Richard G Meltzer

- Dentist

"It took me seven dentists, multiple co-pays and too many painful and embarrassing experiences before I found Dr. Richard Meltzer, D.D.S., P.A., an intravenous sedation dentist.

I’ll save you all of the stories from my previously dentists, but I will share what happened with my last. I came in for a regular cleaning and check up. The Vietnamese dental hygienist put some stuff in my mouth so that I could take an x-ray. It felt very uncomfortable in my mouth and she kept moving it around; which caused pain. I started to tear up then I was crying because of the discomfort and anxiety I was having. This made the woman extremely uncomfortable. She clearly did not have the skills to take care of my needs in the state of mind I was in. Then the Dentist came in and he was even more uncomfortable than she was. I imagine seeing his patient all crying and carrying on; not sure of how much of my distress was emotional anxiety or actual pain was disconcerting to him. The short of it was they fussed and argued with each other in front of me. While I’m sitting in the chair with all type of stuff in my mouth. Eventually, the Dentist yelled at her, “Just, just GET OUT of the room!” And her response was, in her thick accent: “Fine! I get out your room! I get out your COUNTRY!” I was so embarrassed and humiliated that the whole thing got so out of control and I couldn’t help how distraught I was. Nothing they did or said helped at all; it made me worse.

I was so embarrassed, I sent my husband to pick up my medical records on my behalf because I couldn’t bring myself to see them again. When I told my family what happened, they thought it was funny; but for me it was a nightmare. I had similar bad experiences, but again – this was just the last one I had.

I did seven consults with 7 different Dentists until one finally referred me to Dr. Meltzer.

When I went in for my check up, Dr. Meltzer ‘s staff people said they had to do an x-ray again because the other ones were outdated. I was instantly anxious. I didn’t want a repeat of that last episode. To my relief, they used smaller mouth things than my previous experiences. They also - and I know it sounds weird, but they kept telling me how good a job I was doing and otherwise made me feel good about my effort in not carrying on and all; which actually helped a lot when I started tearing up a bit; not because of pain though. I actually don’t know why exactly except for my general anxiety around the whole x-ray thing. Dr. Meltzer’s staff gave me a cleaning too. They asked if I needed any sedation for it and I was surprised at the question. I’m pretty bad when it comes to needles in my mouth – Yes I need sedation for that, but not for a cleaning. It was good in a way to know that I wasn’t the worst case out there, lol.

But anyway a cleaning is still very uncomfortable for me, but I can get through it without sedation and tears with the proper coaxing, which the staff was absolutely flawless with. Such a big change from the yelling and carrying on I had seen at other offices. These folks knew exactly how to handle chickens/cowards like me. They never got angry or impatient with me; which kept me from feeling embarrassed. It actually made me more comfortable knowing they were comfortable and not impatient or annoyed with me. Their tone was always light and gentle which did a lot to help me relax.
I had to get some cavities fixed and they gave me some medicine to take prior to my appointment and instructed me to bring my ipod music to listen to. Despite being afraid of needles and the whole thing, the medicine and environment they created…I mean I don’t know. The best way to explain it all is to say that I went in thinking I was going to have a bad time, but I actually had a good time; that was some good meds they had me on! It was genius to instruct me to bring my ipod. I remember seeing the needle and not giving a hoot! I never thought that type of an experience was possible and I’m so blessed and lucky to have Dr. Meltzer and his staff. I recommend him even to people who don’t’ have “issues” just because they’re so on point. I mean, if you can excel with people with issues, then a regular person is a no-brainer. My husband also sees Dr. Meltzer and my husband has no Dentist issues. It’s just that I know Dr. Meltzer is the best and even though he also specializes in sedation dentistry, I want my husband to have the best too.

One of the teeth Dr. Meltzer fixed up gave me a problem a month ago so I found out that it had been cracked. Dr. Meltzer told me that fillings will crack if you eat rocks so I shouldn’t be surprised. I was like, “I didn’t eat any rocks!” And he said, “Yes you did – things like nuts, hard candy, etc etc. those are rocks.” So I have to give you a heads up that Dr. Meltzer is actually pretty funny. I like that though because it decreases my anxiety. It’s more fun to laugh then cry, you know. So anyway, Dr. Meltzer isn’t charging me for having my filling fixed back up again since it was done only a few months ago. This is great because I didn’t think it would be fair in any case. So I wanted to write a review because not only is he an expert at his craft and with his cowardly patients, but I’ve also received great customer service.

My only qualm I’ve ever had was that I was quoted a price for my visit one time and when I was there, the hygienist lady gave me an x-ray that I ended up not needing. When the Doctor looked at my tooth, he could tell it was cracked, even without the x-ray. I wish she wouldn’t have x-rayed me without asking him first. Cost me $30 for nothing and no crack showed up on the x-ray. I never complained about this so I didn’t give them an opportunity to address the issue though. But the money was important to me since my dental insurance won’t kick in until November and I needed an accurate quote so I could save up and stay on my budget. Also, it’s quick to get into the exam room, but it can take 10-35 minutes once you’re in there before he see’s you; he’s very busy.

I’m going to share this review at a couple of websites in hopes other people with issues like me can benefit from Dr. Meltzer and his staff. I wish I learned about him a long time ago. It’s such a relief! I can’t tell you how good it feels not to be afraid, embarrassed or in pain thinking about the Dentist or when getting work done. They have so much patience and say the most nice, encouraging things; exactly what I need in order to have the strength to get the attention my teeth need in order to stay healthy.

Thankfully Dr. Meltzer is only 20 minutes from me, but if he were an hour or more away, I’d still go to see him. His service and expertise is priceless. "