Peter P. Michael, DDS

I’m so glad I found Dr. Michael through a friend. He is an excellent dentist. After I moved to DC I was worried about finding a new dentist to replace the hometown dentist I had gone to since I was a child. Dr. Michael was extremely honest and upbeat about assessing my teeth and what was needed, and did not try to do work that was not needed. I have sensitive teeth, and he was able to clean them without any discomfort, something my hometown dentist had never been able to accomplish. I recommend him to anyone looking for an honest and excellent dentist.

Dr. Michael is, bar none, the best dentist I have ever had. I have had a lot of dental issues in the past, some of which cause recurring headaches. Since finding Dr. Michael, those issues have been diminishing. He does cleanings himself, and his office is never over booked. Because he’s not running a patient mill, I rarely even see another patient, much less have to sit in his waiting room with anyone else. He discusses all options, takes his time with me, and is very conservative about the work he proposes.
His office staff is marvelous, too. His receptionist is exceptionally pleasant and thoroughly pleasant to talk with during short waits for my appointment.

I have had serious dental problems since childhood and as an adult flitted around from one dentist to another. Ten years ago I found Dr. Michael and haven’t had to look for another doctor since. He is talented and thorough and patient and very nice. He has had to make up the most amazing temporary structures to carry me from one dental procedure to the next. Most importantly though is that I have never felt any judgement about the sorry state of my teeth. i think he is genuinely empathetic regarding the needs of his patients.

Dr. Michael is the best dentist I’ve ever had. He is thorough, kind, pays attention to detail, and always clearly communicates exactly what he is doing and why. I have been seeing Dr. Michael for several years now and I’ve always had excellent care. He also keeps in mind cost when discussing options with you — something I am always appreciative of, as I haven’t always had dental insurance coverage. His partner at the front desk, Marianne, is equally kind and competent. I actually look forward to my dentist appointments because they are such a pleasure! If you are looking for a dentist, I highly recommend Dr. Michael.

Dr. Michaels is great. I’ve only had one visit so far, but feel relieved to have finally found a dentist in DC who does not pressure patients into yearly full set x rays if they have healthy teeth and who is not eager to do work unless it is necessary. A colleague recommended Dr. Michaels to me, based on the quality of his work and his integrity, and I’m glad I heeded his advice. Dr. Michaels also handles the cleaning himself and patiently answered my questions.
The office is no frills. Having had other dentists who have more amenities, but are not necessary as skilled or as honest, I much prefer Dr. Michaels. I highly recommend him.

Scared to death of dentistry. Had a bad experience a year ago, decided to get a new dentist. Dr. Michaels was great and walkable from home, so that’s a bonus. Seriously thrilled with my experience (at the dentist?! who says that).

He’s just great. Thoughtful, patient, practical and extremely helpful. He’s no where near my work or home, but I gladly commute to his office.

We’ve been going to Dr. Michael for about two years now. We love the mom and pop-​ness (he’s the dentist; she’s behind the desk), the non-​pushy approach regarding teeth frills, the many years of experience, the conservativeness (I’m going on two years now w/​no problems keeping alive a tooth that two other dentists wanted to gut), and the multiple dental plans accepted. Ditto to the many other reviews here, including some by folks who seem to have a LOT of time to detail their reviews! :)

