From: "Jeffrey J. Basista" <jb+@C.GP.CS.CMU.EDU>
To: bovik+@K.GP.CS.CMU.EDU
Subject: database--Health; class--dentists
Date: Tue, 01 Dec 92 19:19:47 EST
Message-ID: <25311.723255587@C.GP.CS.CMU.EDU>
Sender: Jeffrey_Basista@C.GP.CS.CMU.EDU

--------------

12/1/92

Here are some responses I got when I asked for recommendations
for a HealthAmerica dentist.  

  3 pro-Soster (Sq. Hill)
  1 vehement anti-Soster
  2 pro-Peretich (Forest Hills)
  1 pro-Josephson (East Liberty)
  1 pro-Melnick (Oakland)

I have serious reservations about going to Melnick, because
I'd like to have some money left over in my next paycheck.
(He seems to run all sorts of weird, unnecessary tests.)  
Peretich and Josephson sound like good bets.

The e-mail messages (edited) follow:

--------------------------------------------------

I've been using Soster Dentists (or Dental Associates or something like
that) - they're in Squirrel Hill on Shady just North of Forbes - in the
building above Wendy's.  I cannot say that they're wonderful - but then
who loves going to a dentist :-)  They seem reasonable - I haven't had
any real complaints about them, and they do take Health America.

--------------------------------------------------

I've had good luck with Soster Dental on Forbes & Shady (right above
Wendy's), but I've never had any major work - a couple of fillings. My
only complaint is that unless you specifically ask, you won't get the
same dentist from visit to visit (they seem to rotate between a couple
of offices).	

--------------------------------------------------

I go to Dr. Abel Soster @ 5889 Forbes Ave.  He and his staff take great care 
and I trust him.  He has a couple of other offices around the area his number 
is in the phone book, if you're interested.

--------------------------------------------------

STAY AWAY FROM SOSTER DENTAL!!!

Here's my history with them:

Feb/March (?) 91: went to Soster with what turned out to be a filling
which needed to be replaced.  The decay went fairly deep, so they put
in a temp filling to "calm down the nerve".

March 91: went to Soster for a cleaning/check-up.  Was told I had 4
more cavities.  Made appointments to fill these, as well as an
appointment to replace the temp filling with a permanent filling.

April 91: drilling and filling.

Sept 91: saw a new dentist (since original dentist had since moved
on).  She told me that the replacement filling in my "problem tooth"
had chipped off (evidently the surface hadn't been contoured to fit
with the tooth below it), and so it needed to be replaced.  At this
time the dentist also found two more cavities.

May 92: at this check-up the doctor told me that the replacement
filling needed to be trimmed on the side of the tooth.  More drilling.
The dentist also found one more cavity.

September 92: at this point I went back to the dentist in Cleveland
who I'd been going to before I started with Soster.  I'd now been
having pain in one tooth since Feb of 91, and I was dammed scared.
The dentist took x-rays of the tooth, and said that it was basically
healthy, but that all the filling and drilling had left it fairly
traumatized, so that it was going to twinge for a while.  He was more
concerned that I'd had 7 additional fillings in the two years since
I'd seen him, and he felt that most of these were probably quite
unecessary, since before that I'd needed a filling once every two or
three years.  His advice was to find another dentist in Pittsburgh.

So this was my experience: it took two dentists three tries to get one
filling right, plus 7 additional, possibly unnecessary, fillings.

Additional stories:

My husband was going to them.  He'd never had a filling in his life,
but last year Soster said he needed one.  The next visit they said he
needed two more.  He's looking for another dentist too.

A co-worker here went to them.  They cracked a tooth while filling it.
She's still going to a different doctor there, who's going to put on a
crown for her.

Basically, it's a production-line place.  You probably won't see the
same dentist twice, cause there's a lot of turn-over.  When they clean
your teeth they take x-rays.  You won't see a doctor then unless you
request it, (and they'll charge).  The standard practice is for the
doctor to look at the x-rays, and s/he will figure out how many
cavities you have on the basis of the x-rays alone.

All the people I've dealt with there have been nice, sympathetic, etc.
But, I don't think the dentists are very competent, and, given my
experience, I think sometimes they drill just to meet a quota.

--------------------------------------------------

Michael S. Melnick (Dentist)
128 N. Craig Street
687-8888

--------------------------------------------------

My family has been pretty happy with David Peretich on Ardmore Boulevard. He's
competent, his prices are reasonable, he's a good guy, and he treats children
like children and adults like adults.

--------------------------------------------------

I started going to Dr. Peretich at 2020 Ardmore Blvd in Forest Hills
(271-1602).  I also brought my son there.  Everything was routine except
that I had a small cavity in a front tooth that he filled.  He's a low-key
guy.  He explained my bite and its consequences better than any other
dentist that I've had.

If you are with Health America he gives you the HA discount on all services.
If you also have one of the CMU dental plans, he first applies for that
coverage.  If they don't pay everything, then he discounts the whole service,
and charges the difference.  There was one service that he charges two
dollars more than the CMU plan pays, but after the HA discount, he charged
me nothing.  He explained that all HA dentists are supposed to do it
that way. 

--------------------------------------------------

Gerald M. Josephson
5901 Penn Ave in S'Liberty
361-7300

Excellent dentist, good guy, good friend. I've used him for the past 10
years and recommended him to many people from CMU who have been satisfied.

--------------------------------------------------