West Somerville Dental Associates

I was a patient for years and had great experiences. However they have been declining for a few years now. I felt pressured into getting a bunch of very expensive procedures last year… After visiting another dentist, I only really needed one done. They also added (or maybe she was just covering temp) a dentist who treated me horribly– she was nasty and made me feel guilty about not getting a bunch of painful work done, shamed me about tooth care… I stopped going after that last visit.
Find another dentist– there are much better out there who aren’t trying to drive revenue over patient care

was able to get a same day cleaning due to cancellation. nice efficient office, friendly staff based on my experience would recommend especially as they have Saturday hours

Friendly staff, enjoyable experience. Was able to book an appointment time convenient for me. Definitely recommend them.

I just had the friendliest phone call with the weekend on-​call dentist, Dr. Alvi. She called me back within 30 minutes. I described my pain, and she offered helpful advice and reassured me that it’s not an emergency. In the past, I’ve had doctors refuse to offer any kind of guidance over the phone, even for relatively small concerns, so this was a huge relief, especially with a blizzard looming on a Saturday afternoon.
I’ve been to this office a few times in the past for basic preventative care, and everyone has been super friendly. I’ve been seen by Dr. Alvi and a couple of different hygienists, and they’ve all been very warm and welcoming, and also patient about answering questions. The front desk staff is also great about pulling my insurance details and figuring out exactly how much I’m going to owe for various dental work. When I’ve asked about whitening, they’ve been honest about my ability to get similar results for far less money by using at-​home kits.
I used to work for a fantastic dentist in my hometown, so I have pretty high standards for dental visits, and I’ve been very happy here so far.

I have been coming to West Somerville Dental Associates for a couple years now and have always had a great experience. The staff are outstanding and the business is handled very professionally administratively, clinically, and financially. Asley and Christine are excellent handling the front desk helping me to receive an appointment reminder card, reminder text or email for my next appointments and ensuring that I am aware of what my insurance benefits are so that I can maximize them or be aware of what I may owe before I am given service. Leah is also super friendly and very informative with sharing tips for taking care of my smile such as specific products to use for brushing, rinsing, or others like guards to protect my teeth from grinding at night and even more detailed to what areas of my teeth I need to pay more attention to when brushing. Each of the doctors I have met with there have also been great in explaining what they’re going to do and having great chairside manner. I would highly recommend this dentist practice and will continue going there myself.

I wish i could give 0 stars. Do not go here. The owner, Dr. Alvi, has shady business practices. I received a random notice from a collections agency claiming I had an unpaid bill. I NEVER received a bill nor was I ever contacted by phone. This was also for some procedure that was done over one year ago. I’m not even sure because when I did eventually receive a bill from them, after notifying the collections agency I hadn’t even received anything from them, the bill they sent me had no descriptive information, like what I was being billed for, or even the date of the procedure. It was simply a balance amount. First of all, why would Dr. Alvi go directly to a collections agency when they never even sent me anything? Why not mail me an invoice or at least call me? Second of all, When I finally did call, the front desk also admitted they had never contacted me and said they would call back, which they never did. Third, there was no description of services or even the date I had it done. I’ve saved the invoices because I plan on following up. Finally, I wanted to make a complaint to the BBB, but surprise surprise, West Somerville Dental Associates is not even accredited by the Better Business Bureau. Probably because they’ve received so many complaints already.

This is my second time at the dental office and I have been very pleased with my experience both times.
All the people I have met are extremely nice and professional. I have never had anyone be as thorough with teeth cleaning as Leah. She is really sweet and takes her time when it comes to explaining the proper way to take care of teeth. Dr. Alvi was also very professional and her calmness put me at ease. The girls at front desk were extremely helpful and made sure my insurance covered the procedures I received so I would not have an astronomical bill.
Coming from Quincy, this location can be a bit of a hassle but because everyone there is awesome, it is worth the trip.

I picked West Somerville Dental because it was close to my house, and they had appointments on Saturdays. That made it really convenient. I had fillings done by the main dentist dr. Alvi. Totally great and quick dentist.
My complaints: my first two fillings took only 35 minutes (which was great) to complete but cost $ 450 (more than I’ve ever paid for fillings, and I have insurance).
My second complaint is that the shots administered before the fillings were the most painful shots I have ever gotten at a dentist. I am from CA and this was my first dental experience in MA. She basically went straight in for the kill with the shots both times. The reason I am mentioning this as a complaint, is I told her on my second visit that I was sensitive to shots. Regardless of what I said she went ahead and pricked me about 4 times before the topical had numbed anything. I was on the verge of tears.
I wouldn’t have let a review, if I hadn’t told her my concerns! Very bad experience.
I am moving back to ca, so this will probably be my last visit. There were some very good aspects of this office. The dental hygienist was extremely helpful and knowledgable.

