Dentists of El Cerrito Plaza

"I went to this office for teeth deep cleaning around December 2023. At that time, my insurance did not cover my deep cleaning procedure so I paid for it myself. It's fine. After two visits, the office scheduled a follow-up on February 22, 2024, for me. This year, my insurance is updated to cover my deep cleaning. When I got the appointment notice before February 22, 2024, I called the office and double-checked what the appointment was for and how much the copayment for that procedure was. I was told on the phone that it was for deep cleaning, and my copayment would be $400. After that, I called my insurance, and I was confirmed that my deep cleaning is fully covered, and there is no copayment required. Then I called back to the office about my phone conversation with my insurance, and asked them why they wanted to charge me $400 copayment when my insurance actually does not require any copayment for the deep cleaning procedure. The person on the phone told me that they would double-check with Delta Insurance and then call me back. After two weeks now, I have never heard from the office again. I'm not sure if it is an overcharge, dishonesty, or simply discrimination against a senior who might not be familiar with insurance benefits coverage. At least I do feel there is something wrong with this office at least in billing practice."

"I have to leave my first comment in my life because of the terrible experience here. First of all, they are cheating! Specifically, before I accepted their treatment, they told me the total cost is $166.5. I asked them if they already contacted my insurance. They said yes. Then I accepted their treatment and paid $166.5 immediately. However, after more than one month, I received a bill which required me to pay more $247.7. This is absolutely cheating! They even hired TekCollect to collect the “debt” from me. Their service is terrible too. Several hours waiting time even though I made an appointment in advance. The deep cleaning is bad. I didn’t see obvious improvement after the deep cleaning, compared to my previous experience. Also, I didn’t receive any refund or news from them after I returned the night guard more than two weeks."

"AVOID AT ANY COST. PLEASE …… Extremely rude and entitled front office . I set up the appointment in person and gave all my insurance information , was told that there is no cost for visit as it was initial visit with just x - rays. The establishment is covered by my insurance. Showed up at appointment 15 minutes early , and the entitled white Gen z girl went - “Actually , you own us $180 but we are NICE PEOPLE so we will knock off $97 . I replayed my conversation from earlier but she was still “ you are not eligible for x rays but we are nice people , so we will knock off $97, thats it.” Not to mention her super condescending, cold tone . Even the other receptionist , was looking at her in disbelief . I politely said , please cancel my appointment as I am not sure if I should be paying as I never had for first appointment . She said FINE , whatever . Called my insurance and told the whole conversation, they were like - thats not true , you are not supposed to pay at all for first appointment including x-ray , i was told that xrays were done in 2020 so you are eligible for new ones. Other issues - 1. The dentist I was gonna see had low rating already . All the dentist has abysmal ratings . 2. Definitely , felt an air of arrogance at initial appointment too. 3. My insurance is Delta Dental of washington. Once again please avoid , being nice doesn't take too much . After all they are getting paid a ton for x rays only ."

"Finding a good dentist is not an easy task... one could say it's even HARDER than finding a needle in a haystack. So, I definitely feel like I lucked out not only with my experience at this dental office in general, but also with the treatment I received from Dr. Karamsetty. First and foremost, the office staff were all very friendly and patient when it came to checking in and registering as a new patient. The xray tech was likewise super informative and clear with explaining the various images he had to take. Dr. Karametty was superb on multiple levels: She took her time to fully explain to me the dental issues that needed to be addressed. She made all my options crystal clear and was happy to answer ALL my questions (so many doctors nowadays become very impatient and sometimes even annoyed when the patient has too many questions.. that wasn't the case here, and let me tell you that I had a ton.. lol). Lastly, her overall implementation of the dental treatments that I needed were excellent! Although I can't speak from personal experience about any of the other dentists that also work at this clinic, I can wholeheartedly recommend this office and Dr. Karamsetty!!"

"I once loved this office, until this year. In fact, I had to go through hell with my dental insurance to get them to approve this office when my plan changed. So today I looked forward to getting a good cleaning and what I got was anything but! I got a 2 step cleaning. First the dental hygienist came in and polished my teeth without that usual pink stuff and then the dentist did the scaling around the gum line in a manner that was painful for the first time. She never did the expected exam, but she did go over my xrays. Then she left. After a while another hygienist came in and asked if I was done and I told him I had no idea. I expected her to poke around my gums to look for pockets, and poke the teeth to look for cavities, and offer a tasty polishing, flossing and fluoride. And the 2 steps done were in the reverse order. She spent more time trying to sell me on a crown for a filling that I again rejected, as I have done for years. Cleanings are the only dental procedures I have needed since I was 12 and I am now in my mid-seventies. I guess I am not enough of a money making patient."