Donald Vafides, DDS

I had been seeing Dr Vafides in the early 2000s but my current job initially required me to see another HMO denist. I returned to Dr. Vafides for a second opinion on whether or not I needed a gum treatment and decided to see him as my regular dentist even though I needed to pay out of pocket because of his knowledge, care and high quality service. I have been able to see him very quickly in emergency situations and I consistently get high quality advice. He also does not scold or lecture as some dentists do. The staff are also all very compassionate, friendly and very helpful.

Been coming here for years and always smile when people ask me if I I like my dentist. My response is usually «No, I love my dentist!» Very talented staff as well. Always on time and cheery. Well done!

I would live in Washington, DC for the rest of my life just to keep Dr. Vafides as my dentist — and the entire staff is just as wonderful.

After a truly bad experience with my initial «golddigger» dentist in DC (Wong Randall E DDS) in February 2009, a close friend of mine recommended Dr. Vafides.
I am very glad I decided to see Dr. Vafides whom since then I have found to be very professional, reasonable, and trustworthy. Also, he’s an extremely considerate dentist who doesn’t push services and or products and always explains well what he’s doing or what would be the best option (s).
Besides his hygentist (whom I find to be very nice and professional), on few occassions Dr. Vafides has done my tooth cleaning himself.
His receptionist, David, is super friendly, considerate and always happy to help in terms of setting up appointments and or handling any payments, etc.
Overall, a very honest and professional dentist with a super nice supporting team that I’d highly recommend.

I had been seeing Dr. Vafides for about 15 years. He was referred to me by a colleague when I was working in DC. About six years ago, I moved to Arlington and worked there as well, but continued to commute into DC to see Dr. Vafides. However, due to my work and children’s school schedules, I had to change providers because it took too much of my time to go in for a cleaning. I have not since found a dentist as good as Dr. Vafides.
Dr. Vafides has always been honest and always good at communicating what he’s doing. He is very calm and speaks clearly. He sometimes even does the cleanings himself when his staff are out or on a break. I have also had good experience with his hygenists. His receptionist, David, is excellent. David is friendly, thorough and organized, and provides excellent customer service. I have only had two instances when I was wrongfully billed for something that was covered by insurance. I called David and he immediately took care of me both times and apologized.
I did not have many cavities in the 15 years that I saw Dr. Vafides. He always complimented me on the cleanliness of my teeth. He once recommended that I fix an older filing, but I was pregnant at the time. He suggested that I wait until after I had my baby because of chemical exposure. He also told me that it was not urgent and could take my time to return and fix the filling. He never pushed or sold anything to me, which I liked.
He did fill a cavity for me once and I was unsure how much my insurance would cover it. He was very helpful and explained to me how he’d submit it and that I didn’t want to pay up front. He told me that I could wait and if it was unaffordable, he would work out a payment plan. It turned out that my insurance covered most of it and I only had to pay a small portion. It was just nice knowing that Dr. Vafides wasn’t after my money and was genuinely trying to assist me.

I am SO THANKFUL that I found Dr Vafides and his great team. I am generally very nervous about going to dentists, but they have made me feel comfortable and confident both times I’ve been there. Dr Vafides gave me a very thorough explanation of everything he was doing when he replaced a cap for me earlier this week, and answered all of my questions. Before that, they had taken the extra step of checking with my insurance company for me to see what they would cover the procedure. It is hard to find a great dentist and I’m so glad I have!

Dr. Vafides and his staff are fantastic. The office is clean, quiet, calm and well-​run. My appointments are ALWAYS on time.
The Dr. is, as the other Unilocalers say, very thorough and gentle. I really have the impression he is willing to spend time with me to discuss any issues or questions I have. And he seems genuinely concerned for my dental hygiene.
I highly recommend Dr. Vafides’ Office!

Firstly, let me start by saying I hate dentisit only because I have had two less than pleasant experiences in DC. So at the recommendation of a colleague and the Unilocal reviews. I decided to give Dr. Vafides a try — I was expecting horrible news but it was not as bad as I was expecting but not easy street.
I learned I had lots of work in my younger years and had lots of root canals so I was not in pain.
Dr.V went over the areas of concern and sort of prioritized them and is working with the insurance to get estimates so I know what I am going to get into. I figure after all the surgeries I have had over the last few years, it is time to give my teeth the attention but to a Dr. that has compassion to us cowards.
I highly recommend the practice. The staff were extremely nice helped calm the nerves of cowards like me!

In the few years I’ve been going to Dr. Vafides, he and his office have been absolutely stellar. I have a lifetime history of dental issues (thanks, dad!), and have had pretty bad experiences with dentists before. Dr. Vafides and his office have made me no longer apprehensive about taking care of my teeth. He’s smart, calming, understanding, and patient. He realizes that people are wary of dental work, and does his best to make you feel comfortable. I actually look forward to my cleanings now, knowing he’s going to take great care of my teeth. Across the board, his staff is great — from the dental hygienists to David at the front desk, everyone is polite and helpful. My teeth have been a huge pain for me my whole life, but having a great dentist makes it a lot easier.
I recently got a new job and changed my insurance from Aetna to Blue Cross Blue Shield — I’m so glad Dr. Vafides is covered by both! I’m not sure if he’s taking new patients now, but if he is, I would switch to him.

