Stephen J Puerini, DMD

Bad office help: I had been going to Dr Puerini Sr. for 10 – 15 years prior to a temporary move to Colorado. Now, I called Dr Puerini’s office and was informed he had retired and I would be seeing a new dentist, which was fine with me. I know this dental practice has very good dentist and hygienist but my problem, lies in the office staff. My story~When my appointment was scheduled today, I called to ask if my BC/​BS would cover the visit as I do not want to keep the appointment if my BC/​BS will not cover it. Since my last visit to the prior dentist was only a few months prior, the office staffer told me it would be $ 91 for the visit. I cancelled and she said that If I made an appointment next year perhaps the initial meeting would be covered. I agreed to that and made the appointment. The staffer then said I must call BC/​BS to confirm this appointment would be covered. I then asked her if she could check for me on her office computer. «She said she did not have my BC/​BS card number.» I told her that I would give her my number so she could check for me. Then she said «I have 8 people waiting in line» and needed to tend to them. Recap: first off, she told me to check with BC/​BS on the coverage when she actually has the capability to check for me right there on her own office computer! That’s terrible service and then to tell a returning/​new patient (me), that she has eight people waiting, made me feel like I was less important than the others waiting. I’m sorry, but this is definitely not how your treat a new patient. If anything, you go «OUT OF YOU’RE WAY to make the initial experience a good one. These dentist and hygienist are first class. I know from experience because I had them for so many years.

Dr. Saccoccio is an extremely skilled dentist and all-​around nice guy! I’ve been a patient for 15 years, and he has singlehandedly transformed my fear of going to the dentist into a pleasant experience (or as pleasant as any dental experience can be). Dr. Saccoccio and the entire team of dentists, assistants, hygenists and staff are extremely courteous, professional and efficient. Dare I say this is one of the best dental practices in Rhode Island? Yep!

First off, the address listed here is incorrect. Dr. Puerini is located at:
Rhode Island Dental Arts
115 Budlong Road
Cranston, RI 2 920
401.944−8100

Dr. Puerini is one of my very best all-​time health care providers. He came to me as a referral after I had given up on my previous dentist, whose bedside manner was hit or miss contingent upon his moodiness. I pay for consistent professional dental services. I don’t pay to be a wary patient, in hopes that I didn’t catch my heath care provider in a foul mood, which, subsequently/​consequently made for unnecessary and extraordinarily painful visits. This is one of the issues I had with my previous dentist, which led me on my journey to find another.
First impressions go a long way. I had no trouble finding Rhode Island Dental Arts as this office is well marked. There is a private lot with more than sufficient parking. The waiting area is serene, peaceful, quiet, and, lovingly appointed with nice furnishings and artwork from local artists. The rest of the area is also adorned with artwork from local artists — mostly paintings. It’s like being in an art gallery, which I find relaxing and comforting. This place is stellar-​clean.
Dr. Puerini is an outstanding dentist — bar none. He is highly professional, very pleasant, forthright/​honest, and, his bedside manner is the best I’ve encountered. He is consistent, kind, and, gentle. He listens to his patients and pays very close attention to his dentistry. He explains what needs to be done, why things should be done in a particular order (based upon patient personal goals), and, what can wait — because he fully appreciates and understands that people aren’t made of money.
I simply wanted a teeth-​cleaning, although, I got so much more. While his helpers took images (which were immediate and shown on a wall-​mounted screen), Dr. Puerini made thorough notes about the condition of each individual tooth. After this, he provided an overview and discussed what he deemed as priority treatments. He followed up with a letter that he personally wrote explaining the order in which my dental work ought to be done based upon my personal dental goals.
Dr. Puerini answered all my questions to my full satisfaction, and, I am one who asks many questions on the spot, as well as via telephone if I’m not scheduled to see him on the near horizon. He is very articulate and used helpful analogies and metaphors to help me understand what I failed to grasp, as dentistry is a medical art intrinsically embedded with a lot of technicalities (of which I have little, if any, understanding). His office has what appears to be absolute state-​of-​the-​art dentistry technology. I’m no expert or novice by any means, but, I must say I was extremely impressed and still am.
Shockingly enough, the work I had done was nearly painless — I couldn’t believe this was possible. I attribute this to the finely-​honed skills of highly-​experienced Dr. Puerini, his wonderful helpers/​staff, and, the beautiful environment. Within several months I had several visits and accomplished nearly everything I need and want to have done. All these visits were smooth from start-​to-​finish. No issues. No problems. No drama.
Dr. Puerini even called me on a couple evenings following procedures I had done earlier in their respective days. He inquired as to how I felt, if I had questions or concerns, or, thought I needed to get back in right away to have something addressed/​resolved from the procedure. Clearly, he is very kind, caring, and, thorough.
Before I became a patient of Dr. Puerini, I absolutely hated going to the dentist. I worried, was anxious, and, couldn’t sleep the night before a visit due to my anxiety. In all fairness, I think the same could be true of others who share similar sentiment. But, after my first visit with this dentist, I was immediately put at ease with his easy-​going focused demeanor and caring staff.
The people who work here are professional, knowledgeable, courteous, friendly, helpful, accessible, and, efficient. While I believe this should always be the case as a given, past experience informs me that it is not.
Rhode Island Dental Arts accepts cash, check, and, credit cards — including Care Credit, which provides zero-​interest for a limited period (from date of purchase) on any single charge of at least $ 1,000. Monthly payments are required. We don’t have dental insurance and pay-​out-​of-​pocket, so, Care Credit is a blessing for us. As another quick aside, I picked up a Care Credit brochure from Dr. Puerini’s office when I dropped in to make my initial appointment as well as scope out their office and ask questions. His office personnel were kind enough to allow me to rack up sufficient charges to take advantage of this payment program.
Coming to Rhode Island Dental Arts to see Dr. Puerini is like visiting a well-​oiled network machine of dedicated and caring good friends — always a pleasure.