Shadyside Smiles

Recommends

Donald H.

Joined 1 year ago

Friendly and professional service. My experiences at Shadyside Smiles have been very positive. I find the staff friendly and professional. The patient lounge is cozy, but I have never been left to wait there very long. I just had a couple fillings a couple days ago and felt no pain during or after. It was also a very comfortable procedure.

Doesn't Recommend

lilipatina

Joined 2 years ago

Unscrupulous at worst, incompetent at best. Dr. Rabij-Schmeler told me I had three cavities that needed to be filled, based on x-rays that she took. I was surprised as my (top-rate) dentist from home had given me a clean bill of health a couple months before. Before Dr. Rabij-Schmeler did the fillings I went back to my home dentist and she gave me an examination, including x-rays, and found NO evidence of cavities whatsoever. This is one of the top dentists in New York City. I hope that Dr. Rabij-Schmeler's enthusiasm to do invasive and unnecessary procedures was due to oversight and incompetence, not fraud. The cleanings I've received at this office were also sub-par. Obviously I won't go back.

Doesn't Recommend

toothache23

Joined 2 years ago

Just plain awful!. Dr. Christine Schmeler is utterly incompetent. She placed two fillings for me about a year ago. After the procedure I asked if there were any restrictions on what I could eat for a period of time. She said "No, but I had a woman last week go to that Tai place down the street and her fillings turned green, so I had to redo them. So I guess no Thai food, but other than that you should be fine." I was told that if I wanted a translucent filling it may cost "a little extra." As I walked out I was slapped with a $ 300 bill that was "not covered by insurance." On several occasions in the past year, I was sent a bill for services in the mail that should have been covered by insurance. After speaking on the phone with the insurance company, I found out that they were processed incorrectly by the office. The staff are completely uncooperative with respect billing. So in summary, DO NOT GO TO THIS DENTIST.

Doesn't Recommend

skadimeicbeorh

Joined 3 years ago

Fraudulent and "Shady". Dr. Christine Schmeler improperly seated a gold crown for me. I have had this work evaluated at Pitt Dental School by three separate doctors, all stating that she should have recommended a root canal first, and then seated the crown properly. As it stands, I have been in constant pain from June 2009 through Feb 2010. I have repeatedly asked Dr. Schmeler for a full refund for faulty services rendered me, but she refuses to reply to my emails and puts doctors from Pitt Dental on hold until they hang up. I have resorted to reporting her to the State Board of Dentistry (1-800-822-2113). I do not recommend that anyone see Schmeler for any service whatsoever. She is a terrible practitioner who should have her license revoked. By the way, my pain threshold is very high, and she had me in so much pain I was crawling out of the seat.

Doesn't Recommend

wo4522

Joined 4 years ago

Overcharged. Demand hugh amount payment the same day of service, I paid, it turns out to be 2.5 times the amount I should pay. Hard to get the full refund. If you call them, the staff's standard answer is "sorry, we are very busy, I'll call you back". They never ever call back! (I called six times). If you go there want to talk to the doctor, you would get "the doctor won't see you, her schedule is full. will call you back". They just try to brush you off.

Doesn't Recommend

pgher

Joined 5 years ago

Worst experience ever!. By far THE worst dentist I have ever come in contact with. The other review was exactly right. Dr. Schmeler charges an insane amount of money and forces you to pay up front, claiming that it's not "covered" on your insurance and then REFUSES to submit the claim form. DO NOT GO HERE! I'm surprised she's even still in business with all the shady things going on in that office!!!

Doesn't Recommend

MaryinPGH

Joined 5 years ago

Fraudulent Dentistry. Christine Schmeler is average dentist, and slightly below average when you consider her borderline fraudulent techniques. She is terrible at regional anesthesia techniques, however, most of the time she can try again, and get it right. Her dentistry is gentle, however she merits nothing special in her work. Her small staff is trained to tell you automatically when you are having any procedure done that your insurance does not cover it. They will provide you with an inaccurate estimate, and then require a larger payment in full the day services are rendered. If you call your insurance company, like I did, they will tell you a claim has not been submitted, and that is because Christine Schmeler realizes that the reimbursement from your pocket is much higher than what she receives from the insurance company. In essence, she accepts the insurance company's policy in order to gain access to their patient population, but never really intends to bill them for anything other than a 6-month checkup, which her and her staff do a horrendous job at cleaning your teeth (I do a better job myself). The location is great, which is why I originally chose the office, but clearly, her poor skills do not merit enough revenue to support the rent, which is why she has resorted to fraudulent dentistry.

It's also interesting that the other user review is written by her own staff member. I suppose it's difficult to find a satisfied patient .

Recommends

7beth66

Joined 6 years ago

Shadyside Smiles. the staff is polite and Dr. Schmeler is very gentle I highly recommend this practice for all phases of dental work