Dirk Dekoch, DDS

Great service and very nice staff. This place has truly helped me achieve my ideal dental health.

I was a couple of years overdue for a cleaning and I had a filling fall out of my back left molar. I already knew that that back molar had to be extracted and I had new cavities to be filled. After reading a few Unilocal and Google reviews and determining if they took my insurance, I booked an appointment.
1. Booking the appointment — They had an appointment available for me at the time I wanted the next week. My back tooth wasn’t hurting, so I felt I could wait. Besides, who’s THAT excited to go to the Dentist? They told me to come in 15 minutes before my appointment time to fill out some forms.
2. Reception — Got there 15 mins before my time. The ladies at the front desk were pleasant and helpful. I filled out some forms. Turned them in. Right at 1030, they called me for xrays.
3. XRays were cool — their machine is fully digital. Xray tech knew what she was doing and pleasant. You see your teeth right there. I had to get more xrays after my cleaning. My insurance covered it. They shot more; pew pew.
4. Cleaning — The hygenist was very nice. She was the hero of the day. I recently quit smoking so she had the daunting task of scraping all that buildup. She used a magnetostrictive ultrasonic scaler — a pik that vibrates so fast, it needs constant running water to cool it. She was very nice and I was very apologetic. She did a great job — my teeth didn’t feel as sore afterwards.
5. Dentist — Dr. DeKoch was awesome. He spoke clearly. We talked about the importance of 6 month visits. He determined that I will be needing 3 fillings (using the fancy digital xrays, he pinched-​to-​zoom to the areas so he can explain it better). He examined my busted molar he determined that it needed to be extracted as soon as possible.
We scheduled the fillings the for a week later; after the molar extraction takes place. After the consult, he personally walked me over to the Oral Surgeon’s office next door to schedule that extraction. He spoke highly of him and I couldn’t be more confident in taking his reccomendation.
6. The return visit — Dr. DeKoch used local anesthetic and drilled and filled 3 of my cavities. and fixed my chipped front tooth. It was great. Dr. DeKoch is a pro. The filling to fix the chip perfectly matched my tooth’s color. We talked about a referral to orthodontics as part of a plan to pemanently fix my broken front teeth with crowns instead of «filling material».
I have determined that Dr. DeKoch will be my permanent dentist as long as I live in San Antoinio. His front office staff is great, his hygenists/​assistants are professional and pleasant. For those who complained about his «dated» facility, he’s building his new office building (still in the 09) and will be ready to move soon. If he refers you to another dental specialist, he personally knows them and they have the same quality of work/​work ethic he does.

First of all let me start with my review and tell you that I think most of these reviews on Unilocal for this office are not accurate. I was given the chance to be «secret shopper» patient at this office. Upon arriving at the location, I walked into a very outdated office. There were two ladies at the desk. The lady to the left at the desk did not even look up as I had entered. The front desk lady on the right was the only one who looked up and acknowledged that I was standing there. I thought that this was a rather odd way to treat a patient.
I was first seen by the dental assistant who took x-​rays. She was very nice and gentle with her x-​rays. Next I was moved to the elder Dikoch’s room for treatment. The room was kind of dated. The assistant that he was using at the time had a terrible cough and was coughing all over the place. I was not pleased with this. And I had to request safety glasses which they didn’t even know where they were. The last thing I want is sharp instruments to fall into my eye. The dentist came in, and proceeded to examine my issue that I was there for. I asked him several times to take a look at the rest of my mouth because I was there for an exam as well. Repeatedly he kept saying how he had to hurry because he had a plane to catch. I asked him three times to look at a few of my teeth that were bothering me. And his response was «i’ll get to it». He proceeded to work on a couple of my teeth doing some cosmetic things and he was very rough. He tugged at my lips with his gloves, he pulled on the side of my cheek too hard with his mirror and I asked him several times to please be gentle. When he began to do some drilling I noticed that he did not use a water with his drill and then I could smell burning tooth. This is unacceptable as it is common practice and it is recommended to use water when you are drilling a part of the tooth as to not burn the pulp of the tooth. While he was in there working, I asked him again if he saw anything on a couple of other teeth in a different location. He said I’ll have to take a look but I’m in a hurry I have a plane to catch. He kept working and only did half the job that he was supposed to do saying that he had to go he had his plane he had to catch again. I asked him if he had looked at the other teeth and he said no. He would have to do it at the next appointment. I told him that my tooth was a now very rough and that it was cutting my tongue needed to be smoothed out. He again said he had to leave because he had a plane to catch. Even though I was there for an exam as well, he didn’t do one.
I then went to the front with my paperwork and handed it to the front desk ladies. They told me that the bill for today for the exam in the dental work would be $$$. I informed the front desk lady that I would not be paying for an exam because an exam was not done and that the doctor never looked at all of my teeth let alone the teeth that were bothering me. He had only done just the cosmetic work. That was also unacceptable. The dentist should always treat the problem area first before moving onto cosmetic issues. To get a better picture of the dental office, I asked if the hygienist had any openings that day for a cleaning in which she did. So I waited for the hygienist and I went to her room for a cleaning.
The hygienist room was dated as well. This was my first cleaning with this hygienist at this location. The dental hygienist did not do any extra oral or intra-​oral cancer examination. The dental hygienist did not do any periodontal probing aside from sticking the probe in a couple places around A few teeth. Standard of care means that you should be assessing the patient’s mouth at the first appointment by periodontal probing the whole mouth and doing this once a year after that. The hygienist did not do that. When she started to clean my teeth, she only used hand instruments. Which is not the standard of care anymore. This is an older school of training. The new standard of care is to use an ultrasonic Cavitron on patients and to hand scale afterwards. When I asked her to please use the Cavitron on my teeth, she kind of chuckled and said oh you like that? As though she disapproved of using it. I thought that this was really odd because that is the newer technology since 1980. She proceeded to clean my teeth and when it came time to do the fluoride she wanted to use the cheap foam Fluoride on my teeth. Foam fluoride does very little for your teeth. So I requested that she use varnish fluoride. She laughed at me again and said oh why would you want
that, that’s that’s gross! Varnish fluoride is the standard of care. It may cost a little bit more for the dentist but it does more for the patient.
I would not recommend this office. Especially after taking a look from the other side of the spectrum.

