Dupont Dental Associates

Dr. Seiden is fantastic and the office staff were friendly and efficient. One of the best experiences I’ve ever had with a dental appointment.

I had a couple of cavities filled at Dupont Dental several months ago. Everything was fine until I got the bill and looked in the mirror — I had been given composite fillings instead of the standard amalgam without even being consulted. These are more expensive and have a shorter track record compared to standard filings. Not being consulted on this choice was a huge red flag for me.
I also had excruciating sensitivity to cold foods and beverages for about 4 months after the fillings which led to terrible headaches. I can’t speak to whether my cavities that were filled at Dupont Dental were more severe than prior cavities or whether there was some other special circumstance, so I am not rushing to judgement on this front — maybe the discomfort was not related to the skill of the dentist.
My main concern is not being consulted about whether I wanted a nonstandard, more costly filling. This is inexcusable and it’s the type of thing that makes people loathe trips to the dentist, and distrust dentists. I will not be returning.

I have never had a better experience at the dentist. The entire staff is brilliant. I felt completely relaxed and comfortable. Client for life!!!

I just had my first appointment with Dr. Seidan earlier this week. I’ve lived in DC for 8 years, but I have been going to my old dentist «back home.» This year I’ve realized that’s silly, so I checked Unilocal and booked an appointment.
I went in for a standard cleaning and check up and to talk about removing my wisdom teeth.
PROS:
— Great staff, clean, well-​lit, (albeit small) office.
— Great respect for your time! I was in and outta there in a flash, even as a first time patient. And my appointment was a week from my initial cold-​call.
— Great location. It’s right by the Metro, ½ block off the circle itself.
— Dr. Seidan seems nice. He’s chatty, which I don’t think is a bad thing.
— Mary, the hygienist, is very nice.
— Everyone is informative about what’s going on with your care and your billing.
CONS:
— This can be either good or bad, but things happen at a brisk pace – I guess that’s how they’re able to respect everyone’s time. From the fast floss (ouch) to the conversations about your care, the office is a well oiled-​machine. That said, you probably need to be more assertive than you’d expect to be. If you don’t understand something you need to stop the presses and say so (you might not be asked). If you would like time to make a decision, you need to say so (you will be expected to make it immediately). If you have a concern that did not come up during your visit, you need to bring it up.
— There are TVs in the room, but no one handed me a remote or anything.. .I did get to see my x-​rays on it. Maybe that’s all it’s there for? Maybe I was just in and out so fast no one bothered to give me the option. Not a big deal, just an observation.
Anyway, I’m comfortable making this place my primary dental office.

On Good Friday, just after 5pm, I broke a tooth. I was new to Washington DC and I had not indentified a dentist. My friend recommended DuPont Dental. My friend is über meticulous so it was a surprise that I did not have a good experience at this dentist.
What went well was the initial intake. I called Friday night and they called back Saturday morning to confirm a Monday morning (11am) appointment.
Things started to go wrong when I sat in the chair. The dentist while starting to work on my mouth began a conversation with his assistant discussing all the television he watched the night before. I began to feel like I was the third wheel on a date. He continued that discussion while working in my mouth insisting that he could multitask. Clearly he had never heard of Clifford Nass at Stanford University and his work on multitasking that was published in 2009. No one can multitask. I began to fear the outcome.
The rest of the first appointment was routine, save the discussion about whitening my teeth. With no discussion of costs, and while I had the doctor roaming around in my mouth, I was supposed to come to a good decision about tooth whitening! Nothing like a no pressure sales pitch!
The second appointment was no better. The first thing the dentist said was «Did I tell you that you might need a root canal?» He had not. He had been too busy talking about TV to talk to me about that. He rattled off the symptoms that would indicate a root canal would be needed. Again, just like the teeth whitening, here I was, trying to decide if a root canal was in my best interest in the span of a few minutes.
The fitting of the crown on my tooth was going fine until he started grinding down my natural teeth to make the crown fit comfortably in my mouth. I could not believe what was happening! The dentist was installing my third or fourth crown. Never in my life had a dentist ground my natural teeth to make his work fit! For me that was the last straw.
After both appointments, I left with massive headaches. I have had root canals, crowns, rough hygienists, and wisdom teeth removed, but never did I leave a dentist’s office with a headache until I went to DuPont Dental.
Based upon my experience, I would not recommend DuPont to anyone.

I was nervous that my teeth whitening would a) cause discomfort and pain, and b) not result in obvious results, since my teeth were already considered pretty white. Not only was it absolutely pain-​free, I saw an appreciable difference. And the staff was so welcoming, and had a fantastic bedside manner. It was worth it, and I highly recommend Delta Dental.

Nice staff and I guess Dr. Seiden is proficient, but DDA is ridiculously expensive and they don’t accept insurance. So get an estimate before you get any work done.

Dr. Seiden is a charmer. I was so sad to leave DC after finally finding an excellent dentist. And let me tell you I had some scary dentist experiences in DC. Buy me a beer sometime I’ll tell you. Everything from the office to the staff at Dupont Dental is just super nice. Anyone who gives this place less than 5 stars needs to floss better and get their life together.

I am terrified of dentists so going is always a personal obstacle i need to overcome. This is by far the best dental office i have been to. I had to get 11 cavities taken care of they did in in 2 sittings and were so amazing. The first time i went the doctor had an emergency case and was running late, he came out personally to apologize.
There is the option of Laughing gas for those of us that freak out in the chair. They are very attentive to that and treat you accordingly.
I appreciate the kid gloves for the scary cat with horrible teeth.

