Balica Ana C, DDS PC

My wife went to Dr Balica years ago and told me she had a silver/​mercury amalgam removed by Dr Balica and had the best cleaning she ever had. I am glad I went and had several silver/​mercury amalgam filling removed early November 2015. Dr Balica was very professional, knowledgeable and skillful .She took her time with me, answered all my questions and was very accommodating. Most traditional dentists I went to before saw nothing wrong with mercury fillings or flouride for that matter: 2 of the most toxic and poisonous elements on this planet. Holistic dentistry is the way to go. I was very impressed with the equipment used to remove the poisons from me safely. I was also impressed by the care she took in administering the detox supplements before and after the removal of the mercury fillings which i had knowledge of. The negative comments here, are greatly exaggerated for the most part. The office is fine and the entire staff is excellent. It was a great experience for me and will go back to her for cleanings etc.

Dr. Balica has been great to me, and I’ve been a patient of hers for over two years. Easy to make and cancel appointments, her hygienist is a doll, and she takes the time to answer my questions and explains what procedures (if any, I’ve only had a filling or two done) she’ll be doing on my teeth. I’m moving out of Astoria next month but will still be coming here. I didn’t give a crap about flossing until she explained why it’s kinda a big deal. That doesn’t sound like much, but do you know how annoying it is to floss? I think she’s great.

This place is an absolute hoax. First time I saw them, I made an appointment for a checkup and cleaning, and they told me (only once I was in the chair) that I had to make a separate appointment for the cleaning because that was a sort of «introductory» appointment since I was a new patient – basically, they wanted to hit my insurance twice. They then gave us a hard time with our insurance and refused to take it until we called up the company and were able to prove that their services were covered by our provider at the time. The front desk staff was rude and difficult through the whole process.
I was so frustrated with them that I didn’t go back for another 2 years. At that point, I was in desperate need of a checkup and cleaning, so I caved and just made an appointment instead of trying to find another dentist. They had to have improved, right? Ha… haha.
I no longer had insurance, and called and verified TWICE in advance that a full checkup and cleaning would cost $ 170 out of pocket. The day of, I went to pay, and the male receptionist had an itemized bill at the ready – he seemed to already know he was going to have to convince me to pay more – and insisted that it was something around $ 250. I fought them and they allowed me to use my mother’s $ 50 voucher that they sent her in the mail to convince her to come back, but then insisted that I put down a $ 100 deposit for a bonding appointment to «hold» that appointment, which I scheduled only a few weeks down the line (by the way, not fully convinced I even need bonding – going to get a second opinion on that once I find a dentist who isn’t a total crook).
After deciding this was all complete BS, my mother – whose insurance I was originally on and whose flex spending account I had to use to pay for all of this – called and insisted they refund our money. They gave in after a fight, but when she requested my x-​rays so we can bring them to our new dentist, they tried to charge her $ 50 for them. She asked if they charge other dentists for x-​rays and they said no, so she basically told them to screw off and said our new dentist would be requesting the x-​rays.
DO NOT go to these people! They put on a front of fake smiles and courtesy that drops the moment you challenge their bullshit policies, and then they get nasty and insist that the fault is somehow your own. Balica also seems to think she’s an optician and a psychiatrist, as she started commenting on how often I blink (I have dry eyes in the winter and already have a qualified eye doctor who prescribes me Restasis) and started telling me I should see a therapist for stress because I clench my teeth at night (excuse me, not your place).
I’m beyond done with this office. Save yourself the headache and go to a real dentist whose skills speak for themselves. Chances are he/​she won’t have to rip you off to make money.

I wrote a three star review before, but I gotta knock a star off. I attempted to go back to Dr Balica’s office to get an estimate for amalgam removal, but had a terrible time dealing with the front desk staff. Couldn’t get any clear answers, and difficult to talk to. Then they said that before scheduling an appointment, I had to first send them my xrays from my current dentist, then after I did that, they told me that Dr Balica isn’t available for several weeks. Really? you couldn’t tell me that before I went and requested xrays from my current dentist? I ended up not going in for the estimate because I just don’t want to deal with the receptionist.

