About Smiles Family & Cosmetic Dentistry

The dentist is never thought of as a great place to go. However, it is a necessary evil in life that is part of adulting. I’m inspired to write this review because this dentist’s office was actually a pleasant experience, and I was blown away by the quality of my experience.
I had to go in because I had a tooth infection, and I ended up getting that tooth pulled plus a wisdom tooth on the same day. They got me in right away, and I noticed that the office was lovely and that you can drink coffee or tea while you wait. (If you’re worried about your breath, they have mouthwash in the bathroom!) ;-)
In the dentist’s chair, I prepared myself for the torturous nightmare to begin. It never did. Surprisingly, they offered me sunglasses and a blanket. I felt like I was in a sci-​fi movie with all the high-​tech equipment.
Dr. Nguyen and his assistant made me feel at ease, and he even joked that he was going to whisper my teeth out of my mouth! They did manage to extract the molar and a wisdom tooth with very minimal pain. I did not even need to take painkillers afterwards, which was shocking!
Crystal, the hygienist, got my teeth sparkling clean. I could tell she was passionate about what she does.

Overall, I expected more from this practice based on the reviews. First off, when calling to make my appointment the woman became very frustrated when taking my name and insurance information. Secondly, at my appointment the dentist was concerned about providing a «quick fix» instead of completely resolving the source of my tooth pain.
Lastly, the woman at the front desk was EXTREMELY rude upon requesting information from my file… after multiple phone calls and excuses, she stated she would note my attitude in my file. This resulted in another staff member reaching out to apologize on her behalf. I will not return to a practice where employees are disrespectful to their paying patients.

To be honest, this place is crook even though people here are nice. They over charge with add on. Normally, I just have a regular cleaning and it does not cost me anything at other places (between $ 60 to $ 90 if you don’t have insurance). ABOUT SMILE charge the insurance and then charge me for $ 127 for a regular cleaning. What is the purpose for having insurance? So be aware.

TLDR; They padded the bill as much as possible.
I like the atmosphere and location. Everyone is friendly including Dr Hoover, two hygienists and all staff I met. They have a lot going for them– BUT I’ve also has some bad experiences.
I had the same dentist and hygienist for 3 years. They never mentioned my fillings (I have none) or of needed drilling. Then again, that was at a grant-​funded community clinic. Maybe they had lower standards, or just didn’t have a profit motive? For the record, it was a great clinic. I’m grateful I had access to it.
I question About Smiles add-​on services, and their oral evaluation of my tooth condition. 1^st appointment they informed me of two filling that I was not aware I had– suspicious to say the least! Of course they wanted to drill two more, the same day. Minor fillings at $ 200 a pop add up fast. They suggested to apply for a line of credit. Still, for $ 99 I got a fair deal on the cleaning, comprehensive evaluation, x-​rays, etc.
I went for a 2^nd appointment 6 mo later for another cleaning. Good hygienist, very thorough and knowledgeable. Again I told them no on all add-​ons– just the cleaning and paid $ 92. I just received a bill for that cleaning only visit from 3 mos ago. There was one $ 52 added-​on for «periodic oral evaluation» unpaid from the 2^nd appointment. But, I just had a comprehensive evaluation 6 mo before. This kind of calendar-​bill code padding nonsense may be standard practice. That doesn’t make it right!

Today, I had my first visit with About Smiles. I’m new to Austin but I think I’ve already found my dentist! I came in today for a cleaning, to get some cavities filled. Dr. Mills and the whole staff were so friendly and went above and beyond to make sure I was comfortable. They informed me of what they were doing at every step and why they were doing it. I strongly believe that in the absence of information people often fear the worst. That’s especially true for me when I visit the dentist. There are so many questions that I’ve had for years that they explained today without my asking.

I just had a root canal on a «hot» molar way in the back. Dr. Kahlden took care of it in two appointments. It wasn’t pleasant, but what root canal is? He did a great job. Seemed to be very thorough.
PS. brush and floss, people.

I love Dr. Hoover & this office. So caring, and truly care about their paitents. I have been gong to Dr. Hoover for a couple years and she just sat me down and gave me a serious talk about not taking my blood pressure medicine. She is not only an awesome dentist but cares about your total health. Her team is amazing, Connie spends time explaining everything, working with insurance and always has a smile. I would highly suggest you go to About Smiles. Make you feel like family!

