Brown Van Madison

This is a very good office. They never run up the bill and do a good job. Very efficient too– always on schedule.

I’ve been very happy with my experience here. It is hard to find a dental office that takes my insurance that isn’t a horrid dump. This place is in an apartment that has been converted into a medical suite. It is a little cramped and not fancy — but I have always found it to be clean and the staff friendly. I have never waited more than 5 minutes from the time of my appointment. They even accommodated me when I was 15 minutes late.
Randy (Randi?) the hygienist is great and very thorough. I would not describe her as gentle — but she is respectful. If you want a gentle cleaning — you should probably go somewhere else. I always take a ½ Klonopin before my appointment and it really helps me relax for the cleaning.
The only issue I have had is that they do try to get you to take xrays on every visit. Many dentists do this. I had to insist that I did not want them on my last visit. It is true that the new digital xrays use much less radiation than the old ones. But I don’t think it’s necessary more than once every 2 – 3 years unless you are having a problem.

I’ve been going to this office for 15 years, and despite moving further away from the city I always go back here for my dental work and make the commute in. The staff is always very personable, and appointments always on time. They make a notoriously unenjoyable experience (going to the dentist) enjoyable.

Finally I found a real old school dental office. The emphasis here is on the work and not on «procedures». They do a great job. I bring my kids here also, who are 6, 8 and 12.
Every time I have been here, the appointments are on time and the whole operation is very smooth. It is a small space, but it works.
A plus is they are in a very nice (also old school) high end apartment building, right off Madison Avenue.

I recently went searching for a dentist for regular check-​ups and to also fix a chip in one of my front teeth. I used my dentalsave discount plan and found them through their website and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the DR and all the staff.
Dr. Bass was extremely personable and offered a great thorough consult. In addition, I had a great cleaning from I think, a Russian lady, who I didn’t understand much because she spoke a rather fast, she took her job seriously and probably gave me one of the best cleanings.
A week later, I had to go back to fix my tooth and wow, i was so pleased with Dr. Bass’s work. He was extremely communicative and made me feel very comfortable, not too mention his work in fixing my tooth was awesome. He gave me my smile back which I often think can be the greatest gift you can offer someone. I am thinkin of getting veneers down the line (which I will be saving for) but I will say, I’m totally sold in wanting to go back to this office and Dr.B.
I highly recommend this office and the staff and of course Dr. Bass. Thank you from the all of my heart for making my experience an inviting one.

Have been going to the «thursday-​only» dentists (can’t remember names, sorry!) for a few years now. Like them both.
Clean office, nice folks, clean teeth. All good.

Yup. I did it. I gave 5 stars to a dentist. I must say in all of my years of going to the dentist, this was by far the most pleasurable experience I’ve ever had. Hands down.
Everyone was respectful and courteous from the receptionist to the techs to Dr. Bass, my dentist.
I was put in a small room to have my teeth cleaned and the nice woman Irina (sp?) (who isn’t Russian, She’s from a country near Russia.) was really quick and effecient, getting right to things. I was never in any pain.
I was then put into a second room for xrays. I have to say that I hate getting xrays because even now with the technology the bitewings always cut in my mouth. Not this time, whatever camera thing they used was so small and I experienced no discomfort.
After the xrays Dr. Bass came in to talk to me about my problems, which were few. I loved the effeciency of things and the wait time was so minimal. You were always doing something instead of waitng 45 minutes in a room alone.
For those that need insurance, try Healthplex, almost everything is included with this plan and it’s really affordable. Oh, also this office takes it!

i’ve been getting my teeth cleaned here for a couple of years and keep coming back because i think the dental hygienist is amazing. she spends a lot of time making sure that all possible stain is removed from my teeth, even though this is sometimes a painful process. she’s amazing thorough, and gruff in that tough love eastern european style. she’s really dedicated to her job, and that’s what we want, right? we come to the dentist to suffer a little, but also to leave with healthy, polished teeth.
i give this place three stars however because they want to give me a full mouth ex-​ray every single time i have a cleaning. i think this is absurd. they say it’s to track whether or not you are having bone loss from receding gums, but there are manual methods for testing the health of your gums that don’t expose you to unnecessary radiation and cost.
i think they’ve just decided for x-​rays because it’s faster. i just opt out of the x-​rays most times, which hasn’t been a problem. and will keep making my appointments for the tough love polishing that works so well.