I’ve been to West Somerville Dental twice and both times were treat great (well, as great as trips to the dentist can be). Both the hygienist and dentist were awesome. They took the time to walk me through what they were doing, they were considerate and sincere. All that aside, the real reason I’m writing this review is because what they did after my appointment. A few days before my appointment I had just found out that I would be moving to NYC for grad school. This had come up in discussion briefly while meeting with the hygienist and dentist, but not much was made of it. About 2 weeks after my appointment I received a hand written letter from my dentist (who I had only seen twice in my life) wishing me good luck with the move and grad school. I’m not sure about you, but I thought was a pretty cool gesture. If I ever move back to the Boston area, I’m for sure going back to this place.

Very good cleaning. I came here and redeemed the Unilocal coupon ($ 25 off). Service was timely, professional and courteous. I left feeling like my teeth were thoroughly cleaned. The hygienist educated me on proper flossing technique and gave me some complimentary samples of oral care products. I would definitely recommend them to anyone in the area.

This place has lots of bells and whistles, but pretty unprofessional. The dentist shouldn’t let her kids run around the clinic barefoot just because you own the place. Overall Dr Alvi does not have clear communication skills, appears too busy to be considerate towards others, and has a rude personna.

I’ve had complications from work done here. I went to get a second opinion about some complications I’ve had and other doctors have been surprised to see what’s been done from WSD.
During my time at WSD there were times when FREE work was offered to me in order to correct issues that they assumed responsibility for… I should have taken that as a sign…
To be fair, the staff is friendly, it’s really the only reason I kept going back there.

Had a great experience with these nice guys.
Showed up with very short notice, got along well with the lively person at the reception desk, had a lovely hygienist look at my poor old cavities, and found 5 of them (she must be good), had them price the fillings (obviously more than my immigrant insurance-​less self could afford), and we found and arrangement for paying things off. The doctor was great and the fillings didn’t take long. In the end I did spend a couple hours there, but I came in no notice, had many x rays, and too good fillings, all of that with a nice team!
Would recommend. I almost feels like I’ve going there for ever!
My only strong critic would be that there was some dust in the room, and generally things seem like they could be more tidy! Even though I’m picky about cleanliness, for a dental cabinet, they should be more serious about it.
Will definitely go back to get my three other fillings.

I truly wish I could give zero stars about my experience here. There does NOT seem to be any form if communication between people who work here.
My experience started this afternoon when I finally came to a breaking point with pain I was having with my wisdom teeth. My husband comes to this practice and thought they were pretty good. I have a pretty high level of anxiety when it comes to dentists, so I trusted his opinion.
The reception staff is lovely and the offices are very nice. That’s pretty much the only positive thing I can say about the experience. I asked when I called if they did sedation dental, which they said they did. I showed them a picture of my X-​ray and my broken tooth I explained that I understood if they couldn’t be taken out that day, but that I’d like to have an appointment in place for the near future. The girl who was talking with me kept on leaving to ask the periodontist questions (which was fine) and kept on suggesting they could do it that day. The periodontist came in and explained to me that they could use nitrous. I asked about the effects of that and it was compared to having a glass of wine. I was starting to feel a little annoyed at this point thinking. «wait, I just told you about extreme anxiety and not wanting to be lucid for any part of this process». At that point when I said I was not at all interested in that, she said that I might need an Rx for an antibiotic, briefly checked my mouth and completely ignored me when I asked for something for the pain that my swollen mouth and broken tooth was causing me. I told the assistant that I had been taking about 1000−1200mgs of ibuprofen and that it was not helping. While I was on my way out I was then told that they do in fact do the sedation dental I was asking about, but that the periodontist thought I would be «more comfortable» going somewhere else. So much for saying «I understand things won’t happen today, but I’d like to have a plan in place». Maybe she doesn’t have any idea what dental anxiety is like, but calling around and making appointments to go other places when it already took quite a bit to get into that office is COMPLETELY UNHELPFUL.
I ended up leaving with a referral and an Rx for penicillin. I’m currently at home and carrying on with mouth pain for another two weeks while I wait for the upcoming appointment «somewhere else».
Thanks very much for the help and emergency appointment WSDA. You may want to remove that poster in your waiting room about «understanding patient anxiety».

Update to my previous review:
Dr. Alvi contacted me through Unilocal on ⁶⁄₁₅ to apologize for the bad service. She offered me a $ 450 teeth whitening procedure as an olive branch and she said she would try to contact me on 6/​16, and if she could not reach me, she’d try again on ⁶⁄₂₅ after returning from vacation. Here’s the direct quote from her:
«We want to make it up to you and are willing to do whatever it takes to win you back as our patient. Please accept our offer for a free in-​office Dash teeth whitening, valued at $ 450. Please come in and give us another chance, you will not be disappointed! Thank you for the review; it helps us constantly improve our practice. I will try and call you Saturday ⁶⁄₁₆ however will apologize in advance for any background sounds you here I will be at the airport. If I am not able to catch you tomorrow I will touch base once I get back, Monday ⁶⁄₂₅.»
SHE NEVER CALLED.
Perhaps this was because I said I was uninterested in the teeth whitening procedure, but I would appreciate a reimbursement of my out of pocket expenses. I also informed her that not only did Dr. Koo’s work on my teeth need a do-​over, but the tooth Dr. Alvi herself filled was left way too high, causing my bite to be off and resulting in jaw pain. I had to go to another dentist to get my tooth shaved down and now, nearly 3 weeks after the filling, still have residual pain because of the trauma to the tooth and jaw caused by the filling being left too high.

