Nancy O Block, DDS

If you are looking for a great dentist in downtown Chicago, go see Dr. Block. She is very smart, honest and does excellent work. She does not try to upsell extra services like some of the Chicago dentists do. I highly recommend her. She provides great personal attention and even offered to stay until 7:00 PM at night to help me with a tooth problem.

Me and my family have been going to Dr. Block for a decade now. She’s always been very attentive, professional and friendly. I have no clue where these people are coming from with the negative reviews. Some of them are so over the top that it says more about the reviewer than Dr. Block.

Horrible, dirty office. Poor care. Don’t go here. Its not worth the time or money.

I have been going to Dr. Block for the last several years for teeth cleanings. I have never seen her for anything more significant, but I have had positive experiences with her office. She is polite and personable, always professional. I have never had to wait longer than 10 minutes for my appointment to begin.

I too am surprised about these poor reviews. I have found Dr. Block to be extremely straight forward, honest, and thorough — if not exactly bubbly. The office is a bit shabby but it is super easy to get to from work. My only beef is with her receptionist who is, like other reviewers have said, rude and indifferent.

I’m not over the moon about Dr. Block just because, you know, she’s a dentist, and dentists aren’t super-​fun to visit, but I have had no issues with her so far and have been a little surprised by the Unilocal reviews, so I just wanted to throw in my two cents. She cleans my teeth with no pain, takes my insurance and I have no issues getting an appointment. This sounds pretty robotic, I know, but whatever, she’s a dentist.

I’ve been going to Dr. Block for several years. She’s as good as it gets.

Wow, I wished I would’ve read these reviews sooner, not while I was sitting in the examination chair… fail.
First off, I had a different dentist last year but had switched over to Dr. Block b/​c of group/​coverage changes. I put off seeing a dentist for the majority of the year b/​c of the complications of finding a dentist in-​network and getting on the roster and then making an appointment. I called to schedule my first teeth cleaning for the year back in July or August and the first available was Dec 2! Wtf! Really? Ugh, too much work to try and switch dentists again so I took the date.
Dec 2 finally comes and I didn’t receive an appointment reminder the day before like all the other health care professionals typically do so I was nervous that my appointment wasn’t still good. I went anyways and when I arrived at the address I found by googling, I was still lost b/​c there weren’t directories or guides located anywhere. Just an elevator up w/​a somewhat unattached button plate. I called and asked what floor and proceeded to enter a tiny room where the front desk woman was standing and waiting w/​paperwork to fill out. I quickly grabbed the papers and filled them out and handed them back w/​in 10 minutes. The woman then led me to a stark white room and took my x-​rays immediately and said that the x-​rays took a bit to develop. When they developed, Dr. Block would look at them and then start the cleaning. What I didn’t know was that she was most likely working on another patient and I would end up sitting in that room by myself for another hour! At 2pm, another one of her appointments showed up and she hasn’t even looked at me yet. The front desker did come in and apologize at least once but it doesn’t make up the fact that it was now 2:15 and no work has been done. Luckily I had my Droid as a distractor. The thought of walking out and saying «f*** you, I don’t care if I haven’t seen a dentist in over a year, this isn’t worth it!» ran across my mind more than once but I didn’t. I was desperate!
So there I sat and just so decided to check out Unilocal reviews of my soon-​to-​be dentist and boy, was I frightened by most of what I read. Eventually at 2:15, Dr. Block appears and she does introduce herself to me and does apologize for making me wait but does that make the fact that I waited a solid hour for her o.k. I mean, I imagine she’s been doing this for so long that she knows how much time she needs w/​each patient than to overlap and disrespect her patients’ time not by 10 – 15 minutes but hours! I most definitely could’ve made better use of my day off than sitting in a sad dental office for a lady who later would scrap my teeth sooo hard that I bled. Not a lot but it is somewhat my fault b/​c I waited so long to see a dentist and don’t floss as much as I should but she scraped and prodded for a good 10 minutes. So now, I’m in some pain but it does feel good to get rid of the plaque buildup. Dr. Block then does the world’s fastest teeth polishing ever and we’re done. This is where a dental hygienist would come in handy. She tells me that the front desker is going to come get me and walk me out. I get my stuff and walk to the desk w/​the woman and she tells me that the insurance took care of it all and that I’m set. I bolt out of there, never to return.