Friendly staff, knowledgable Hygenist, Leo was great. He does a lot of teaching. Very professional office.

This dentist is absolutley amazing. The entire staff is extremely friendly. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of turnover… I get to see the same smiling faces every time I go. They take the time to ask about my family, including our interests. They have state of the art technology. I get to see what the doctor sees. Crowns are done in ONE visit. No more multiple visits and dealing with temporary crowns etc. I hated the dentist… the wait time does not seem any different then any other dr. office. I would strongly recommend giving this office a try!

My experience here with Dr Hoover was exactly what I was looking for when choosing a Dentist office. Dr. Hoover, her hygienist, and her nurses all had terrific bed side manner. Her staff was friendly from the day I became a patient there and ever since. I now drive over 45 minutes to her office because of the kindness and excellent service I am given as a patient. I highly recommend this office.

I was extremely nervous about getting dental work done, but Dr. Hoover was able to get me through it… I’d like to say I was at ease, but that would be a lie. I’m probably never going to be at ease with metal pokey things and drills in my mouth. I love that they were able to show me the spots they were working on with the camera on a TV screen and the full explanation of her processes, including the why. The insurance lady, Connie, was a true professional. I was given an accurate estimate and never felt like I was getting the run around. I got an appointment on a Saturday, so didn’t even miss a day of work. There’s really no excuse for me to not go to the dentist now. I will be back in 6 months :)

Despite having to have a re-​do on a route canal by a different dentist, my experience was great. They got me in the very next day after calling in with a toothache. The staff was the best I’ve experienced in a long time & Dr. Hughes took great care of me.
I would definitely recommend About Smiles to any of my friends & family.

Dr. Hoover (and Dr. Smith before her) and the About Smiles dental care team have been taking care of my family’s dental needs for years. I have a closer Dr./Patient relationship with them than I do with my general physician. I have been able to have frank discussions about payment ability (or lack thereof) and planned dental work accordingly. The first time I called, they were booked and could not see me. Then I was asked if I was in pain. The answer was YES, they saw me that day. I immediately liked that priority.

I only have good things to say about Dr. Hoover, Dr. Hughes and their staff. My first appointment was a teeth cleaning and an examination. The level of friendliness and enthusiasm was consistent with the front desk staff and the dental hygienists that were working the floor that day. I felt very comfortable in their clinic. They did a thorough examination of my teeth and followed through with the cleaning. At the end of my appointment, Dr. Hoover gave me helpful information about my dental plan and gave me an appropriate recommendation for an orthodontist in the area.
I came for a second visit today and the service was consistent from when I was a first time patient. As for the wait time, I was serviced quickly on both occasions. I will definitely be returning for future cleanings and dental work I may need in the future :)

Best dental experience ever! You can tell that everyone that works there actually likes their job. Everyone was friendly and they got me in and out quick and I even got one of my teeth fixed that same day with some cool machine that makes crowns. They handled all my insurance and took all the worries out of my hands. Dr Hoover was great and I never even felt her «shot» which was a first for me … If you need a dentist, then she is the one to see!!!

You guys! I don’t know why About Smiles only has 3 stars on Unilocal when they definitely deserve 5!
I’ve been seeing Dr. Hoover for over a year now and she’s FANTASTIC. I’m absolutely terrified of dental work but I’ve had nothing but stellar experiences here and Dr. Hoover works with plenty of patients who have my same fear and she strives to create a pain-​free, pleasant, relaxing experience.
My most recent experience is as follow:
I had 5 cavities. I do not do well with dental work. Dr. Hoover offers «sleep dentistry» which entails providing the patient with a soothing sleep agent and laughing gas so that they are unaware of the work being done.
We scheduled a time for me to come in and have all 5 filled and do a periodontal cleaning while I was knocked out. The day arrives and I show up and am handed a little blue pill. Immediately, my anxiety kicks in and I start freaking out. The staff was so lovely and calming and sweet, but I panicked and ran. Yep, I left. Even though it was a 2+ hr appointment that had been blocked off for me.
Was I mistreated? Was I overcharged? Was I made to feel humiliated? No. They rescheduled me for a week later and even got me the sleeping pill prescription so I could take it the night before to begin relaxing then and wake up already in a better state of mind. When I arrived for my 2^nd appointment, everyone was so kind and warm and no-​one made me feel like crap for what had happened the week before.
The whole procedure went off without a hitch. Dr. Hoover is a gem of a human being — she’s all smiles, super warm, listens to your fears/​concerns, tells it straight.
I felt no pain during my procedure, they let me listen to my iPod and had the TV showing How I Met Your Mother. My numbness wore off within a few hours and I felt right as rain.
If you have any fears about dental work — Dr. Hoover is the dentist for you. A staff of really sweet, warm people works at the office and they are all willing to work with you to make things happen.
Cannot recommend About Smiles enough!!!

