Atherton David R, DDS

When your dentist decides that it’s staff’s resources are better spent billing patients for appointments they miss rather than reminding patients of an upcoming appointment, it’s time to find another dentist.
Our kids have been seeing Dr. Dave for several years. And we’ve generally been happy with the service he provides. The problem arises when scheduling an appointment for a new year. This is where a paper calendar system, like the one our family uses, is vulnerable. So when we make an appointment for the following year, we ask the office to call us with a reminder. Most times we don’t need the reminder, but it’s a good backup.
Unfortunately, even though Dr. Dave’s staff committed to call us, they didn’t and we missed our appointment. That was our third visit, in Feb 2013. The Aug 2013, Feb 2014 and Aug 2014 visits were all on time, but we missed the Feb 2015 appointment. When I inquired why they didn’t call, they claimed to have texted instead. We checked our phone records, there was no text either.
Ultimately it’s our responsibility to show up on time. But it’s sad that a large, successful practice like Dr. Dave’s chooses to ignore its client’s specific request for help in getting to an appointment and instead spends the time on preparing and sending out bills for late fees.

Dr. Dave is amazing. I can’t remember how I found him over 10 years ago. Without him, I don’t think my child with Autism would have ever been able to figure out how to manage a dental appointment.
He has a quiet room so that we could be separated from the other patients as to not disturb them when my very young son was literally freaking out in the dental chair. Dr. Dave was so patient and emphasized making this a positive experience so we could build more into the appointment over time.
Less than 2 years into our relationship, my son had an accident on his scooter where he needed a partial root canal. Children’s Hospital could not get him in for the procedure (in order to completely knock him out) for 9 months so Dr. Dave agreed to «give it a try» in order to try and save the tooth by having the procedure done as soon as possible. We were successful!
10 years later, my son goes to see the dentist like any other kid would. The crown that came with the partial root canal has stood the test of time. Both of my children enjoy their visits to the dentist.
Thanks again, Dr. Dave!

We have moved often and been through our share of pediatric dentists. Dr. Dave and his staff are the cream of the crop! I was in awe, totally rendered speechless by his ability to engage my four and two year olds during their cleanings! He has a million age appropriate tricks up his sleeve and customized the experience for each child. I felt like anything I could do as a mom would have just gotten in the way so I sat back and observed his amazing skills! I was also very impressed by Dr. Dave’s knowledge and post visit parent consult and advice. He knows what he is doing and is passionate about it! His offer to answer any questions over the phone and take emergency calls was very sincere and I know I won’t hesitate if we have a need. I want to pass out his business card to everyone we see and have already shared his name with two preschool families new to town. His staff is also incredible — their patience with my busy crew (did I mention we arrived with a two week old ;) too?) was terrific! They were very flexible and accommodating in scheduling an appointment time that met my needs. An A+ experience for sure! And my kiddos have never loved a dentist appointment more!

Dr. Atherton has been seeing my 6 year old son for about a year now. He makes it such a pleasant experience we actually look forward to visiting the practice. I am so glad I found this practice for my kids and can fault it in no way. His staff are extremely professional and pleasant and Dr. Atherton extremely knowledgeable and willing to share this with parents and kids. We have also started taking our 2 year old as I think his Dental practice is second to none. During my visit today 2 things were confirmed:
1, He really cares about his patients
2, He has a deep interest in his line of work
This is a great combination.

I’ve been taking my son to Dr Atherton for a little over a year. I’ve always been completely impressed by every aspect of his practice and he is always amazing with my toddler. Today we saw just what a great doctor and person he is when my 3 year old fell and seriously knocked his front teeth. I called Dr Atherton on his personal number at 10.15am on a Saturday morning and he met us at his clinic at 11am. He was amazing as usual and what could have been a long and traumatic morning for all of us ended up being sorted quickly and easily. We’re really grateful to have found such a great dentist for our kids.

Not only was Dr Atherton’s office tot friendly, so was he and his staff. High doorknobs to keep my kids from trying to bolt into the hall was a BIG plus. Dr Atherton is also SUPER available. He accepts calls day or night and weekends if your kids mouths are hurt in any way. I thought I like the kids old pediatric dentist but Dr Atherton and his staff make them look like amateurs.