I found this office from Unilocal after recently moving to San Antonio and not knowing where to go. The staff and dentists make this facility painless and a joy to come to… who says that about going to the dentist? This will be my regular dentist for many years to come.
Thank you!

I went here because the reviews were really good. I had my second visit today to get a bunch of fillings… Everyone is really nice and they don’t keep you waiting like a lot of other places. At least, I haven’t had to wait more than a few minutes both visits. When I got my teeth cleaned the lady (Yolanda I think? I’m bad with names) explained all the tools to me which, I’ve been to the dentists lots of times but I never knew what some of those were for :-0 the dr is nice too but if he’s working on you, your hair is gonna get messed up lol. anyway i actually had an almost pleasant time even tho I was there to get four teeth drilled and I have a third visit next week because i have a ton of cavities lol.

Dr DeKoch Sr is just great, the staff is friendly, very professional. I went there solely based on the reviews I had read here on Unilocal and I couldn’t be happier. I have been in the U.S. for a year now and I went to another dentist at first and hated it, the place didn’t look clean, the staff was not nice and the dentist seemed bored. Dr DeKoch is truly what you’d call a real doctor, he knows what he is doing and after just being there just once I can say I trust him to work on my teeth (I have some superficial cavities and I want braces). I thought I would never find a good dentist like the one I have back home in Romania but it seems I was wrong. I recommend this place to anyone who can’t seem to find a dentist they like and trust.

Great staff. Very friendly yet thorough and professional. Awesome hygienist. She treated me like a person not a just a number. Although I just got an Exam, X-​rays, and cleaning, the atmosphere and vibe was very comfortable and uplifting. A+++

So let me tell you about my Monday morning–
First of all, I had already spent my entire weekend with a terrible toothache. I spent Sunday night looking through Unilocal for a dentist nearby and the reviews on this practice made me call bright and early on Monday morning.
I called and Diana was very concerned about me getting it looked at right away! This made me feel better already. Luckily there was a cancelation and Dr. John was able to see me. When she asked how long I would take, I said 20 (was more like 30, sorry!) but she knew who I was as soon as I walked in (I’m assuming from my disheveled self from rushing out the door) and checked me in. The assistant was quick to take me back and took a look at what was going on. We took x rays and Dr. John came in after.
He listened to my dental history and took a look and gave me options on what the next steps would be.
I came out of the chair, relieved and with one less tooth.
My son was with me the entire time which made me nervous because he’s 4, and this is the age of make or break dr visits. I seriously can’t be more thankful that his first experience in a dentist’s office was here. My son was literally in my face during the whole extraction and asking a lot of questions and making lots of 4 years old remarks and Dr John and his assistant answered every one of his questions enthusiastically and in a way he’d understand, and we all even laughed at a few of his comments. He’s used this new found knowledge to tell his grandma and grandpa about brushing their teeth!)
I have to make a trip to the orthodontist before coming back, but for the first time in my life, I’m definitely looking forward to coming back to the dentist!

This is the best dentist and dentist practice I have EVER been to. My kids go here, I go here, he is a superb dentist but he also has a heart – he’s not out to make money on you at your expense, just to help your family be healthy. Everyone from the front desk to the hygienists to the dentists themselves are kind, knowledgeable, and honest. I cannot recommend them highly enough. It may be hard to get an appointment for cleanings but it is WORTH the wait!

VERY kind, friendly and personable. They worked with my five year old when other family dentist wouldn’t. The reception staff was great and so are the dental assistants. Everyone that walked in was called by name as if they knew the patients. Every patient that walked in seemed happy to be there as if they were visiting a friend. I will be returning for my dental care, Even if it’s out of my way. They go out of their way to treat you like a human and provide a good service.