This office is like upgrading to first class from coach: You get great care with dentists who know what their doing, but you’re going to pay for it.
But I’m mainly on here to brag about Christina. Not one of the doctors, but the front desk receptionist. She successfully put a band-​aid on an unfortunate miscommunication between me and the last receptionist (whom I’m told has since found other employment). Essentially, I had a few cavities and the now-​retired receptionist misquoted my bill. Nothing egregious, she just didn’t know how to navigate my insurance information – what they do and don’t cover.
So I came back, looking confused about my charges, and Christina went through my bill point by point. It was incredible. She was detailed and thorough and NICE! Never have I seen someone so competent and enthusiastic about an insurance coverage breakdown. After talking with Christina, I felt at ease about paying a sum significantly greater than I had been originally quoted.
Kudos, Christina. You’re incredible at what you do!

Visited for a routine check-​up and cleaning. A genuine five star review! I am new to the area and saw great reviews on Unilocal about this place, which is close to my house. As a new patient, I was greeted warmly by the receptionist (who turned out to also be the dental hygienist), and a beautiful well-​lit, clean reception area. We’re talking leather couches, flat screen TVs, and Real Simple magazines, plus free coffee and apple juice!
But more than just being a nice-​looking place, I felt the care was excellent. My hygienist was personable and warm, and more importantly, very professional and thorough. None of the usual yank-​floss-​down-​into-​your-​throat teeth cleaning — instead she took her time to go through and do the job right! The dentist was also wonderful.
I don’t have dental insurance, and was pleased when the check-​out service included a very easy to follow print out of my expected and incurred expenses. This was a thoughtful addition that will make is much easier to keep track of my dental care.
I give this place my highest rating — well worth it! Thanks for the great care!

I’m going to start off by saying, I really do love going to the dentist. There’s nothing like the feeling afterwards when you swish your tongue across your teeth.
The thing about it is, without dental insurance you tend to pay a lot for going to the dentist and when you were younger you never really think about the cost because Mom always paid/​had dental insurance. So pricing out everything and getting deals is the way I’ve been doing it for the past few years and a Groupon fell into my lap and I couldn’t have been more excited!
As soon as I got it, I made an appointment. There was about a two week in-​between purchase and the appointment, not too bad at all. I was really pumped about it, since it’s been just a year this month since my last dentist trip.
When I got there, I got a spot right out front, not that I would have minded walking a bit and it was so easy to get to since I know the area and live close by. I walked in and the lobby was so nice, bright and new. Lots of seating and flat screens (one in the «kiddie» area and one for adults, with HGTV on!) and the lady at the desk was really friendly. She gave me sheets to fill out since I was new and that was quick, there was one other waiting and a family was coming out with their children who were jumpy and happy (so they had a good time, a plus for everybody).
I was greeted by my hygienist who I am so sad I forgot her name, because she was GREAT and I’d recommend her if I could but I’m sorry I forgot the name. She was young and pretty. if that helps, HA. We talked a lot (when I wasn’t getting picked and probed and had tools in my mouth) and she was friendly and personable, she also explained what she was doing and this and that. It’s nice to know what’s going on.
The dentist came in, Dr Fong, she is young! I find it really cool that they have a young dentist, when you think of the dentist you think of an older man and I find that creepy in a way, so this was really great. I had asked some questions and got the information I needed. She really knew her stuff and I’m really glad I went here, thanks Groupon!
I will def be making my next dentist appointment here (given another deal doesn’t come up in the meantime), but I do have a filling that needs to be replaced so I’ll be there again, the price they gave me is very reasonable and affordable, which is a plus.
A huge recommendation here for sure, tell them I sent you!

My wife had her filling done at West Somerville Dental and, unfortunately, she continued to have pain after three visits for the same tooth, including one for a filling that fell out. She ended up needing a root canal.
We weren’t too happy with the back-​and-​forth, but they’ve been trying to make up for it by offering to refund the money for the filling and by giving a discount on the crown that she’ll probably need. That shows that they at least care about rectifying mistakes, which we much appreciate.
One thing is for sure: they read their Unilocal reviews.

I was a bit skeptical after seeing only 4 reviews – albeit they were all positive reviews – but after I’ve visited them today, they’ll be my permanent dentist office until I move! I went in for a simple cleaning and was very happy with the service from setting up appointments to the actual cleaning and evaluation. The hygienist was extremely informative and very friendly. The entire office is spotless and use the latest technology to give you all the right information. Best of all, the front desk was upfront of the cost of services and explained my insurance coverage to me as well. I’m definitely a happy customer!