Joni R Marcus, DMD

I also have to disagree with the negative review. I don’t just have anxiety about dentists, I have a fear on the level with a phobia. (Several really bad experiencing many years ago.) It took every ounce of courage I had to go to my appointment. Dr. Marcus and her staff were kind, understanding, solicitous and informative. I was tended to almost immediately upon my arrival. There was always someone there with me. If I showed any anxiety at all, they stopped what they were doing and gave me a chance to catch my breath. When I objected to a standard piece of dental equipment, Dr. Marcus opted not to use it. The second I started experiencing pain, they stopped what they were doing and helped me relax. My options and the costs were clearly explained to me. I need several follow up appointments and I was offered one for 2 days later. Unfortunately my life obligations stopped me from taking that appointment but they did make one available to me the very next week, around my schedule.
When you have a fear like mine it is incredibly hard to overcome it. Thanks to Dr. Marcus and her staff, I am not dreading my next visit. If even 1 thing had gone wrong during this initial visit, I would have left and probably never gone to see another dentist.
While my fear is a long way from being gone, I am confident that, with time and the atmosphere at Dr. Marcus’ office, I will be able to overcome this. I am already extremely thankful to Dr. Marcus and her staff.

I couldn’t disagree with the negative review more! I have had some really horrible experiences with dentists and as a result hadn’t been to the dentist in 7 years! I’m so unbelievably glad I chose Dr Joni Marcus, on the recommendation of a friend! It has been a week since my appointment and I have not stopped talking about how great it was!
Everyone in the office was helpful and generous with his or her time. It was explained that we would do x-​rays and then Dr Marcus would come in for an exam and we’d talk about what was to happen next. I never felt like I didn’t know what was happening. It was all spelled out, which helped my anxiety tons! I’m super lucky, because there were no major problems other than a cavity and two fillings that needed replacing (one fell out a bit ago, and the other — even I could tell was degrading).
Dr Marcus again talked through the whole process with me ahead of time so that I knew what was coming, and during the dreaded Novocaine (I really hate that part!) even counted down how long each of the shots would take!
Overall — I was treated with great care, compassion, gentleness and humor. I have told everyone I work with and all of my friends and they are all starting to set up their own appointments. It’s a bit out of the way and maybe some of the décor could be considered dated? But, honestly… who cares! I’m not there for an interior decorator. I’m there for the care and that was exemplary.

If you want to go to a dentist in a ghetto where there is risk of getting mugged… If you want to be worked on with equipment from the 80s… And most importantly, if you require a dentist that wants to do the minimal amount of work possible in order to get paid by your insurance company… come to Dr. Marcus. I was new to Philly and looked on ZocDoc for recommendations, and found this place. What a disaster. Lesson learned — don’t trust ZocDoc outside of NYC. Waiting room full of scary people. 30 minutes after my appointed time, I finally got in. Almost wanted to walk out then with all the dated equipment. Cleaning was cursory, at best. No flossing, no detailed scaling. What did I just pay for? And then, normal dentists give you floss, an Oral-​B toothbrush and some toothpaste sample. Nope, not here. A plastic baggie with one of those toothpick-​flosser combo widgets. Seriously?
Best part yet — 3 months later, I call back to schedule a regular cleaning. I’ve paid for my insurance, and it covers 6 cleanings a year. I might as well use it, right? Dr. Marcus refuses to schedule me in! Can you believe that? «Your teeth are clean, they don’t require a cleaning.» It’s a patient’s call if they want a polish or not. And it wasn’t like she had a packed schedule. Her receptionist offered several time slots under Dr. Marcus intervened. Gruff and ill-​mannered. A ghetto dentist.
Oh, and if you decide to transfer dentists and want your x-​ray records from Marcus — another $ 20 for a ‘copy fee’. WTF? I’ve been going to Dentists in Boston, NYC and Miami for over 10 years, and I’ve never been asked for that. Save the headaches, look for another dentist.