Rafia Dental

I’ve followed Dr. Young from his old office. He is an excellent, honest dentist who has always taken great care of my teeth!
I just had a cleaning the other day and the hygienist was sweet and gentle on me. I left with my mouth feeling clean and super happy with my visit.
I love the office and central location, thanks so much Rafia Dental!

I recently switched dental offices after moving downtown PDX and was lucky enough to find Dr. Young at Rafia Dental! I am very nervous about dental visits, but he did a great job making me feel comfortable. Dr. Young is patient and is able to explain his findings in a way that non-​medical people understand! The rest of the office staff has been great, and I feel like they all work really well together to create a nice patient experience. Lastly, they accept my insurance and my out-​of-​pocket expenses were very reasonable!

I’ll just put here what I sent out to all my coworkers:
I had my first dental appointment in Portland today since moving and I can’t believe how amazing it was.
I know a few of you, like me, have been searching for a good dentist and let me tell you. This place is TOP NOTCH — I’ve been in the dentist office more in the past three years than I have ever heard of anyone going so I know some things.
This is why I loved Rafia Dental:
Staff: Is friendly and professional
Super hilarious, nice and sarcastic — should you wish to engage in such activities.
Cleaning: OH MY WORD.
I usually am in pain and bleeding during my cleanings — I suffer from sensitive teeth and gums (thanks parents) BUT jesus. Everything is top of the line upgraded digital format and they use a water pik cleaner instead of scraping at your teeth wondering why you are bleeding and asking if you floss.
Insurance:
I was shocked when the doctor told me that he already pre-​approved me for some procedures and that THEY would be handling everything with insurance. I even asked if I should call to check — and he was reiterated that his staff would handle and contact me when they had all info. LIKE WHAT?
Doctor:
Hilarious and straight to the point. He also is up to date with all current procedures that cost less, are less invasive, and have less of a healing time. He’s all about tracking data on you too — the key to preventative periodontal care.
Scheduling:
Like to book things ahead of time or not? great they do it for you on the spot.
Also first time patients can fill out all that paper work junk online! (I opted for that and was seen immediately) They also verified my insurance before I got in.
Office Aesthetics:
If you’ve ever used One Medical — you definitely noted their sense of style and décor — well this place is beautiful and puts you at ease while your mouth is open. heh.
No pushy selling:
They recommend products (that they clearly sell) but never once pushed me to purchase anything. I’ve had the dentist that has been the greasy salesman and it’s refreshing to not have to deal with that!

Excellent experience. My whole family goes. Very nice caring people, extremely professional care.

I like Rafia. I’ve been coming here for around 3 years now. All the positive reviews here are well-​deserved. What I really appreciate though, is that they always see me within 5 minutes of my appointment time, and I’m always out in under 45 minutes. My cleanings are swift and painless and I’m out the door. The staff seems very personable, yet professional. I’m pretty introverted and always dreaded having to balance holding a conversation and holding my mouth open at the dentist. These guys are able to distinguish that about me and are cool with putting off the chit-​chat for me, but I always hear the patient next to me chatting up a storm. Thanks!

I didn’t know it was possible to ‘sneak in’ a filling. I went in for a crown and a filling. They gave me glasses and headphones, settled me into a relaxed position, and the procedure was over in a snap! I knew they had finished the crown, but I honestly thought that the filling was yet to come. Done. Didn’t even notice! Friendly, professional, and FAST. Rafia Dental is top notch. RDFL!

Dr. Rafia and team are simply the best. Professional, friendly, excellent dentistry and painless! I used to loathe going to the dentist until I had my first appointment at Rafia Dental. Now I know when I have a dental issue or just need an exam and cleaning, its no big deal! Thank you, Dr. Rafia and team!

I have always been terrified of the dentist and felt really anxious before I went in for my appointment at Rafia. By the time I got in and out of my dental I felt absolutely relaxed and stress free. All of the staff members at Rafia treated me like family and made sure to answer all of my questions. I am so excited to start my treatment plan and I look forward to my next appointment.