Switched insurance & chose her because it was closest to where I work… but after already choosing her for my HMO (you can’t change your dentist then until a year later), I called to schedule an appointment, and:
1. the receptionist who answered the phone was rude and short with me
2. the absolute soonest appointment wasn’t for 3 months!
Apparently you have to wait a long time to get in if you’re a first-​time patient. I thought maybe this was normal for Chicago dentists, but I just called a few other (nearby) places, and they can get me in within a week. Wow, I’m definitely changing dentists before I even get to go to my FIRST appointment.

I called up for a first time appointment. The person said its a 2 – 3 month waiting before she can see me. Excuse me? Nancy Block is not the best dentist in town that she commands a 3months wait!

If I could turn back the hands of time I would switch my dentist from Nancy Block from the get go.
Under Nancy’s watch I developed my first cavity. Never in 26 years have I had a cavity and my dental hygiene has been steady for the last 8 years.
In addition, Nancy’s office staff is unreliable. They do not call you back when they say they will.
Lastly, Nancy spends very little time with you as compared to other dentists I have visited. For a very basic cleaning, Nancy’s service is sub-​par to other dentists I have experienced.

Don’t go. You’ll be waiting forever to start. Then, after the assistant has shown you to your chair, you’ll wait 45 minutes for Dr. Block to show up, because she’s also simultaneously working five other people, it seems like?

GOD I wish I’d checked this woman out before wasting over $ 1000. I’m just now starting to post reviews on Unilocal after a couple years of thinking ‘I’d only write reviews for the good places, doesn’t mama always say if you don’t have anything nice to say???’
So I’ve given NO 1-​star reviews, as I find it distasteful … until I remembered HER. I never saw her on Unilocal,I went b/​c my insurance listed her as close to my place in the Gold Coast. Here’s my story, in all its ugliness (sorry, it’s long):
First: RUDE! I felt distinctly uncomfortable from the get-​go, as if she didn’t like having me as a patient. I couldn’t have done something to offend her so severely before even meeting her. She was haughty, never introduced herself, never called me by name (or asked how I was, or if something hurt), and talked to me like an imbecile. She spent her time not paying attention to my teeth, but gossiping with her assistant (about exes. seriously? well into her 40s, talking like a teenager!). In my 4 appts with her, I heard her treat at least 5 other patients. She was super nice to some of them, not to others. I honestly think she might just decide she doesn’t like some people from the moment she sees them *AHEM* and just treats them like burdens. I hadn’t felt that way since 8^th grade!
I’d never had a cavity in my adult teeth, until after I took a few years off post-​college, when I went to see her. The cavity was of course no fault of hers, but I was a little distressed (first in 15+ years, and big. yikes!). It was hard to see the spot and she was NOT helpful in letting me see/​understand what was going on in my mouth. I asked if there were any other cavities, and she said, «nothing serious, but if you want me to check for smaller ones that’s a SEPARATE appointment.» What??!
She sent me to an endodontist saying I needed a root canal (double yikes). He said ‘I’m not totally sure you need this from the x-​ray, but that cavity does go pretty deep and this is the only way to be sure it won’t get infected.’ Ok, play it safe. The root canal was the only positive part of the experience! He was calm and competent, and did it with the least amount of fuss and pain possible.
Then the crown (back to block). Until then I’d just thought she was rude, but now I found out she was also incompetent:

She fits me for a crown, says I should get porcelain. OK. When I go back, it doesn’t fit. Your tooth moved, she says. She shaves it down and puts it on. Three days later I’m eating big, thick french fries. Not candy, not taffy, not even chips. OFF pops my crown. What?
Now she’s all out of patience with treating me. Chatting with her assistant, she shaves it down more and more, and puts it on again. I ask if it’ll be ok now since it’s so thin. She acts like this is my fault and I’m hectoring her, and it’ll be fine if I take care of it. A few months later I’m again eating dinner (I can’t remember precisely what it is, but it’s not that hard) and it breaks. The front part of my crown BREAKS OFF. I’ve had it. I call my insurance to get a form for a complaint, because this is BULL****, and it comes in the mail just as I’m about to move away to start grad school. *sigh* I’m too busy for this.
Now in grad school and my new dentist, a friendly and quick dude, checks my tooth for another crown. He’s annoyed that he finds a porcelain crown that is so thin that he can see metal under it. ‘No, this is NO GOOD, you should NEVER HAVE GOTTEN A PORCELAIN CROWN on this. There’s not enough left of the tooth to hold a porcelain. Also, there isn’t much clearance since your jaw is small, and porcelain that thin won’t hold. The root canal looks secure and sealed, but I DON’T KNOW WHY YOUR OLD DENTIST DID THIS, you need a gold crown.’
And why, I ask, wasn’t I told that the first time? ‘Not sure, but gold is a more expensive material for me, though it won’t cost more for you. I’ll put in a gold crown.‘
I had to pay for ANOTHER crown because of her laziness/​incompetence. Thankfully I have new insurance that helped me cover it. My gold crown has been on and secure for many months now and is holding tight. If I were the vindictive type I’d sue her. I’ll settle for this, and hopefully people will listen:
WARNING. PLEASE GOD DO NOT go to this dentist. Unethical, rude, incompetent. If you’re one of the people she doesn’t s*** on, lucky you, but she doesn’t deserve your patronage. Even thinking about it now makes my blood boil.

I was referred to Dr. Block by a friend and am very happy, after my last dentist who left me in pain after just a cleaning. She is very gentle and charmingly eccentric. Yeah, I need to floss, but she states it as a gentle reminder. She helped me find a good oral surgeon to get my wisdom teeth out, after my last dentist told me to just deal with it. And she’s done a few cavity fillings and is very attentive and concerned about your comfort. I highly recommend her.

Yikes. I’m really freaked out now, after reading all these 1-​star reviews.
I’ve been coming to Dr. Block for about 2 years. I found her through my insurance when I moved to Chicago and I’m lazy, so when I found out she was pretty close to my apartment, I said OK.
I’ve never had a bad experience with her – she’s always been really friendly and attentive, although I do feel that the cleanings are really fast – but I’m worried she might be ruining my teeth or something.
So, the 3 stars are based on my experience with her, which has been just fine.
However, thanks for the heads-​up, Unilocal reviewers. I’m probably going to look into switching.

I just had my teeth cleaned by Nancy at 7 this morning and my teeth and gums are smiling for me. I have been going to Dr. Block for 4 years now and have allways been completely satisfied. She offers a great reduced rate for thoes without insurance. I have taken full advantage of that on more than one occasion. Plus she’s a real foodie and I love mumbling to her about my favorite Chicago resturants.