Love Dr. Dekoch. I started going there about a year and a half ago. Called with pain and they got me in that day. That is consistent. He has done major work for me and is always very considerate of comfort and explains what he is doing and various options. He also communicates with the patient about costs ref things/​places covered by insurance and not. He really looks after the interests of his patients. His front staff are always very nice and professional. He also genuinely enjoys talking to patients and can be quite funny. Can’t say enough good things about him and this office.

i really like this dentist’s office… it’s a nice southern hospitality with a side of good times while getting drilled. i recommended this place to anybody that’ll read this.

I had previously made a review but realized I was on someone else’s account and so went ahead and deleted that and I’m ready to make a new review hopefully with the same awesomeness as the last one.
So a friend of my dad’s recommended I go here when I was having some issues with my past dentist. So I picked up the phone and made the call. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate going to the dentist or anything, in fact I actually like it, but say I did hate the whole process of going to the dentist, they absolutely made it as simple and as amazing as they possibly could. As soon as they picked up the phone it was an experience you don’t get when calling any drs office. The voice on the other end of the line was pleasant and answered all my questions (believe me, I had plenty). The day of my appointment I walked in and was treated like I was family and had been going there for my entire existence. It was an amazing experience, and they even stayed way past close to do the best dentistry job ever! Every single person that works there has a smile on their face and is ready to do anything they can to accommodate you and make it as pleasant as it can possibly be to go to the dentist. I highly recommend going here. I have found my forever dentist :)

The reviews are legitimate, I went for my initial visit and was very pleased with their service. From the desk employees all the way up to the dentist they were great. They are performing quality work while not trying to run a high tab on you. I believe they are very honest and knowledgeable in their profession. I have finally found my new dentist.

I have been going to Dr. DeKoch for two years now. He is hands down the best dentist that I have seen in my adult life. His office staff are the most pleasant and courteous women who exhibit unlimited patience and I actually enjoy my visits to the dentist! If you need a good dentist who treats his patients as if they were family, call Dr. DeKoch. You will be very pleased.

I went to the doctor solely based on Unilocal reviews and I haven’t been disappointed at all. From the front desk lady to my hygienist to the dentist, every one was very very friendly, courteous and great to just be there. The place is super clean and I was not rushed into anything. The dentist was very patient and all staff were very friendly.
Made them my new dentist for the time to come.
:)

After reading through Unilocal,and finding out that this guy was able to patch up Inda H.‘s mouth after she had a tongue ring, I figured that this guy could do anything. I scheduled an appointment. I needed prophylaxis, which only sounds dirty, but it’s not. Just a cleaning.
Dr. Dekoch’s staff was quite nice, friendly, and on-​time.
They did a fairly good job of cleaning my teeth. I wish they would’ve gotten a bit lower underneath the gum line though. They’ve been a great help with my teeth and Dr. Dekoch’s manner is excellent, and he seems to be quite thorough. The rates were quite reasonable, and I felt at ease the whole time.
I enjoy the fact that he’s a baseball fan and has all kinds of baseball paraphernalia around the office.
So next time you’re graced by my brilliant smile, you can thank Dr. Dirk Dekoch.

My husband and I have been a client of Dr Dirk for over 10yrs. We got lucky when my insurance assigned him to me as his office is located right on the edge of our neighborhood. We have been thru several insurance plans since then and again we have been lucky to have been able to keep him. He is a good honest fair man, doctor, and business owner. Top dentist in SA. He is the only dentist that has never used gas on me… and I haven’t needed it… Dr Dirk is awesome! His son has joined the business. Diana at the front desk is always sweet and helpful. I also highly recommend the hygienist Becca who always seems to look forward to seeing us both. Everyone in the office always seems to be happy. The office will always work with you to make sure you are taken care of… as you can tell from the many other reviews… Dr Dirk cares!

Love this dentist! His office staff are super friendly and polite, made up of mostly older white women (duh, this is Alamo Heights). Everyone is plenty courteous, and with my old health insurance he was covered with a nonexistent co-​pay: SCORE!
I’m not sure which doctor is Dirk: this is a father and son operation, and it seemed when I last visited that the young (and good looking!) son was pretty much taking over the business. The dental assistants I’ve had here are always super friendly and chatty, and always sure to
thoroughly explain anything they do or answer any dental hygiene questions you may have.
Exam rooms are clean, machinery/​tools all appear sterilized and new, though the lobby is misleadingly outdated. Wish this place was still covered under my insurance so I could go back for a cleaning, but alas I am tasked with finding a new dental office!

I had an appointment with Dr John Dekoch. He is the truly the best dentist I have been to so far. I’m saying this because I have been to other dentists around San Antonio who really aren’t caring enough. It’s like they do stuff for money.
Dr John Dekoch was very caring and gentle. I am getting back to him for more treatment without a question and would strongly recommend him to anyone.