I decided to write this review as I am shocked and dismayed at all the negative comments I am seeing on Unilocal.I could not believe they were talking about the «my» Dr. Ana Balica.
I first became a patient of Dr. Balica I guess around 2008 or 2009. I went frequently for about 2 to 2 ½ years. I had been looking for a holistic dentist reasonably priced because I wanted all of the mercury fillings removed.
Dr. Balica as a seasoned and experienced dentist was perfect for me. One of the things I like about her is that she is unpretentious, and this is reflected in the office atmosphere. The office while small and in an older building is quite clean, creatively designed and decorated
The small multicultural staff, was warm and professional. What I also noticed were that the patients really seemed to appreciate being there while engaging amicably with the staff. I can also appreciate that the staff was always very courteous. My initial visit to Dr. Balica’s office left me with a feeling and sense of the sincerity and care Dr. Balica has for her patients.
After exam and x rays, a number of subsequent appointments were set up to begin the removal of the mercury fillings. During the entire process Dr Balica’s work was impeccable. I have fillings that I am sure some dentists would have been afraid to touch as some cavities were large and deep and at times 2 or 3 cavities on one tooth.
Dr. Balica with her experience and great skills fearless tackled the job and was absolutely triumphant in her results. She safely removed all those mercury fillings and replaced them with alternative fillings. I never experienced any post procedural discomfort.
Dr. Balica always discussed her plans with me and allowed me to offer input which she always took into consideration when she had to make certain decisions.
Over the years I would go back for a check up and was always greeted warmly as every one remembered who I was.
There were times when I went to the office and didn’t have any money or may have only had half the fee, I was never harassed or made to feel «small» because I didn’t have the money I just brought on my next visit.
Right now I need to go to the dentist because it’s really time for a checkup. I now have insurance, however Dr. Balica is not covered under my policy and so I am looking for a holistic dentist that is under my plan. It was this search for a new dentist that led me to Unilocal where I found all these negative (some of them petty) comments.
You know what… I have just decided that I am going to ask my insurance company if they will allow me to continue with Dr. Balica though she is out of network. I really hope the insurance company allows this to happen.
Oh…There’s one other thing you must remember when trying to weigh the credibility of Dr. Balica– she sees about a thousand patients a year. If everyone had complaints like these, do you think she could stay in business?
Yocheved B

Terrible dentist! I originally found her while looking for a local holistic dentist, but she ended up lying to me and almost scamming me. She told me I had Gingivitis and 7 cavities. Considering I’m very healthy and have never had a cavity in my life, this shocked and scared me. I went back to my traditional dentist to confirm this finding, and he was horrified that she even suggested that! After a thorough examination, he found all of my teeth to be cavity free and my gums to be perfectly healthy. Unless you want your mouth unnecessarily drilled, find someone else.

there are some negatives here
i have no idea who these people are or what they are talking about, after seeing dentist after dentists for so many years as they are hard to find decent ones with skill care concern are most important and the fees here are for me none she takes ins for many cases as full.
She is an artist and and a well respected person in her craft.
she sent me to other dentists, and they too are superb.
i think some people lied about Dr Balica, i been her patient since 2009
go there you will be treated the very best in all ways always
call me to know more or write me

PUBLIC BEWARE OF THIS OFFICE: STAY AWAY.
Dr. Ana Balica’s office looks at all of her patients as cash cows. Don’t dare cancel an appointment, even to the extent of your 4-​year old daughter’s hospitalization and untimely death. You will be reprimanded on the phone and told by Scott, the office manager, «one thing has nothing to do with the other… So sorry for your loss, but we cannot have cancellations.»
Yes. That is what he said when I tried to reschedule the previously cancelled appointment after her funeral and he told me «this relationship is not working out for us», while I was in tears.
Dr. Ana Balica does not deserve to even look at the Hippocratic Oath let alone practice under it. Her and her office staff are the most callous, insensitive, and uncompassionate people I have ever met in the medical profession, and I have had A LOT of experience in the last 4 years due to my daughter’s illness.
You should be ashamed of yourselves.

I love Dr. Balica. I come from Manhattan, up those rickety stairs to get conscientious care in a simple office. I don’t need to be impressed by a starchitect office space. I am impressed by the integrity of the practitioner. Yes, her support staff is a curious mix, but nobody has ever been rude to me. They have been kind and patient. Not slick, but kind and patient. This not a Park Avenue office, but why should I pay Manhattan rent to get great dental care?