Very good dentist. Bedside manner leaves much to be desired. Kris, who runs front office, amazing! I had to cart my 3 YO to the appointment, which is not as much fun as it sounds. He was not happy, but it’s not like I had many other alternatives. Enter Kris, who gave my daughter a bracelet, some dentist toys and talked to her during my x-​rays. She was the reason I didn’t walk out.
If you can get past his grouchy attitude, then go. If you have kids that you can’t leave any where and must take with you, pack extra doses of patience. He is a good dentist, I think he just needs a hug. :S

I called Dr. Seidan hoping for an appointment and left a message. He called back with an attitude right from the start, as though he was very put out that someone wanted an appointment and he was doing me a favor by calling me back «from his home.»
When I asked if he accepted BlueCross BlueShield insurance he got even more huffy and explained to me that there were many types of BlueCross BlueShield insurance plans (as though I was not already aware of this). Instead of answering him (because at this point I was annoyed and taken aback by his demeanor) I asked if he was in-​network for any BlueCross BlueShield insurance plan, which he isn’t.
I guess I’ll just keep trekking out to the Arlington Center for Dentistry — at least they are respectful to their patients and have a legitimate business operation!

Dupont Dental Associates is a friendly, welcoming place to visit for your dental needs. You can request an appointment online, which is helpful. The receptionist, Kris, is great, and I love the hygienist, and Dr. Seiden. My appointments have always started on time and been quick. They are great with the reminder e-​mails as well. I highly recommend if looking for a dentist in the Dupont area.

I travel from Harpers Ferry for these guys! Gary Seiden & his team make Dentist visits stress free. He also DOES NOT look to pad his bill with unneeded procedures. Just what’s necessary for good oral hygiene! Also… Kris at reception is THE BEST!

They’ll bust your chops if you don’t floss on a regular basis… but the exam is otherwise painless! I’ve had a regular cleaning and also had two cavities filled (apparently the result of not flossing! gah!) and both were easy.
I’m giving them a four star because I paid based on what they said my insurance would cover and then received a second bill 3 weeks later for an extra $ 120 (apparently my insurance doesn’t cover white fillings — — my preference, though I wasn’t asked for one).

I made an appointment at Dupont Dental after reading the great reviews on Unilocal.I hadn’t ever made a dentist appointment with my current insurance plan, and Kris was incredibly helpful and provided all the information I needed on billing and co-​pays. She even researched my insurance plan herself to confirm that I would be covered for my cleaning and X-​rays.
It had been three years since I had last been to the dentist and so I have to say that the hero of this story was the woman who actually cleaned my teeth, Shalane. As you can imagine, I had quite a bit if plaque and tartar build up. She rightfully scolded me for having lapsed so long since my previous dentist appointment and took the time and care to thoroughly clean my whites. I won’t say that the cleaning was completely painless, but I’m to blame for that and all the time it took to scrape away the build up.
I only met with Dr. Seiden very briefly when he came in to check my teeth afterwards. He seemed like a very nice guy, but I have had the luck so far of not needing a dentist for any major medical procedure, so I can’t vouch for his technique.
Between, Kris, Dr. Seidan, and of course Shalane, I am convinced that the entire staff is wonderful at Dupont Dental. I even hugged Shalane after my cleaning for all her diligence. (Lol!) I will certainly be making my appointment here twice a year from here on out. And yes, the goodie bag certainly doesn’t hurt in convincing me to come back.

Well, I went back for the second batch of fillings and the experience was pretty much the same. No complaints.

Dr. Seiden is my go-​to dentist in DC. The office is ridiculously convenient and they correspond by email — perfect for a well-​connected lazy person.
All the staff is friendly, helpful and professional. Even better, I’ve never had to wait more than five minutes in the waiting room when I’ve had an appointment.
Dr. Seiden definitely gets the job done on the teeth cleaning too. His work can be a little painful at times, but it’s worth it. My smile is always sparkling when I leave.

Dr. Seiden and Kris are the best! I have honestly never had such a pleasant, quick and painless experience at the dentist as I had today. I wasn’t pressured to buy anything cosmetic or useless or bullied into any unnecessary procedures. It was great! The cleaning was excellent, everyone was friendly, funny and accommodating.
I didn’t wait long at all before my appointment. Dr. Seiden explained everything he was doing and cracked some jokes. I also appreciate that I was in and out in no time but I felt that the perfect amount of attention was paid to my pearly whites.
My last dentist was DC Dental Spa (see their page), and they were the ABSOLUTE worst, this was a full 180 from that. I’ll never go to another dentist in DC.

Dr. Seiden and Kris in front office is awesome. It’s rare to find a front office who is so organized, friendly, and on top of things. Sometimes I put up with a incompetent front office b/​c I like the dr., but here, you get the whole package– great service everytime!
Dr. Seiden is friendly and always puts me at ease during my check ups.
I also LOVE their little patient kit they give me after my cleanings. It’s the little things that make them 5 stars in my book!

Dr. Seiden is Awesome and not to mention a hot dentist. He is friendly, fast, professional, and just an all around great guy. I highly recommend this dentist. The other staff are great too particularly Kris in the front office.