Tess was my hygienist. LOVE her! Warm, kind and fun without being annoyingly talkative. Knowledgeable with good and helpful tips. As for Dr. Rafia, he is sincere and doesn’t try to rip you off with needless procedures. So glad I found this dental practice. I feel like I’m in great hands!

It took me about two years to find a good new dentist and I have been a patient of Rafia Dental now for about 2 years. Dr. Rafia and his staff are friendly, non-​intimidating and I always get into my appointment with very little wait time and get out in less than an hour for my cleanings and exams. They send reminders via email and make it very easy for their patients. Highly Recommend!

I would give Rafia dental 10 stars if I could.
I too, came in with a long running uninsured mouth. He pointed out all of the problem areas, the priority in which they should be taken care of and recommendations for plan of action. Never were things pushed, just advised.
In the end I got a lot of work done, work that needed serious skill and attention. I really appreciate OCD type mentalities, especially when it comes to ones trade. This would explain K. Rafia extremely well. I had glass porcelain crowns and one didn’t fit perfectly, he attempted the fitting a few times and then took it out. He sent it back and told me ‘for the price we are paying, these should have been done perfectly.’ It fit okay but it was off a little on alignment. He sent me home with a temp and had me back in with the new crown which indeed, fit perfectly the second time around. Very attentive during the procedure and the follow up. His staff was friendly and effective as well. I had a lot of work done in one sitting, he did well to maintain my anxieties and executed everything seamlessly. I’ve had no issues with any work done, since. I’ve referred many people to Rafia dental and they have all come back thanking me with the same, glowing reviews.

Having lived all over the world and having changed dentists more than a person should, Dr. Rafia and his staff have done nothing but continuously impress me. He makes you feel very comfortable and get directly to the point saving you both time and patience. I would highly recommend him or any of his staff to anybody I know.

I have been a patient of Dr. Rafia’s since 2007. I cannot recommend the work he does enough. Why do I trust him with my smile? Because he’s an artist and a perfectionist who cares very deeply about the little things that go into keeping my mouth healthy.
From fillings to crowns and most recently a year and a half of Invisalign teeth straightening, I have been thoroughly impressed with the service and professionalism of both him and his staff. The time Dr. Rafia makes to personally answer my questions and make sure I am thoroughly happy with investment I make to a healthy, good looking mouth is rare and very welcome.
The office and setting is modern, open, and squeaky clean. The office staff knows me and is very welcoming and professional. The hygienists are friendly and gentle in their cleanings. The automated email/​text appointment reminder system is a great touch.
I have never had a bad experience there. Not once. If you want a dentist office that makes you feel really cared for and not just another set of teeth to work on, I say go see Dr. Rafia. He’s cool with me.

I was referred to Dr. Rafia 8 years ago and will never see another Dentist. The staff at Rafia Dental are all professional, personable, courteous, and extremely knowledgeable — by far the best I have ever experienced.
Before seeing Dr. Rafia, I had been through 2 other Dentists trying to find the cause of some minor swelling and pain. Dr. Rafia quickly diagnosed the issue (a poorly done root canal years ago) and made an excellent referral.
I haven’t had an issue since, and was impressed with Dr. Rafia’s ability to determine the root of the problem where others had missed it.
I have had fillings replaced, a graft, and all of my cleanings done with exceptional results. I will never seek out another Dentist and I highly reccomend him. I moved to Seattle 2 years ago and continue to schedule my appointments around trips to Portland — he is definitely the best of the best.

Let me preface this review with saying that — historically — I have absolutely hate, hate, HATED going to the dentist. This is probably due to the multitude of cavities and ensuing crowns I’ve acquired over the years.
Notwithstanding, somewhere a long the line (circa 2004-​05?) I met Dr. Rafia, and things have slowly improved. Gone are the days of dental exams with traditional x-​rays, dental hygienists who malign your oral care, and dentists who don’t have time to be bothered with your questions. Now, it’s in with: low dose radiation digital x-​rays, dental hygienists who have personality and are nonjudgmental, and a dentist who has plenty of time to answer your infinite questions.
Dr. Rafia is one of the few dentists who understand business. He and his team treat you like a customer because they want you to come back, and they understand that in a city with many, many dentists, what sets them apart is largely how they treat you.
I give Dr. Rafia 5 stars! He is as good as it gets!

