Shachi Bahl, DMD

I have been referred to Dr. Bahl by a friend, in order to get yet another opinion regarding my relatively complicated dental situation. Initially I just wanted to talk to her on the phone and briefly explain my situation and see if she would be a good fit for my case. To my surprise, she suggested I come in for a free «second opinion» exam.
I am quite cynical when it comes to dentists in general, but Dr. Bahl blew away all my concerns.
This being a free visit, I was quite self conscious and tried to go through the description of my problems as quickly as possible, but she encouraged me to be as detailed as I could, and present the entire history of my case. She didn’t show any sign of boredom or being in a hurry, and she was totally focused on my explanations. The entire appointment lasted over an hour!
Despite the fact that I presented her with lots of details, she was able to grasp the complexity of my case, ask pertinent question and make meaningful suggestions. This may seem as a basic expectation from any health practitioner, but it’s not what happens in most cases. In this case, I would say something about tooth #5 for example, and 20 minutes later after a lot of other information, she would make a reference to the initial fact about #5 in a completely different context.
Another fact that is unusual in my experience, is that she was very conservative. While in the past I was told that I needed up to a full mouth reconstruction, with a price to match, she suggested the least invasive procedures, even if that meant a very low or no cost. For example, I have several superficial cavities — she mentioned that applying fluoride toothpaste daily on the affected areas could resolve the problems without the need for fillings. Also, I mentioned that I would also like to whiten my teeth, and instead of telling me to do the tray based whitening, and which may cost around $ 500, she suggested a much cheaper alternative — a strip whitening system ($ 45). She said she can’t recommend the trays because in the future they may not fit anymore due to the specifics of my case.
To summarize, she paid attention, made an effort to understand the case as a whole as well as in detail. She also showed a genuine concern for my well being, and she approached my case very conservatively, even if that meant fewer procedures and less treatment.
I also found the office to be very friendly, and Lucy, the receptionist who handled scheduling the appointment and my follow up questions, was very helpful and reliable.