Like the other reviewers, Dr. Balica’s ‘Natural’ approach attracted me in the beginning, and for a while I was pleased with her work even though the office was shabby and the bathroom is also the ganitor’s closet and you were brushing your teeth next to the dirty mop in the corner.
Things turned sour for me when she failed to inform me that i had failed root canal on a tooth that she was fitting with a new, mercury free crown. The thing is that six months after receiving this new crown, which i paid for out of pocket ($ 800 cash), I had an abscess on that tooth and was immobile from pain, fever and nausea for three days over a holiday weekend. I called her office and she was kind enough to place an anti-​biotics prescription for me at a local pharmacy and this helped me make it long enough for a visit to her office.
When I asked her for the cause of this incident, she said ‘we try our best but root canals fail’ and referred me to some orthodontists. I decided to pursue a second opinion where upon examining my x-​rays the dentist was surprised that a new crown would be placed over the area since an infection of such magnitude (corrosion of the bone) takes a very long time to manifest.
I called and requested that my records be released and her male receptionist said sure, took my mailing info and told me it takes two to three weeks to receive it. About a month later, still no records so I called to follow up and a different female receptionist told me that they charge $ 75 to make a copy. I told her that the other guy didn’t mention anything about this and besides it sounded unethical to me since i’m pretty sure that patient rights include access to their records.
Long story short I debated her assistant for a while, and finally she said fine but was gonna charge me for shipping. I said I’ll come and pick them up myself which I did the following Monday when they were going to be open late enough for me to make it after work. When I arrived, I was given my x-​rays after signing a release form, and then the doctor came out with my file and told me I’d have to pay $ 75. I said I couldn’t believe she’d ask me that after all the work I did out of pocket (there were two other crowns I replaced!) not to mention a year of casual dental work when my insurance was eligible at that office. She said that’s the office policy and she can’t make an exception for one patient and would not budge. I think that secretly she knows there might be something incriminating in there and she doesn’t want me to have it.
So in summary, Dr. Balica is nice as long as you’re paying and paying. Once you stop being a paying customer her whole demeanor changes. Don’t count on her staff to be any help to you. I feel sorry for the whole operation and the business she loses on account of bad reviews (of which I see she has many) will amount to much more than $ 75.

I visited Dr Ana Balica in June of 2011 for a consultation x-​rays etc. The fee was not awful, but here its where it gets ugly. While at the visit her employee kept pushing for me to have some allergy blood work done to make sure I knew what I was allergic to in regards to what material would be used to replace the fillings. The cost 280.00 and I had to go pay cash to this outside lab. I declined and it was pushed over and over again. finally they agreed to use something simple they use on pretty much everyone. Then I made an appointment for 2 mercury fillings to be removed and a cleaning on all the same day. when I arrived no actual warm or friendly atmosphere fine moving along. They called me in after 20 minutes in the waiting area. I was given a mercury level test by the Dr herself who by the way did not say the test was extra, not included in her price for the removal of the fillings. $ 75.00 extra that is. When all said and done the receptionist handed me the new bill with 75.00 added plus the next appointments fees included. What a joke, no one explained this prior to making the appointment on the phone and like other people that have reviewed this dentist they kept insisting to pay at least 50 percent of the upcoming bill or take out a credit card with them to pay!!! So I declined paid for the services that were rendered that day. Now I am unemployed, mother of 2 kids and came from another borough to see this Dr. Never again, the work was acceptable but office policies are ridiculous, felt like I was a car dealership.

For starters, the entry way smells of urine. The bathroom in the office looks dirty. The staff is somewhat accommodating but the male dentist assistant is just confusing, he threw $$ estimates at me that didn’t add up and then went on to say wait we may not be able to apply a bridge (what he was throwing estimates for) after all but lets wait to see what the doctor thinks. ummm ok… where is the doctor? I didn’t get the chance to speak with her because she was working on another patient.
I went because I had been there before and didn’t get skived out like this time.
I’m not going back. I hope they read this.

ever feel like looking for a dentist or doctor is a little like matchmaking?
dr. balica’s practice sounded really good to me, and i’m in love with her receptionist.
she has a «holistic» (does not install mercury fillings, removes them but uses high-​speed drill versus manual filling extraction, tooth extraction preferred to root canal?) practice and her philosophy seems unique. she has funny gadgets in her office and seinfeld playing in your face in the dentist’s chair. she takes all kinds of insurance.
i was concerned but excited to go to my appointment and get some help with the ominous symptoms i was having (feverish, with pain in my tooth and running down my neck from the tooth.)
but actually talking to the doc and her assistant was a little like… pulling teeth.
she also told me my tooth was fine based only on an xray, with no physical exam or questions about my symptoms.
i have serious health problems and some dental issues. i need a dentist who is motivated to help me to understand her diagnosis, and wants to hear and answer my questions clearly and help me understand what the questions should be.
oh well. maybe she’ll be perfect for you.