Please please please leave your current dentist and come see Dr. Vafides. I can’t tell you how blown away you will be by the entire experience.
There are two aspects of this total experience that I feel are especially noteworthy:
1) Dr. Vafides is really smart and really good at what he does. He knows what he is talking about and he is very careful and meticulous with all of his dental work. Honestly, If I hadn’t found Dr. Vafides when I did – I would probably be in some serious dental trouble in the next few years. He is also a pretty cool guy – ya know, the type you could just sit and talk to. I never felt uncomfortable in his chair and I always felt confident that I was getting the very best treatment.
2) His staff is STELLAR. David at the front desk is a gem. He is so on top of everything insurance and payment related, and he’s such a friendly guy to welcome you into the Vafides office! David has even called me a couple of times to double check billing questions and ensure that everything was being taken care of exactly as I had requested. This guy is great. Dr. Vafides also has very nice dental assistants.
I love this guy and I love this practice. I’m hooked and you should be to!

I love this office. I’ve been their patent/​client for a few years now and it’s not going to change unless I lose all my teeth/​move out of the DC area.
Dr.Vafides himself is really calm, which is super important when it comes to teeth, and thorough, which is very important when it comes to keeping the teeth healthy.
The staff are friendly and very helpful. They even send gmail invites for my google calendar. I personally love it.
The service is outstanding. One time, when I had a crown installed, it had a really really minor cosmetic flaw that nobody would’ve seen except under a microscope. Dr. Vafides offered to get me a new FREE one to make me happy. He also waived the X-​ray fee when I brought my mom for the first time, who at the time had no dental insurance.
Unfortunately, I’ve gotten to know too many dentists over the years (blame my genes), and I am very happy to have found an awesome one.

Dentist are not my favorite people but Dr Vafides made my nerves more calm than most. He fixed problems other dentist created and made me comfortable.
I don’t really trust most people because they push products and services on you and you’re unsure if you really need it. As far as dentists goes, I’ve felt most comfortable here.

I’ve always had good luck with Dr. Vafidies. I’ve been a client for many years now, and have gone in for check-​ups and cleanings and never had any issues. A good friend had a dental emergency one day and was new in town. It was a Sat. and I called Dr. Vafidies since my friend did not yet have a dentist. My friend was taken care of that day. Additionally another friend needed a root canal and had a very easy time of it. Dr. Vafides did partial work in concert with an oral surgeon and the procedure was fast and easy.
As a last note, the office staff is always very nice and they deal with all the insurance so you never have to worry about that part of it.

Dr. Vafides makes going to the dentist not so awful. He is kind, gentle, and very thorough. Also, I have always been taken in a few minutes early and never have to spend an excessive amount of time at the office. I definitely recommend him!

The staff here are great. I always have the same hygienist, which I think is a plus since she is great. My visits have been pretty painless compared to other dentists and they utilize (new) technology like heavy duty cleaning with a water tool to clear build up and spraying a mixture of baking soda and water to clean/​remove staining.
The office is nice and bright and very convenient to work. The folks at the front desk are very friendly and I love that when they schedule my appointments they add it to my google calendar!

Dr. Vafides has a lovely, clean office in Dupont with some of the latest and greatest tech. My hygenist was very friendly and nice, and the cleaning was thorough but not painful (they blast your teeth with water and baking soda! neato! i haven’t been to the dentist in a long time, ok?). Dr. Vafides himself is professional and straightforward and very accommodating and willing to answer questions. I would recommend him to anyone who’s looking for a new dentist.
The reception is exceedingly organized and modern; I was able to fill out new patient forms via forms attached to an email and fax or scan them in to send them back. They also sent me a calendar invitation to remind me of my appointment. Excellent service.

Dr. Vafides is fantastic-​his manner is calm and he actually cleaned my teeth himself. Also notable were the office manager David and Dr. Vafides’ assistant Jason-​everyone was so nice and my teeth are sparkling clean! The office is conveniently located near the Faragut North metro so it’s easy to get to. Very nice office with new equipment and tvs to keep your mind on something other than plaque removal. Great experience for a dentist!

Everyone in this office is really nice (and nice to each other). It is a clean and modern office and they really do make you feel comfortable. They don’t try to sell you stuff or prescribe $ 70 toothpaste and they remember you between visits.
Dr. Vafides is very personable and is really good about not hitting the one sensitive tooth you may have.
My one complaint is I once had a rude hygienist, but I think she’s gone now.

I am totally scared of going to the dentist and I’ll admit, I had avoided going for way too long. My fiancé promised that Dr. Vafides would not judge me and he did not lie. Dr. Vafides was very nice and straightforward and is also thorough, professional, and very considerate. He always lets you know what is going on and is completely non-​judgmental. He has a very calming way about him and his office is immaculate.
His hygienist Jason and his receptionist are both super nice. The entire office has helped me overcome my fear of the dentist!

I am a dento-​phobe. Well, not so much phobe as extremely competitive perfectionist. So when I am told that my teeth are not as clean as they should be and that I could use A LTITLE more flossing, I tend to not want to see those people.
That being said, my first appointment with Dr. Vafides was extremely pleasant. The office is nice and relaxing and as a dentist, he is extremely thorough. He even showed me my own tooth x-​ray on the flat screens scattered throughout his office to show a potential cavity (uhoh). The cleaning was also good.
One problem: He doesn’t have actual rooms, but offices separated by cabinets/​other pieces of furniture to where it’s private, but only semi-​private. I found it weird, but who knows what the latest dental seating trends in DC are.
Overall, a solid first visit.