Wolken Dental

I really appreciate the office staff and dentists at Wolken Dental. The staff is very caring and efficient. Dr. Chris Wolken has been so patient with my anxiety that I actually have looked forward to going to the dentist! He is gentle and kind — very considerate of my needs.

Amazing. I’ve recently switched to Wolken Dental due to insurance reasons, but I am so glad that I did.

The office is nice but I had a disappointed experience. I had my cavity filling with doctor Christ. He gave me an injection to numb my gum and told me he will be back in 10 min. I heard him working with another patient next to me. He came back after 30 min later and the numb was wearing out. He came back say no apology but he said he wanted to use time effectively. And he did not care if he give me another injection to numb me after left the numb wore out. He should have communicate with me that I can wait he is working on someone. That make me feel that his time is more valuable than my time. And I pay him to help me. I hope you have a great experience here but I will fine a new place.

I had been a patient of Wolken Dental for over 16 years. I started seeing Dr. Wolken (Steve, the father) when I first got out of college and ALWAYS had a great experience with him. He would see me on a moments notice, never tried to sell me work I didn’t need, worked with me on payments/​price when I as between insurers. Dr. Wolken is such a nice man. I’d been a patient for so long that I remember when his sons started dental school. So when the sons started working with Dr. Wolken I naturally believed things would continue the same way.
I didn’t have many interactions with Chris; however, as Dr. Wolken cut back on his time at the office my family was moved into Andy’s care. For the most part I wasn’t bothered that the care wasn’t as good as it had been under Steve; I was a loyal customer and the sons were new to the work. That is until recently when I was sent a bill for $ 150 because I blanked on our appointments. I didn’t realize there was a missed appointment fee. But more importantly, Wolken Dental stopped giving reminder calls right around the same time they instituted the fee (sneaky). Furthermore, in the 16 years I had been their patient I had never missed an appointment. Not to mention, how many referrals I had given them; anyone who asked me for a dentist was told «Wolken Dental is the best.» Andy explained his side of the story from the business perspective of course and offered to reduce the payment by half which was nice of him.
In the end I paid the bill and asked to have my dental records mailed to me. Customer Service is almost more important in the medical field than the actual work and if they are willing to treat a long-​time loyal customer this way what else are they willing to do.

My husband and I have been going to Wolken Dental for over a decade. We really like the staff. Everyone is very friendly and makes you feel very comfortable. Also, I’ve never had an appointment start late or run long.
Highly recommend Wolken Dental!
I give them 6 stars.

I come here every six months for a check-​up and it’s usually pretty uneventful — a quick cleaning and maybe x-​rays. Jessica, my hygienist, is thorough without going overboard with the pointy tools.
After my cleaning today, I was left to sit and wait for the doctor for a good 30 minutes. Just sitting and waiting… I’m actually writing this review draft on my phone while sitting here waiting.
Downgrade one star for making me sit and wait…

After suffering with a severe toothache for the better part of a week I finally broke down and did a google search for a dentist in my area. I made an appointment that same day and was in with an appointment within 3 hours. I was treated by Andrew, and if his fellow dentists/​family members are anything like him then this may be the best dental office I have ever visited. I don’t have dental insurance and was upfront about my concern with costs, and he didn’t make me feel pressured at all. He was very sensitive to my dental phobia and my need for quick don’t-break-the-bank treatment. My pain was addressed and dealt with all within an hour of walking into the office. I will certainly recommend this practice and I will be back.

I have seen Dr. Steven Wolken a number of times. I chose him because of the positive reviews I had read. Based on my experience, I wonder whether those reviews were planted.
Every time I went, one or two things were off. At first, you think nothing of it because nobody’s perfect. But looking back, the sum of those things is just too much. Because of that, I will never set foot in his office again.
First of all, his dental hygienist assaulted me with a barrage of very personal questions while she was working in my mouth. I told her I did not feel comfortable with that but that did not deter her. She would not let up! I felt like I was being interrogated by the FBI. If she wants to talk to pass the time, that’s fine. But to get so personal with someone she just met is just unseemly.
Second, Dr. Wolken is always trying to upsell and push high margin products and services. Like the other reviewers, I was told I needed a retainer, Invisalign, etc. I have a cousin who’s a dentist in another state. He told me the markup on those things is through the roof. Dentists make a mint on them. My cousin told me I could buy a retainer at Wal-​Mart for a few dollars and it would be almost just as good. Of course dentists don’t want you to hear that because thousands of dollars of profits per month would evaporate if people stopped buying retainers from them.
Third, I once took my daughter there for a cleaning and checkup. I asked the receptionist a question about my file. Dr. Wolken happened to walk by so the receptionist asked him my question. He took a couple of minutes to answer it. When my daughter was done, I went up to the window to pay. I was shocked to see I had been charged for two visits. I asked what that was about. The lady answered that my question to Dr. Wolken counted as a visit. I’ve never encountered that in my life! I paid but I wasn’t happy.
These behaviors make Dr. Wolken come across as someone who is in dentistry to make money at all costs, not to help people.
Fourth, when he was doing a filling, he put some sort of clamp in my mouth. He happened to place it right on a very sensitive area. It hurt so much I could scream. I asked him to move the clamp just a teeny bit. He ignored me. When he was done, he said «see, it didn’t hurt at all, did it?» I told him the procedure didn’t but the clamp did and he could have nudged it just a couple of millimeters and it would have been fine. He just shrugged. No apology or anything.
Fifth, he botched another procedure because he could not easily maneuver his hands in my mouth. As you can see from the picture, Dr. Wolken is a large and slightly overweight man and therefore his hands are large and thick. Not the best hands to perform delicate procedures. Granted there is not much he can do about it, but patients should not suffer because of it either. Maybe that’s why Dr. Wolken prefers to focus on high-​margin services like tooth whitening.
When I brought the botched procedure to his attention he, again, was not apologetic in the least. In fact he tried to deny there had been any problem whatsoever. He tried a quick fix, but it didn’t make things better. I had to go to another dentist and pay more money to have it done right.
Sure, Dr. Wolken may have a nice office with all the latest equipment and he may smile at you and try to act pleasant but, in the end, his actions speak louder than words.

I’ve never thought of dentistry as a family business, but for the Wolkens, it definitely is. Their website says that they’ve been operating since 1939! That’s 70 years of dentists in one family. I cannot attest to the truth of that statement, but I can tell you that Dr. Steven Wolken who I’ve seen for as long as I can remember has recently been joined by his two sons in the practice. How precious is that?
But on to things that would make you want to choose a dentist…
The office is large, gorgeous, and very clean. The staff is just about the sweetest that I’ve encountered in any doctor’s office. They definitely remember me and know who I am, even though I see them only twice a year and definitely don’t remember them. The dental hygienists are very good. I have problems with weak gums, and they’ve always done their best to keep from inflicting more pain than necessary. And the doctors are extremely nice, straight forward and understanding. (On my last visit, Dr. Steven Wolken told me that I should get a retainer made, but he would only make it «if I was really going to wear it.» I can appreciate that he acknowledges that it’s my choice to wear it or not and doesn’t just try to scare me into spending money.)
Plus, the office is conveniently located!
I hate going to the dentist (the one reason that I don’t think I can give them 5 stars), but these folks make me dread it less than other places. Definite top notch choice.
Oh, and I forgot to say, they do not suffer from whatever it is that makes dentists ask you questions with your mouth open. Yes, they like to know what’s going on in your life, but only when your mouth is empty and you can properly respond!