Great Expressions Dental Centers Ann Arbor

I felt that the staff was very friendly. Marlow was an assistant that set me up and explained what was going to be done. I cannot say enough great things about the dental hygienist Becky. She was kind, thorough, and informative. Dr. Martinez was also wonderful. She spent time with me explaining a few things about my teeth and what the X-​rays meant. The reason they did not get 5 stars, I was supposed to be called when my product arrived and a month went by despite leaving a voicemail mail, no one called me. The product no longer fit and a new one had to be fitted, but they paid for it. ⁴⁄₅ stars for my review.

Flexible appointment times and excellent service. Ask for Damaris to be your hygienist — she is very skilled.

If I could give it zero stars I would. Absolutely the worst dental experience. The staff was rude, unorganized, and unprofessional. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY!!! I went in for a filling. My husband and I scheduled our appointments for the same day and same time. We arrived 30 minutes before our scheduled appointment. They confirmed the last name, and then took my husband back. After waiting a good ten minutes I asked if they could tell me how long the wait would be… They said they forgot to check me in. No big deal, but then they proceeded to let me wait another half hour before brining me back. I waited an hour till someone came back to help me. Then the dentist had an attitude and stated that they over booked her and she didn’t have time to do my teeth. Mind you we told them we were moving to Hawaii in a week and really couldn’t reschedule. I was then told by the dentist she would help me after she helped the other client who had to make it to a baseball game. It ended up taking a total of 5 hours to complete 1 filling and a teeth cleaning. The staff was horrible, and the service was horrible. I would never recommend anyone go to this dentist office. Thank gosh we don’t have to deal with such rude customer service again.

I came on here wanting to rate the place 5 because I believe that they take care of their patients and they’re responsible with what they say I don’t think that they pressed anything on me because you can reject that or take it and I’m not well to do at all I’m a college student but the friendliness and the the communication in the oral health that they try to push I really believe in this place the one girl that cleaned my teeth was very responsible very good. They did take my insurance. I had out of pocket expenses but I already knew that because I didn’t have health insurance for years I’m so sorry that this place sees all the bad ratings I really do believe in this place. This is my first Unilocal review ever I’m sorry I rambled on. I don’t know if I would have checked this place out if I would have seen the reviews first… If you go ask for Damaris she’s the lady that I was talking about that does my cleanings.

The Comcast of dentists.
May have been OK in the past, but everyone who made this place even remotely acceptable has bailed for a better practice. Absolutely zero sympathy, empathy, or even common decency towards another human being. I remember a few good visits when I started, but it’s gone exponentially downhill since then. Either I’m being shamed for being a pervert who would dare to get a facial piercing, to captive hard sells for electric toothbrushes that would make a door-​to-​door vacuum salesman cringe. Oh, and they’re now harassing me to pay for services they told me were covered by my insurance. Fuck this place. Seriously.

I have never be compelled to write a online review before, positive or negative, but my experience at Great Expression demands it. I have nothing but bad things to say about this place, from the relatively minor (my appointment getting rescheduled due to the receptionist’s mistake) to the more egregious (bad fillings).
I went to Great Expressions because it’s near where I live and they accept my insurance. When I went to my first (rescheduled) appointment, the hygienists were perfunctory bordering on rude, and they kept trying to sell me additional (costly) treatments in dire-​sounding language, even braces (I’m in my mid-​twenties). After X-​rays and cleaning, I was informed that I had two cavities and needed fillings, so I came back later that day and got them done. Dr. Kahn gave me only the vaguest (almost bored) explanations about what he was going to do even though I informed him that I’d never had cavities /​fillings done before and thus had no idea what to expect. The worst part was when he said he was going to «administer the anesthetic» and then suddenly injected a needle into my gum. Now, I don’t have any particular fear of needles, but isn’t it common practice to at least tell someone categorically you’re going to stick them with one? In the end, I came out with two extremely sloppy fillings that shred floss due to rough edges and protrusions and which felt sensitive for almost a month afterward (I was told they should feel sensitive for a week at most). I fully expect to have to pay my next dentist to redo them. Furthermore, when I was trying to pay after my appointment, I waited for about 15 minutes while the receptionist (who was, to give her credit, very nice) tried figure out my second insurance plan, which was a major carrier and probably shouldn’t have been that difficult.
To top it all off, Great Expressions had referred me for a wisdom teeth extraction consultation. They tried to send me to a place 45 minutes away in Livonia when I live right here in Ann Arbor (where is the logic in that?). Instead, I made an appointment here in town, and the oral surgeon informed me that I had to bring my X-​rays with me or would have to pay to get them redone. So I brought my Great Expressions X-​rays (which had taken about 20 minutes to do during my cleaning), and the oral surgeon glanced at them and promptly explained that they did not show my full wisdom teeth and therefore would have to redone ($ 68).
In short, I would never recommend that someone go to Great Expressions. The staff are unhelpful and rude and they do shoddy work. Go somewhere else for your dental needs.