Well, wow. I just read some of the other reviews regarding Dr. Block and feel pre-​emptive vindication for the review I want to write. In short, going to/​dealing with Dr. Block was a hugely unimpressive experience, and I will not be going back.
In long, however…
I switched primary care dentists back in November at the urging of a co-​worker who said Dr. Block was great. After switching, I called up Block’s office to make an appointment and was told they wouldn’t be able to schedule me until they’d received notification from my insurance. Waiting time: one month. I call back in December and they say, yeah, we can schedule you. Earliest possible appointment: February 28^th. Waiting time: three months. Uh, what? A quarter of a year until I can get in for a check-​up? This is my new primary care dentist, mind you. I’d rather not pay out of pocket, considering that’s the joy of being insured, and so I’m stuck waiting.
Mid-​February, I call up Dr. Block’s office to confirm my appointment and get a prescription faxed to a pharmacy (a certain medication I’ve always had to take in the past before going to the dentist). My previous dentist’s have ALWAYS done this, it’s completely standard. I’m informed that I need to contact a general practitioner for that. Uh… no I don’t. You’re a dentist, I take the medication before coming to see you, you can fill this. But I call my doctor and he informs me that, actually, a recent study determined the medication is unnecessary. He can fill it, but I don’t need to get it. I call Dr. Block’s office back to confirm this, which they do. So why did I have to call a different doctor to learn this? Why couldn’t they have just told me? I haven’t even been to the dentist yet, but everything seems to indicate already that this office is poorly run and the retardness can only get worse.
Anyway, I go to my appointment and here’s what happens: paper work filled out, seated and then taken in for a cleaning. Just like other people have mentioned here, Dr. Block comes in without introducing herself and starts reviewing my teeth cleaning regimen. She asks me how often I floss; I say once every day or two; she responds, matter-​of-​factly, «You will floss every day.» Wow. Holy crap. Wait, who are you again? Interpersonal skills: rad. While beginning the cleaning she asks me if I have any concerns with my teeth, I mention an old metal filling I’d like to get replaced if possible as I’ve had it since middle school. I haven’t brought any x-​rays so she has a technician come in, leaves the room, then I get one x-​ray. Then I wait. For 30 minutes (like Priya, another reviewer). I think… well, I don’t actually know what’s going on, so finally I get up and go out to the lobby and pick up a magazine. Is she examining the x-​ray? Could it possibly take this long? Finally she returns and says we can finish the cleaning, and apologizes for working on a different patient. What? Has she seen the x-​rays? No. So she left the room to go work with someone else and no one thought to say anything to me. Oh, oh! Before I forget, there were probably 3 or 4 people sitting behind a table in the middle of the office this whole time doing absolutely nothing. They were there when I came in, they were there when I went meandering during the middle of my check-​up, and they would be there when I left. They looked bored out of their minds… in case you hadn’t figured it out, this is a super-​tightly run operation.
So Dr. Block resumes the cleaning, all of 10 more minutes, then checks out the x-​ray. Here’s what she suggests: well, it’s gonna definitely have to be at least a crown. And, hmm, I’m worried about something. See these lines here? (No). The thing is, I’m worried… Hmm. What I’m worried about is that the nerves here are close to the old filling. So… you might need a root canal. Yeah. Let me get you the number of a root canal specialist I work with. You’ll need to see him first, then we can decide whether or not to just go with a crown, or whether you’ll need a full root canal.
WTF. This tooth gives me zero pain right now, and you’re suggesting a root canal? Or at least that you’re worried about being worried that I may need one? Okey-​dokey. Thanks for the help.
I leave with a few phone numbers of people I’m supposed to call before making a follow-​up. Yeah, I’m not going to make a follow-​up. A friend has already recommended a new dentist, and that’s where I’m going to go. I’ll even pay out of pocket if I have to. Dr. Block gets 1 star and I’m glad Unilocal exists, so people can hopefully begin their search here rather than having to come here afterwards to lament. Go somewhere else.

This dentist sucks. I went for a visit and at first things were ok. But then the Dr. got a phone call and left me in the chair for over 30 minutes! When she finally returned, she didnt even apologize. Then she poked around and told me that i had a few cavities. I went to another dentist (who i love) and said my teeth were fine. Needless to say, never going back to this «professional».

My experience was similar to Amy K’s so I was real surprised to see a couple favorable reviews. I found her personality to be very condescending and haughty. She wasn’t helpful at all and I can hardly call what she did a «cleaning.» As I left, her assistant give me a list of peridontists in my insurance network and it turned out to be full of inaccuracies — so it didn’t help me at all. I never went back.
Her location is her only asset. If she didn’t have the posh address I don’t think she’d be doing well at all. I’m back to my old dentist who has a little whole in wall office next to a gyro place in a less prestigious neighborhood and I am pleased with my choice.

Dr. Block is the friendliest dentist I have ever been to! I also appreciate that she responds to emergency calls on the weekend (I had a crown fall out, damn taffy!) and she scheduled me immediately the following Monday.
Her chair side manner is pleasant as well. She even manages to remember some of the stories we discussed in the past and always asks after my gf (also a patient), dogs, cat, etc. All in all a great dentist, in fact I almost look forward to going to see her. Almost, but not quite, she’s a dentist after all, and thanks to Marathon Man I don’t think I’ll ever be able to completely enjoy that experience.