After going to the same dentist for 20 years in Houston, then moving to Austin, I had trouble finding a dentist I could trust. I have had a couple of bad experiences at different dentists around Austin, but when I visited Dr. Hoover’s office all of my worries were put to rest. It is a nice, clean office, with updated equipment. The staff is very professional and Dr. Hoover is very friendly. They will not try to talk you into anything you don’t need, and want your experience to be as positive as possible. The hygenists are very gentle during cleaning, and Dr. Hoover is gentle during the exam as well. Glad I finally found a good dentist in Austin!

We had a very disapointing experience with this business. The truth be told, I cannot comment on their actual Dentistry work, only on their integrity, as I never made it through their front door.
In February we were made aware of a «Family Free Day» for families to come into their office on March 2^nd for a free cleaning or filling or extraction. We have a printout of this advertisement directly from their website. We also called their office to confirm and they said to come early on the morning of as appointments were to be made same-​day and on a «first come, first serve» basis. They normally open on Saturdays from 9am-​3pm, but on the Family Free Day they were to be open at 7am.
We arrived at 7:30am on the 2^nd and the place was locked and empty. Not a sign or notice on the door. There were several other folks waiting in the parking lot for the same thing. Some had travelled up to an hour, like us. I can only imagine that there were several more that had already left. We gave these folks the benefit of the doubt and waited in the parking lot in our car, with 5 children, until 9am. This was their normal advertised time of business on Saturdays. Still, nobody showed. Apparently they took the day off, probably as not to have to deal with any of us.
I went back to their website and they had changed their Family Free Day from the 2^nd to the 23^rd AND they changed it for family members age 18 and older only. So you can’t even call this a «Family Free Day» anymore, but an «Adult Free Day».
My guess, and this is only an assumption, is they were overwhelmed with responses from families that wanted to take advantage of this offer for their entire family, like us. So they changed the rules to adults only, updated their website and took the day off to avoid facing those of us who showed up.
Regardless of my assumption: bad form. Any business who does what they did doesn’t deserve my business. Not even a curtousy apologies sign outside the front door? Wow.
Note: their business website is wrong in Unilocal.Correct URL:

I went here for a cleaning since I got a groupon, and I was super impressed. It’s a busy place, but I waited no more than 2 minutes before I was ushered back into a private room for my cleaning. I opted out of x-​rays and went for just the cleaning. LINDA was my hygienist, and she was AMAZING!!! I highly recommend asking for her. She’s had many years of experience and it shows in her gentle, yet detailed work. She took plenty of time to hand-​clean my teeth (didn’t use the pesky loud ultrasonic doodad) and was very thorough. She was pleasant to talk to, and very knowledgable. The doctor came in later to check on the work and they took detailed pictures of my teeth to show me up on a screen which showed my old metal fillings from when I was a kid. They suggested I eventually replace them (metal not healthy, yet they were still solid), but I never felt pressured to do this. Not once did I feel uncomfortable or pressured into services I couldn’t afford/​need. I will definitely return.

Got a groupon for a teeth cleaning and X-​rays here. Overall, a good experience. They did take a LONG time on X-​rays however, and their X-​ray equipment was definitely a bit outdated, and kind of painful. The hygienist did rush through my cleaning, but Dr. Hoover was definitely the best part– very kind, courteous and thorough, and didn’t try to push any extra services. Overall pleased with the quality of care I received, especially for a groupon!