Great Dentist. No frills, no upselling, just clean, healthy teeth. 4.5 stars.
I moved up to DC a few years ago and hadn’t really found a dentist that I like… until now. Dr. Michael was kind, friendly, quiet, confident, comforting, and honest. His wife works the front desk and is lovely.
For me, Dr. Michael did all the work himself (unlike a lot of dentists where the technician does the cleaning and the dentist just pokes around).
He cleaned my teeth, did some flossing and polishing, said that he didn’t see any cavities and that my teeth looked good.
He could have easily made a quick profit off of me by doing unnecessary X-​rays or «finding» something like «a cavity» or worse… but he didn’t, and in the process earned a loyal customer (and another good review on Unilocal).
The nicest part, I think, is that there are huge windows in the second floor exam rooms with a little bit of a view of some treetops, the sky, and the street-​scene. That and the classical music playing in the background made it almost as relaxing and comfortable as a dentist visit can be.
The waiting room is simple, neat and clean with some magazines provided, and rather than trashy Jerry Springer –esq daytime TV blaring, they have the aforementioned local classical music radio station playing.
The sign-​in/​sign-​up process was simple and straightforward (just one page of the usual info). Getting an appointment over the phone was easy. They take appointments Monday through Thursday. I have Aetna insurance (which they accept) and my checkup was therefore free. I think I walked out of the door less than an hour after I walked in.
The office is located in the second floor of an apartment building, they’ll buzz you up. The apartment lobby, elevator and hallway were probably the worst part of the experience (they’re just not quite as comfortable and slick as some medical center lobbies), but that is largely outside of Dr. Michael’s control.
There is metered street parking on Connecticut or Nebraska and un-​metered parking on the surrounding streets (but don’t park on Connecticut during rush-​hours). Right across Connecticut are Comet Ping-​Pong Pizza and a great local bookshop called Politics and Prose.
Overall, it was a great experience and Dr. Michael will be my new dentist while I live in DC, I would recommend him, but I would also recommend the following to get a 5 star rating:
1. The apartment building trash-​shoot room is in the hallway near the dentist suite and smells a bit, this should be cleaned up, or at least air-​freshened.
2. For first-​time visitors, it would be nice to have a little more signage out front as it’s not clear that the apartment building also houses a dentist office (which is a bit unusual for this suburban Florida kid — apparently is more common in cities). I wasn’t sure I was in the right place. Also, some more modern and directional (with arrows and «second floor») signage inside would be helpful.
3. The cleaning/​appointment was so painless that I almost wondered if my teeth were properly checked for cavities. My old dentists used to poke and prod and scrape my teeth seemingly as hard as they could to try to «find» cavities (or was it just to torture me?). That was usually the most painful and least comfortable part of the visit. There was a lot less of that during my visit, and I think I would have benefited from more explanation as to why.
4. A plain, simple, static website with a picture of the building, the office, the doctor, and some basic info would be helpful (which insurances are accepted, what days are appointments available, a link to this Unilocal page, how many years of experience Dr. Michael has, etc.). It doesn’t need to be slick or fancy, a basic squarespace site or something would suffice, it could even say that their specialty is dentistry, not websites, that would be fine.
5. They should add coat racks in the exam room so that you can hang your coat/​jacket/​bag where you can see it, and not worry about your valuables (wallet, phone, etc.).
But like I said above, it was an overall great experience, Dr. Michael will be my go-​to dentist and I would recommend him to anyone looking for a new Dentist in the area.

I loved my dentist in SF and I really wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of finding a new one, but thanks to Unilocal I found Dr. Michael and he’s excellent!
I went in for my first cleaning about a week ago and I found Dr. Michael to be very friendly, honest and gentle as well. Also, the lady at the front desk is very nice which is always a plus.
If you need a new dentist definitely visit Dr. Michael!

Great, honest old school family dentist. Decades of experience and fair prices. Over years I have come to realize that the best dentists don’t have websites or flashy offices. Dr Michael fits the bill. Highly recommended.

The reviews are true: nice, sensible, fast. Very easy to get an appointment too. An efficient operation. I walked, but some might have difficulty with parking, but I am not certain. If you know the area, youll find a spot on a side street off Nebraska would be my guess.

Dr. Michael is fantastic. I went to him for a cleaning, after going to another dentist in the area who tried to charge me WAY more than her pre-​stated rate. The other dentist also told me that I had a cavity, which I was hesitant to believe, since I’ve never had a cavity in my life. I went to see Dr. Michael, and he said that I didn’t have any cavities, and that I’d probably never have one. He is completely reasonable and doesn’t try to gouge you, like other dentists might do. I’ve also never had more comfortable dental visits — fast, painless, terrific. He is a really nice guy, too. I highly recommend him.

I have been going to Dr. Michael for many years. He does the cleanings himself versus a dental hygienist which is nice. Dr. Michael is very laid back and has given me great care. I have been fortunate to not need extensive dental work but I am very confident in his abilities as a dentist. I plan to stay with him as long as he practices dentistry.

Dr. Michael is the most trustworthy, conscientious, and skilled dentist I have ever been to and I say this after having had a lot of different dentists over many years. He has had to redo a lot of work that another dentist did in the last couple of years. He is very careful and he has very good judgment. I have been to so many dentists who I didn’t feel really cared about me as a human being and who have done bad work even though they charged me a lot. Dr. Michael has noticed things about my teeth and dental work that other dentists have not and it has made a positive difference in my dental health. He is conservative with his work and he is very caring. I totally trust him. I am so relieved that I found Dr. Michael.

Dr. Michael is outstanding. He does everything himself, is very personalized, and he is fast and efficient.
PoThe best thing is that I trust him. Unlike other dentists, he didn’t try to upsell a bunch of junk like electric toothbrushes or teeth whitenings. Gets in, does the job quickly and effectively, and gets out. When he finds something wrong (legitimately wrong!) he takes the time to explain what you need to do and I trusted him completely.
Also, when I asked him about an electirc toothbrush, he didn’t try and sell me on something. Explained that medical evidence didn’t support electric or manual over the other, and the most important thing was how you used them.
Strongly recommended.

How does one review a dentist? It’s pretty bizarre seeing the dentist from your childhood pop up on Unilocal.I feel like the least I could do for him is give him some props on here.
I was lucky in that I never had any bad dental problems, but some in my family did, and Dr. Michael treated them well. He never tortured me. I guess that’s a plus for a dentist. They are covered by a lot of different insurance. His office is clean… he’s got good toothpaste and floss…
I’m running out of things to discuss. The magazines in the waiting room are good? Highlights is the sickness. I spent lots of time trying to find those hidden objects in the picture…