Delong Gary J DDS PC

Dr. DeLong is a very nice and skilled professional with a small neighborhood practice that focuses on the basics. His office assistant, however, is the reason I won’t be back. In a seven month period, I scheduled six appointments. The office assistant called to change four of the appointments due to her child’s school schedule. The fifth appointment, offered in writing, was no where in the system when I called to check the day before. The sixth appointment, I decided after much deliberation, was not to be. The prior week I had called to report what I assumed to be an abscessed tooth — complete with pain, fever and facial swelling — on a Thursday afternoon. Their office is closed on Fridays and this was also a long holiday weekend. The assistant said she would phone in a prescription for antibiotics right away. The hours ticked on and still no script at my pharmacy. I called the office repeatedly and the recording said this was within business hours, but no one was answering. I left a message — no response. Essentially, the office assistant left me hanging for a long weekend in pain and an emergency situation with my tooth that was worsening by the minute. I finally gave up and found a local endodontist that I had used before and was able to obtain assistance. The following week, the office assistant called to say she had finally phoned in the prescription. She knew she had made a serious error, but she tried to explain it away by saying that she was in a hurry to go pick up her child at school when I informed her about my tooth. While I fully sympathize with the childcare challenges parents often experience, I cannot forgive the fact that patient care was not the priority and I was left in misery, potentially for 3 – 4 days, had I not sought out alternative help. It’s a shame because Dr. DeLong is a truly kind and caring dentist.