Dr. Alpa N. Merchant, DDS

"On my first visit to the office of Dr. Merchant, I felt a little uneasy even trying to navigate my way there. When I got inside and saw the smiling faces of the women at the front desk, my concerns began to abate. Meeting more of the women who work there with Dr. Merchant convinced me even more that I'd found the right place to take my dental problems. Dr. Merchant's appearance put my mind at ease even more, when she explained her background and expertise to me on better treatments for "dry mouth" that I have from radiation treatments on my face. I felt cared about and for. The offices are decorated with flowers on the walls by Stephanie, the hygienist who cleaned my aging teeth to a sparkle even my husband noticed. Most professional dental office I've ever had the good fortune to find! Yours, Deborah C. Gessaman STOP"

"Wonderful Dentist and staff. Dr. Merchant really took the time to explain the CBCT scans that my son was referred to her office for. Our appointment was not even with Dr. Merchant since it was only a scan, but she took the time to come in and go over it thoroughly with us and answer many questions. She is extremely knowledgeable and is very patient and kind."

"Great dental cleaning, but I wish I had seen a jaw specialist before I agreed to get a super expensive (and not covered by insurance) devices. I worked with a TMJ specialist in Washington state, he got me on an insurance covered device, applied Botox shots, and other modalities to support me."

"I always have a wonderful experience. Everyone is very helpful when I have appointment either to see the dentist, or the hygienist, or anyone else. Everyone is very friendly and always makes you feel very comfortable! It makes going to see your dentist a pleasant experience. I can’t say enough good things about my dentist and her staff…."

"On my first visit, Dr. Merchant gave what seemed to be an impressive sales pitch regarding her wholistic view of dentistry, especially regarding sleep- and breathing-health. Unfortunately, over my next few visits, I saw less follow-through in terms of basic diligence and quality of care than is required of dental professionals. A few specifics from my experience: - Disorganized office. In only four visits, Dr. Merchant / her office dropped the ball on two aspects of my care: a cavity on the back of a tooth and a dental crown. For the cavity on the back of the tooth, Dr. Merchant sent me to an endodontist for an opinion on whether a root canal was necessary. Not only did she not follow-up with the endodonsit’s office about that, she completely forgot about that cavity. The “treatment plan” that she *so carefully* prepared focused on other, less urgent work. I had to strongly advocate for myself, because she was *so certain* that another aspects of my care were the priority and that she knew better than me. When she finally looked in my mouth (imagine a dentist doing that!), she agreed with me. And about the dental crown: it took almost 5 weeks to make - ridiculous, given that other dental offices have a turn-around of at most 1-2 weeks. In this situation, I again had to advocate for myself - if I didn’t call to ask about the status of the crown, it would have taken even longer. - Subpar restorative / cosmetic services. Dr. Merchant refused to offer advice about the color of my crown ("shade-selection"). She said that “we don’t do that”. *She* may not, but, as far as I can tell, the rest of general dentistry does offer advice about the shade. There are plenty of resources (for dentists) online on how best help patients with shade-selection and what information to send over over the lab for the most natural-looking crown. Dr. Merchant did none of that. She should not be offering these services if she refuses to do (or learn how to do) that part of the job. - Poor bed-side manner and inter-personal skills. Dr. Merchant approaches patient concerns with impatience, and she sees any questions as a challenge to her / her expertise. It seems to me that she has a massive (yet somehow fragile) ego and a “chip on her shoulder", resulting in a callous approach to her patients. Dr. Merchant does not seem to understand that time and care need to taken to explain the necessity for dental procedures, to describe and set expectations about how the work will proceed, and to discuss options. That is an essential part of being a professional, especially since dental work results in permanent changes to the mouth and so many patients have had poor experiences with dentists in the past. - Overtly money-oriented. Dr. Merchant complained to me that she will have to “eat the cost” of a modification to my dental crown. I understand that she runs a business, but it is tactless to bring up her costs in the exam room. This led me to question any further recommendations she makes about my dental care. I have to wonder: is that other work necessary for my dental health, or is it just beneficial to her bank account? Bringing up money like that is not just crass, but it’s professional malpractice: it will lead patients to make the wrong decisions. From my experience I can only conclude that Dr. Merchant finds personal satisfaction only in complex/challenging cases and in feeling “smart”, but is bored and impatient when it comes to “trivial” general/cosmetic dentistry. At the same time, I imagine that general dentistry is where most of her business comes from. That leads to a situation where the Dr. Merchant treats most of her patients as just a paycheck, and it shows. She takes the little bit of effort to try and sell a new patient on her “special expertise”, but then it is about churning through procedures as quickly as possible without the necessary diligence. If you need a general dentist in Tucson, I would stay far away from Dr. Merchant."