Not great, but not terrible. The hygenists can be a little rough, but I personally haven’t had a bad time. The actual dentist is good, and very professional. Not much of a talker. He happily answers questions, but if you don’t ask something, he isn’t going to come our and tell you, so don’t be shy.
Overall, not the best dentist in midtown, but certainly adequate for getting cleaning and fillings.

My husband and I came in this past week, as new patients, for a check up and a general cleaning. My neighbor recommended the practice to us, so I was eager to come, due to the positive visits to the dentist I have had since I was a child. Before coming to this practice, I have only seen 2 dentists in my whole life.
My husband and I met with Dr. Bass individually, who was cordial and professional in reviewing our teeth, and it was not painful. However, my husband and I met the Russian hygienist, who is mentioned in other reviews as well, and we both had painful and frustrating experiences with her.
For me, I am pregnant, so I brush my teeth and floss twice a day. Occasionally, I’ll floss only once a day, when I am tired at night. I mention this because pregnant women’s gums tend to bleed easily. For me, my gums have bled infrequently during my pregnancy. I first met with Dr. Bass, who examined my teeth and gums and concluded that they looked great: no cavities, no inflammation of the gums. Then I sat down in the hygienist’s chair. Due to her heavy accent, I knew right away that she was the Russian woman that people had given poor reviews on Unilocal.I braced myself, thinking it won’t be that bad, but I have to admit, it was as bad as everyone reviewed.
The Russian hygienist scratched my teeth and gums with 2 tools multiple times/​rounds. Constantly, I utilized the pain coping techniques I am learning in childbirthing classes, as she «accidentally» hit my gums. At one point, she even told me that I wasn’t flossing enough and that I needed to floss 3 times a day because my gums bled easily. Later, she thought she found a cavity, but since I didn’t have any x-​rays and I told her that Dr. Bass said that I didn’t have any cavities, she told me to monitor the tooth area because cavities can spread fast. This conversation took place while she was poking my gums and scratching my teeth. She had to repeat what she said several times because I could not understand her English. This aspect of my visit put me ill at ease and made me feel like she was out to get more money out of me. At the end of the cleaning she mentioned that she had scratched/​scraped my teeth (excessively) to make my teeth whiter. ??? I was speechless. Hey, I’ve never had bright white teeth that are promoted in commercials, and pre-​pregnancy, I drank coffee and tea everyday. I don’t expect to have bright white teeth. Her comment made me realize that she might have damaged the enamel on my teeth. I left with my ultra clean teeth and gums aching a little. Three days later, my teeth and gums still ache.
My husband and I didn’t talk between our visits. So I did not forewarn him about the Russian hygienist. I actually prayed that he would get the nice (possibly gentle) hygienist. But alas he got the Russian lady, who he nicknamed after having his teeth 20% cleaned, «The Butcher.» He stopped the cleaning because he could tell that she was unnecessarily poking at his gums causing bleeding and pain. She told him that his gums were in bad shape, and very sensitive. She recommended that he get his teeth cleaned using anesthesia. (I forget the proper term for this type of cleaning.) And proceeded to evaluate his teeth, so the insurance would pay for it.
My husband also experienced difficulty communicating with this woman due to her thick Russian accent.
Afterward my husband saw Dr. Bass and shared his experience with the Russian hygienist, explaining how awful it was. All the dentist had to say was that my husband could come back and get the other hygienist to clean his teeth. (My husband noticed that Dr. Bass is also Russian, which may explain the dentist’s ambivalence.) My husband refused, saying that he would never come back to this practice. They discussed his teeth being cleaned using anesthesia. When Dr. Bass examined my husband’s teeth, he was gentle and did not draw blood. He agreed with the hygienist’s diagnosis and recommended another dentist to see. Afterward, my husband stopped by the receptionist to pick up the Russian hygienist’s evaluation to take to the new dentist plus the referral. And was told that he didn’t need it because the next dentist would do it again. My husband demanded to have the evaluation. (I think this is odd on the hygienist/practice’s part, why do the evaluation so insurance can approve the procedure, and not give it to the patient. This makes me suspicious of their motives.) After much insistence, my husband walked out with the evaluation.
When my husband came home, he was quite upset about his experience, saying that we would not go back to Dr. Brown Van Madison and he wanted to write a review about his experience as well as forewarn others about the Russian hygienist.
Secondly, he wanted to thoroughly review the recommended dentist to make sure he doesn’t have a similar experience.
On a nice note, the receptionist is really nice. (She’s American and speaks perfect English.)