These people have terrible financial practices. I came in several years ago as a college student. They told me there was a small copay (~$ 50). I finish my dental work and then they are asking me for hundreds of dollars. I didn’t have the money to pay for it, they said they’d try again, then then sent me to collections. Never go here.

My first visit was for a teeth cleaning! My insurance covers that! I walked out having gum disease and medication. They charged me $ 700.00 for a deep cleaning treatment that is not covered by the insurance. When I asked if it was covered, I was informed that my insurance covered the treatment. I consented!
Later found out it wasn’t because no insurance company will cover the procedure because it is a meaningful process! After all this I found out from another dentist that the inflammation was from my wisdom teeth coming in! Wow!!! $ 700.00 for a «cleaning»…RECONSIDER going to Great Expressions! They were trying to sell me toothpastes/​mouthwashes the minute I walked through the door! All they want is your $$$$$$!!!

Don’t get talked into the «deep cleaning.» Long story short, this place needs to be sued for insurance fraud or malpractice or both.

I went here because it was the closest place to me that took my insurance. It is exactly what you assume it is. A chain dental office. The people are nice enough but I am not impressed with the dentists or with the business itself. I don’t like chain restaurants and I feel the same about chain dentists. I have since switched.

On our second visit, they gave us a $ 25 fluoride treatment without asking. They did not charge us that day (maybe so we wouldn’t fuss), but sent us the bill later. This is after our first visit, when they incorrectly checked my insurance info so that I got an unexpected $ 80 charge for unneeded x-​rays. Look, I like the people – they are perfectly nice while treating you – but the billing practices are totally crooked. Someone there is systematically cheating customers. Beware.

I’m surprised by the harsh reviews, as I had a very positive experience. Sure, the office is not lavish but I found the staff to be pleasant and the dentist (Dr. Palli) was kind, competent, and professional. I had two crowns done (and permanent crowns were preceded by temporary crowns). Even the temporary crowns were perfect — no pain, no loosening. Sure, the hygienists try to cross-​sell products & services, I didn’t need/​want, but I just firmly said «no, thank you,» smiled, and that was the end of the conversation.
They took my insurance without a hassle, and I could easily make appointments without ridiculously long wait times. So, I have absolutely no complaints and very high regard for Dr. Palli and the perfectly pleasant hygienists and staff.

I have to admit I was a little worried having checked the Unilocal reviews before going. I had a surprise toothache (I’m fairly good at dental health so it was a real surprise) and since I’m out of state for school I was worried. They are supposed to take my insurance, so I went and talked to them.
Extremely nice lady at the front talked me through the process, was very articulate and clear about any charges I would have by this visit. Insurance was not cleared for this first exam, so they gave me $ 100 off my first exam as a new patient and advised me to return for later. She told me upfront what I would pay ($ 20) and there were no surprises. It was just for an initial exam. Doctor P. was very nice and was in no rush and was very clear about my options. After being told it wasn’t anything life-​threatening or urgent, I’m going home for comprehensive exam and treatment, but this office was good in a pinch.
The office is not the newest, but neither is my dentist’s back at home and I am completely at home in that. They saw three or four other patients during the two hours I was there, definitely not booked back-​to-​back, but it wasn’t deserted either. And the other patients were well-​to-​do older men who seemed to have a certain rapport with the place. Not a single mention of any of the products they sell or any sales talk like the others are talking.
I’m giving it a three because, although it pains me to see such harsh reviews, I do believe they are responsible for them and I think they’d better do something drastic if they want their rating to go up. Based on the reviews and my personal experience, I probably would not come for anything very serious or invasive surgery, but I wouldn’t mind returning for cleaning or a check-​up.