Probably the worst experience I have had with a dentist — both in terms of his medical and business practices.
I first went to Dr. Rafia to get a general dental exam. He told me that I had two cavities — one that he should fill and the other one that was so decayed that it required a crown. When I got the estimate for the crown, it was going to be almost $ 800 out of pocket. So, I decided to just get one filling and hold off on the crown for a bit, while I saved up. Went in for the filling, which was fine when I was in the office. It was once I got out of the office that there was a problem. Once the novocaine wore off, I had excruciating pain on the tooth that had the filling. This lasted for over a week and a half (and several months later, my tooth is still sensitive). I went back in and Dr. Rafia acknowledged that it was caused at least in part by the injection site — which was no surprise, since it felt like he was aggressive when he was injecting the novocaine — and possibly not correcting the ‘bite’ properly. I have had many cavities filled (fun for me!) and have never had such a painful experience. Not wanting to have him deal with the second tooth, I decided to go to another dentist. To my utter surprise, the dentist who looked at that second tooth told me that THERE WAS NO CAVITY THERE AT ALL!
Beyond all of this, Dr. Rafia has some less-​than-​above-​board business practices. At the end of last year, I received a letter from his office, explaining that I had X dollars left to spend within my dental insurance plan for the year. He apparently contacted my insurance company without my knowledge to see how much money he could get reimbursed for for providing any literally dental service possible before the end of the year. Was the point of that to encourage me to ask for unnecessary dental procedures since they were «covered»? I can’t think of any other reason that he would do this.
Needless to say, I would not recommend this practice to anyone.

I have been going to Rafia Dental for years. The staff are excellent and make visits very easy. They are good at reminding you about appointments and I never feel like I am rushed or don’t get my questions answered.
At one point I asked Dr. Rafia about teeth whitening. He said that while they could do it in the office, he suggested that I try over the counter whitening strips and that as long as I was diligent about it I could get excellent results at a fraction of the cost. This is what I ended up doing. I really appreciated that Dr. Rafia didn’t try to sell me a service I didn’t need.

Extremely proficient and professional with Dental work. From tooth cleanings to root canals; I’ve never had a better experience or felt that I have been in the hands of anyone so knowledgeable of their trade.
Friendly, welcoming staff too. Couldn’t ask for more!

I don’t know who else in the world cares about teeth more than my husband. He has almost perfect teeth and very particular with his dentist. He recommended (ordered) me to see Dr. Rafia. I’m so glad that I switched.
I have to admit that I wasn’t doing a great job on cleaning my teeth when I was little. I had a lot of old silver fillings. Dr. Rafia did a beautiful job on replacing them with new restoration. You can’t even tell there are fillings on my teeth! He is very gentle and skilled. I’m sure no one like to have dental work done, but he makes everything more pleasant. I was embarrassed to laugh out loud because of these ugly fillings. Not anymore!
Rafia Dental has the most friendly staff I have ever seen. They always greet me with smile. They send me friendly reminders for my appointments by email and postcard. I really like these vintage inspired postcard design they sent. It might not be a big deal for some people, but I like those little details! I also have pleasant dental cleaning experience with my hygienists. On top of performing good quality work, they are very gentle and friendly.
Dr. Rafia is not only a fantastic doctor, but also a very loveable person. He has great sense of humor, too. He cares about his patients and doesn’t try to sell you something that’s not necessary. I’m very impressed how much he cares about sustainability and giving back to the community. I heard that he volunteers for some kind of doctors without borders non-​profit every once a while. I would recommend Rafia Dental to my friends and family.

Choosing the right dentist is such a hard thing to do… recommends are the best
I have been to Rafia dental now for full check, deep clean and Invisalign treatments and can’t express how happy I am there.
Very friendly and welcoming. Happy to take the time to answer in details all questions I had on process and billing! Super clean and high standards in the dental office. Service always with a smile :-).
Highly recommended dental practise in Portland!!!