Seen extremely quickly. I was assigned a different dentist in the practice other than Dr. brown, but he was very good. The staff is very friendly and professional. The dental hygienist was also very good, and not too painful. Overall a pretty good experience considering it is the dentist.

I have been to Dr. Van Madison on 3 separate occasions (general cleaning and then two deep cleanings) and the experiences are very different depending on WHO you get as your hygienist: Randy or the Russian lady (I’m very sorry, don’t remember her name). If I was rating solely on having Randy as the hygienist, I’d say 4, but if it was the Russian lady — ZERO!
First time — My coworker told me that her husband is extremely pleased with this dentist so I scheduled a regular cleaning and got the Russian lady. She is extremely rude and uncaring to the amount of pain that she causes you. She made my mouth bleed profusely and continued to drill even though I was in tears and asking her to stop because I was in a lot of pain. Instead of trying to comfort me (dude, it’s not every day a grown adult bursts into tears from you drilling into her gums, is it?) she just ignored me and just said «your gums are very sensitive, that’s why it hurts.» B*tch
Second time — I scheduled a deep cleaning (they only do half of your mouth at a time) and again got the Russian lady (do they not have anyone else working there?!). I decided to give her another chance, perhaps my gums were just insanely sensitive. Plus, I would be numbed for this procedure so if I’m numbed, how could it still hurt? Well, I still left in tears because she still somehow managed to hurt me past the anesthesia. She applied the anesthesia herself instead of getting a dentist to do it (uhm, RED FLAG). Instead of asking her to stop, I grabbed her hand a few times and forced her to stop when the blood in my mouth kept piling up. Her reaction? To roll her eyes and wait for me to stop spitting up blood.
Third Time — I had to do the other half of my mouth and then promised myself I’m never coming back here, but I specifically requested another hygienist and this time I got Randy — SWEETEST and most careful woman you will ever meet. She makes it okay for me to go back to this dentist’s location!
#1, she didn’t do the anesthesia herself and explained to me that she’s going to grab a dentist to do it. The dentists are all really nice, btw and very careful to make sure they explain everything that they’re doing. Applying the anesthesia was uncomfortable, but he re-​assured me every step of the way what he was doing, how much pain to expect from it, etc and that really helped to calm my nerves.
#2, She explained everything she was doing as she was doing it. Maybe it’s a placebo thing, but just by telling me what she was doing, i felt more relaxed.
#3, She’s extremely gentle. I was numbed the same way when the Russian lady took care of me, but Randy didn’t make me hurt consistently.
Now folks, I know that going to the dentist isn’t meant to be a pain-​free experience … but I really question why this Russian woman is still working there. She’s insensitive and has terrible customer service skills. The dentists are nice and they know what they’re doing, but definitely request Randy if you’re in need of a cleaning, I believe she only works Mondays.

is it sad i actually enjoy coming here since it’s a break from work?
i have been here for 2 or 3 cleanings, a new filling, and a filling repair in the past two years.
each time i have been completely satisfied with the service, and level of care. additionally, everyone is very friendly, and the dentists knowledgable about what they’re doing.
i decided to try this place since it was close to my current job, but it’s likely i will continue to come even if i move further away.
would have given them 5 stars, but can you really give 5 stars to a dentist???

This is a group practice of dentists. The one I see is Dr. Lotakis. He’s young and really cool and friendly. The office is in the 2^nd floor of an apt bldg, and it was recently renovated, I think. The office space is somewhat small, but comfortable, and there’s pretty good magazines in the waiting room. Since going to the dentist doesn’t really freak me out or anything, it’s stuff like magazines and décor that matter to me!
The office staff is responsive — they helped me out with some paperwork for getting a reimbursement from my insurance company. I’ve never really had to wait that long when I go, which is nice.
They offer a fluoride treatment for $ 25 extra — you sit with a mouth mold in your mouth that’s been covered in foamy fluoride. Dr. Lotakis convinced me that it’s worth it… but it’s optional! Since decayed, yellow teeth at the age of 80 scares me, I was like, «bring it on!»