I wish I could give this place 0 stars. After only having a filling and a root canal for 3 years, my new dentist (check my other reviews) noticed the fillings had fallen out and the root canal was done terribly. I’ve seen the work on the otherside that my new dentist has done and it’s a STARK difference. So now I have to get all of the work REDONE, which is absolutely ridiculous. And the dentist I went to at Great expressions went to my alma matter, I know they teach you better than that. Shame on you and the shotty work that you guys are doing there. You may think you have it bad with the upselling when you first go in, but wait and see in a couple of years you’ll be paying for the work to be redone.

This dental experience was terrible. It blew my mind reading the reviews before because i had the exact same experience with the Xrays (I wish i’d read this before) When i finally asked the tech to stop shooting the Xrays at my head and that i’d just opt out, they made it into a HUGE issue. The tech next to me even made a snide comment about it just to make me feel bad. Snotty people and the facilities were pretty rough too. Blech.

This is a BAD clinic. Although she was very nice, the hygienist spent the entire time trying to sell me some $ 30 fluoride paste. It was an extremely hard sell, really almost to the point where I thought they might hold me hostage until I bought this golden toothpaste spun by angels out of pure ambrosia. The girl taking the x-​rays (also very nice) took twice as long as usual because she either didn’t know how to do it, or hadn’t been trained on that particular machine. I don’t know which one it was because she offered no explanation for her incompetence. She was nice and I felt bad for her because she was clearly frustrated and likely not properly trained by this office. I saw the dentist, whose name I wasn’t told and don’t remember for about 20 seconds. He said I had some cavities, but even he didn’t seem entirely convinced. When making an appointment with a different, better dentist recently, I found that after signing a release of info form (normal practice), I also had to pay a $ 20 fee for the release of my shoddy x-​rays (I didn’t, this is NOT NORMAL PRACTICE). This place is quite the racket, I’m surprised they don’t charge you for the floss and water they use during their cleaning. In medicine, patients constantly transfer hospitals, sign release forms and bring their records and imaging studies FREE OF CHARGE to the new doctor they are seeing. Incompetence is one thing, but trying to charge extra for it is inexcusable.

Hmm… been here for a number of years. Eventually switched after a series of appointments they’d changed at the last minute, usually because their schedule had changed. Which probably meant that the last dentist had left and the new one worked different hours. And that was the other thing I really disliked about this place — everytime you’d go, it would be a different dentist, who you’d see for a grand total of 30 seconds.
…and then there was the time I was getting a filling, and they asked «silver or white?» I picked white without thinking about it too much, only realizing as I was paying that the white fillings were NOT covered by insurance, and would cost me $ 165 PER TOOTH extra. I was also up-​sold on a number of things, from toothpaste to sonic toothbrushes to flouride rinse. A constant barrage.
Yeah — that was real fun, but not for me. I switched dentists recently, and am very happy. You can find the other review that I’ve done on a dentist. Try there, if you can. He takes pretty much any insurance, and is fantastic to deal with.
Enough with the dental puppy-​mills!!!

I avoided going to the dentist for more years than I’d like to admit, and I finally broke down and went because I was about to quit my job and lose my dental insurance.
Great Expressions was the only place in Ann Arbor that took my dental insurance, and even if it weren’t, I think one visit to this office convinced me the dentist office isn’t really that bad of a place.
The staff was extremely friendly and Dr. Kahn/​Khan (can’t remember the exact spelling) was super helpful. If it makes any difference, he graduated from the UMich Dental School, and he has a certain way of talking to you that puts you quite at ease.
Because I told them that going to the dentist makes me anxious, they rubbed my mouth with some fruity flavored anesthetic before doing anything. I didn’t feel a thing while they were probing around my mouth, and unlike w/​visits in the past to other dentists, my gums didn’t feel sore even after the anesthetic wore off.
I had a little over 1 month to squeeze in all of my dental work (and there was quite a bit to be done due to my lack of visits to the dentist in the past), and the staff made sure to help me get all of my appointments in before my insurance was up.
The only unusual thing about Great Expressions is that you aren’t sitting in a room blocked from view. Any person walking through the main hallway can see what’s going on with you. If’ you’re a little shy about people seeing you look awkward, this may not be good for you.
Otherwise, I am no longer scared of going to the dentist, and even though I no longer have dental insurance, I still plan on going back to Great Expressions.