City Smiles

I think these guys are crooks. I called up, explained that I thought I needed a crown for a cracked tooth, and made an appointment. When I showed up; they told me that they couldn’t fix my tooth for almost a month — and then charged me $ 250 for less than 2 minutes of the dentist time. Oh, and they quoted me a cost that was $ 500 more than other dentists to fix the crown. I sent somewhere else and got an excellent crown for about ½ the City Smiles price.
If you actually need dental services; so somewhere else. This is a scummy operation.

I called to make a first-​time patient appt — they said they’d check with my insurance, then called to say it was all set up and the co-​pay would be $ 200 and tra-​la-​la. Wha-​what…$ 200?
I called back and there was a lot of back and forth until they finally admitted that they were out of network for my insurance. I think that’s pretty dishonest not to tell me right off the bat. They made it sound like a $ 200 co-​pay was normal and I shouldn’t think twice about it.
Sounds like this is their MO; see similar review farther down.

Dr. Hill and ALL of his staff are incredible at what they do. Upon my two visits, everyone was so friendly, professional, and accommodating. I had two dental emergencies and they were able to schedule me in day-​of. I was apprehensive about picking a new dentist away from home (the thought of going to the dentist in general – yikes!), but I am so grateful I chose to go with City Smiles. The office itself is very clean, spacious, and nicely decorated. I highly recommend!

Love them. Everyone is super nice. I’m a terribly anxious patient and they’re always kind and understanding, making sure that i’m comfortable and numb when having work done. Decided to leave the review when tonight, as I’m about to go to bed, I was brushing my teeth to realize the area that has bothering me for days hasn’t ached once since I had an appointment this morning, despite all the cavity work. They also offer nitrous to calm nerves, though I didn’t all like the experience with it, to no fault of the business

Great and convenient location downtown. I like the efficiency Dr. Chris Hill has set up with all his staff having a headset to talk to each other on. The all-​women-​in-​black staff seem to have a nice team spirit going as well. They have hi-​tech equipment and are able to get through services quickly. Xrays are quickly taken and made available for me to see on the huge screen they can move in front of each patient chair. I also happen to like the urban-​restoration décor, where one wall of the office is left in its apparently original condition as a brick party wall with peeling plaster. However, there’s something slightly asynchronous about peeling plaster (enamel ?) and perfect teeth. The only downside is that you get the sense that these are those friends with expensive tastes. If I didn’t have cover-​it-​all insurance, I’d be checking prices very carefully.

Living downtown, I was excited that we finally had a dentist in the neighborhood but that excitement quickly faded after my first visit to City Smiles. I had a terrible experience here. I called ahead of time to make sure my insurance was accepted. I was told that it was but then once I got there and AFTER the appointment, I was given a huge bill. I did contact the office about it but the office manager (the doctor’s wife) didn’t seem to care that staff there lied to patients to get them in the door. She made no attempt to rectify the situation. And what kind of dentist gives people cookies on their way out of the office? It’s like saying“here have a cavity.” Nice office though but sadly that was the only thing nice about my experience :-/

This is the best dentist office. Very professional! They knew who I was when I walked through the door which was impressive. Sarah cleaned my teeth and was very descriptive and helpful throughout the entire cleaning. Dr. Hill was also very nice and gave me real life advice– not trying to get me to do anything I didn’t feel comfortable with. If you have a fear of the dentist like I do… this is the place for you! They’re very gentle and have awesome customer service.

Nitrous — yes please.
Sedation dentistry in the City — thank God! I have an abnormal fear of all things dentisty, which is why I have always opted for sedation, even for a standard teeth cleaning. They offer a wide variety of sedation depending on what you’re having done and were not judgmental at my request for nitrous for the cleaning, which is also inexpensive ($ 30). They made sure I was comfortable during the entire visit and the cleaning itself was very gentle.
Other Pros:
Family owned and run (Husband is the Dr. and wife works the front of the house)
On-​line appointments & text message reminders
Individual gourmet cups of coffee on arrival
Blanket if your chilly
Glasses so that the overhead lights don’t annoy you
A warm cookie on exit (yes that really happened)
Granted, I looked like a freak during my apmt… nitrous mask, glasses to block out the light, under a blanky, all during me teeth cleaning but hey, it worked!
I’ve recommended 2 other people who also had great experiences, so A++.

Ok, I’m probably one of the only people in the world that actually likes going to the dentist. BUT. This dentist is awesome, and I wish I hadn’t moved so I could go here still!
The appointments are online, which I think is a HUGE plus. They also send text reminders instead of calling if you want, which again, I think is awesome.
The dental visit itself is pretty good. The space is cool, and has original exposed brick and wood beams on the ceiling. The dentist is super nice, and doesn’t try to pressure you into any unnecessary procedures. I asked about whitening, but was not pressured to get it. The cleaning was gentle, and the dentist does the first cleaning. Fancy xrays, and I felt like I was being taken care of.
I give it a five.

Pros: Nice office, staff is friendly, doctor is friendly, accepted my insurance, and most importantly have late hours! I had a mouth guard from another dentist and this dentist informed me I could bring it by any time to have it cleaned, which was neat.
Cons: Only 2, but I’m afraid they are why I can only give it a 3… I warned the doctor that not only do I have TMJ, but burn through Novocaine VERY quickly… he gave me quiet a bit just to be sure, which wasn’t a big deal. It did become a big deal, however, when they stretched my jaw too far. I told them it was too far (because of my TMJ) but eventually the feeling wore off because of the extra Novocaine. Unfortunately when it wore off 5 hours later, I realized my jaw was very strained. VERY. If you have TMJ you know how bad it can already hurt. I couldn’t even open my mouth. I was a little upset that I had mentioned it was painful, and the TMJ, but they just went on any ways.
I would have came back but I left the STL area. Last month I or so I had an appointment. They called, left a voicemail, and sent an email to remind me. I emailed back to say I had moved and would not make my appointment, would reschedule if I was back in the area. Got an immediate email back urging me to reschedule because of terrors of not having your teeth cleaned. Since then, I have received 4 emails asking me to reschedule, a letter, and 2 phone calls, including today when I received a voicemail saying «they were just going over their records and I needed to come in immediately». Give it a rest! In the course of 2 months to contact a patient 7 times trying to get them to come in for a TEETH CLEANING is a bit much!
It feels a little like being bullied or something soo… can’t say I’ll be back, and I really hope they leave me alone!