A Reason To Smile

The office was clean, the supporting staff was beyond nice and flexible. I thought I had broken a part of my tooth and immediately got to searching for a new dentist. A minute into calling A Reason to Smile they had made an appointment for the same day within the next 30 mins for me.
Not only did they get me straight in but they also did the exam, base x-​rays and debridement at the same time and were done within a very reasonable amount of time.
They showed me exactly what was wrong with my teeth, what they would be doing and were very patient and helpful throughout the entire experience.
Overall A+ and would recommend to friends & family.

Originally, I came here with a Groupon. I couldn’t receive the whitening kit because I had a lot of cavities, which I had assumed as I grind my teeth at night and assumed that made them susceptible. I wanted to address my teeth even though I was a poor student at the time so I signed up for their insurance plan.
Not a lot of things seemed to add up with their insurance plan. I was starting to feel like I was being scammed. I spoke to the supportive staff about my concerns due to the difficultly having a moment with the dentist because he’s moving so quickly in between patients. The dentist also calls every female «angel» or «sweetheart», not my preferred type of professional to speak with.
The supportive staff here is amazing and take time to hear your concerns. Since those discussions the office has truly turned around. I am out of school and working, with dental insurance now, and have chosen to stay with them because of the supporting staff. I feel that this office struggled in the beginning but has been responsive to feedback and since is a comfortable place to come to.

This place is clean, kind and so patient. I was in literally this morning and I feel the need to leave a good review right now.
I came in for my appointment this morning and had an insurance issue arise (that I probably should’ve taken care of prior to arriving, but I didn’t). Each staff was so incredibly kind and patient waiting for the issue to be resolved prior to them seating me in a chair– an hour later. (Not their fault, 100% my own). I was expecting them to send me away and to come back again– nope! They each greeted me with a smile and still took their time with me. I know I messed up their schedule, but they didn’t make me feel like an inconvenience once.
I have insecurity with my teeth and Dr Samandari looked me in the eye and told me I am beautiful the way I was built and to not spend my money on fixing an insecurity. I wanted to cry, no one has ever said that to me before.
This place is wonderful, it certainly needs more good reviews!

The staff and doctor put you at ease as soon as you walk in. They sell awesome Oral-​B toothbrushes at cost (a savings off off-​the-​shelf retail) and have been professional through all aspects of my care. Including sending me text messages to confirm my appointments. I highly recommended them.

Dr. Samandari is a great dentist. Each time we have been to his office, he & his staff have always made us feel welcomed and never pressured us to get treatment done. He cares about his patients & is a gentle perfectionist when it comes to your teeth. We are thrilled to have him as our family dentist! We recommend Dr. Samandari to anyone looking for a new dentist!

If I could give it a zero I would. I went in for a teeth cleaning, X-​ray, and take home teeth whitening. His assistant took two X-​rays then he came in and said I have a cavity which he couldn’t show me. He then told me I needed to come in for a deep cleaning before I could get the teeth whitening trays. He wanted $ 173 for the deep cleaning and said I was getting a regular cleaning today which was a teeth brushing. The all lasted about 15 minutes. This is the worst dentist I’ve ever been to. Do not go there it is a scam.

Two years ago, Dr. Nafys Samandari did, over my objection, some unacceptable bridgework in my mouth, then proceeded to drill it down until it broke. He has refused to acknowledge it, redo it, or make restitution to me. (In fact, he blamed _​my_​teeth when _​his_​bridge broke.) Other dentists tell me they guarantee their bridges for up to five years. Apparently, Dr. Samandari does not. I am left with two options: live with pain when chewing every day for the rest of my life, or pay several thousand dollars to have the work redone. Needless to say, the rework will not be done by Dr. Samandari.

I have been a patient of Dr Samandari since 1994 when his office was on 44^th St, if I can remember correctly that long ago. He saved a tooth that no one else would try to. I had gone to his associate at the time, but he was not in. Dr Sam worked on my mouth. I have sent my challenging daughters, my son in law to him and my young granddaughter has visited the office with me, she got a treasure from the treasure chest, and liked the office right away.
The princess thing is a joke. I am now 64 and pretty much all of my teeth have crowns. Well, it is an office joke that someone accidentally let me on to, that she has so many crowns that she is a princess. This is how you know who he is talking to. His assistant is not princess, the patient is.
I do not mind my medical history being requested, I do not have to answer loudly, in fact, I could write it down. But if I am on a prescribed drug that would not mix with the sedative, then we have a problem. Other things like new meds or new conditions are needed so he knows if something goes wrong, he can give the right info to the responders to save my life.
My daughter had a street drug problem, that I quietly shared with him and then after a while, when it did not change, he had to ask her not to come back until she quit, he didn’t know what strength of what she had, so he could not mix it.
I have an appointment coming up and I will be there. He can talk to difficult customers and quiet us down. My family tends to be a nervous type, with a mouth that talks before consulting the brain. He is very understanding and can talk a person down.

About the only positive thing I can think of about this office is that it was clean. Which isn’t saying much.
Made an appointment for x-​rays and cleaning. It wasn’t until after I was in the chair for x-​rays that someone told me that my teeth were not going to be cleaned that day and I needed to schedule another appointment for the following week. I was informed that it is their standard practice to schedule x-​rays and cleanings on separate days. Considering that when I scheduled the appt, I was explicitly told I would be getting x-​rays and cleaning, this was very frustrating.
I was equally frustrated when I went to pay cash for the x-​rays and found that this office charges an insane amount just for digital x-​rays– between $ 200 – 300! Just for x-​rays!
Looking back, I feel like I should have known better. While sitting in the lobby, I could very clearly hear Dr. Samandari asking patients about their sexual activity, if they have HIV, hepatitis, etc… These patients were in chairs in a room that is wide open to the lobby – no walls, no doors, no privacy, nothing. When it was my turn, he asked me all the same questions. Questions about sexual activity are very inappropriate for any dentist to ask, let alone ask within very clear hearing range of other patients. This is a very significant HIPAA violation.
My girlfriend also visited Dr. Samandari earlier the same day. She had even worse feelings about her visit. She said that Dr. Samandari was extremely slimy and condescending. The said he kept calling her «princess» and «sweetie», (despite the fact that she is 29!). She said she got a very creepy feeling from him and that he seemed like a sleazy d-​bag from an Old Town nightclub who has very little to no respect for women.
I can not recommend highly enough that you avoid this office and Dr. Samandari. He has to be the sleaziest, shadiest, most untrustworthy dentist both my girlfriend and I have ever been to.