dr. Kenninthon Munoz and Dr. Wisdom Akpaka. THE SHORT VERSION: I paid for THREE crowns; only one is currently in my mouth AND was not fitted correctly, as verified via X-rays by two dentists. I also ended up losing a tooth in the process (one of the teeth that was fitted for a crown now has a lesion on the side of the gums). THE DETAILED VERSION: My journey began with Dr. Kenninthon Munoz for fillings in 2021, which left me unsatisfied due to excess product and subsequent adjustments. In 2022, seeking treatment for a bridge replacement, I went to Ave Maria Dentistry and requested Dr. Wisdom Akpaka's involvement, and that is when my treatment plan took an unexpected turn. The proposed solution deviated from a bridge replacement to three new crowns on (#14, #18, #20) and an implant on (#19), a decision seemingly driven by monetary gain. During the process, multiple issues arose. Impressions for the crowns seemed mishandled, and subsequent attempts to fit the crowns proved unsuccessful. The assistant took impressions for the crowns, and Dr. Wisdom Akpaka came in for a few minutes and left the assistant to figure it out. She looked lost and had to return to him for instructions several times. Temporary crowns were put in, and I went home. A few weeks later, I returned to have the crowns fitted, but there was a problem – all THREE didn't fit my teeth properly. They were sent back to the lab. When I returned a few weeks later, the crowns still weren't perfect, but Dr. Wisdom Akpaka decided to proceed with them despite not being 100% correct. After multiple visits for adjustments, one of the crowns, tooth #18, came off while I was at home. Returning to Dr. Wisdom Akpaka, he applied composite material to safeguard the tooth and alleviate sensitivity. Surprisingly, instead of fitting for a new crown, he suggested a root canal. This was lost #1. No refund was offered on a crown that fell off. A few weeks later, I began experiencing discomfort in tooth #14. Upon my visit, the assistant took X-rays, finding everything seemingly okay, and sent me home. I distinctly recall that during the crown placement, there was no cleaning or preparation of the area; it was simply glued on. As time passed, the crown developed an unpleasant odor, causing me significant pain. When I returned to the office an extraction was promptly performed by Dr. Wisdom Akpaka in November 2022, resulting in the loss of tooth #14. Now, more than a year later, this tooth has a lesion. My current dentist suggests this may be due to residual particles left behind during the extraction. This was lost #2. No discount was offered on the extraction, nor was a refund issued for the crown. The only remaining crown (#20) lacks proper fitting. In 2022, I probably visited Ave Maria Dentistry close to 20 times. I spent approximately $2200 in co-pay fees for THREE crowns and an extraction, resulting in unresolved issues and an overall unsatisfactory outcome. Throughout this ordeal, the dismissive attitude of the dental staff was disheartening. Despite voicing my concerns, I was met with blame and excuses instead of accountability. Moreover, Dr. Wisdom Akpaka's sporadic involvement and delegation to inexperienced assistants reflected a lack of commitment to patient care."

"Our experience with the hygenists has been great. However, this practice does not guarantee their work. Claims they work with a new lab - so we had to pay again. Receptionist rude on the phone and avoided answering questions."

"Wow. Just called to get some information and book a cleaning as a new patient. The receptionist was SO incredibly rude and impatient on the phone. There is absolutely no way me or my family will be using this dentist office. Looks like we’ll be driving into Naples for our appointments. Disappointing."

"Dental hygienist was excellent. Very thorough, very careful and she was extremely pleasant. She explained everything in great detail and I could understand completely. I was very happy with the new dentist that now owns the practice. Again, very thorough and very pleasant. He explain things so I could understand. The front desk staff also are so pleasant and always greet you warmly and with a pleasant smile."