Autumn Ridge Dental: J. Shea Bess DDS and Matthew McInnes DDS

The dentist did an acceptable job, however, be prepared to be hounded just days after services by the Office Manager for payment. Calling to speak with Ms Johnson to express displeasure at the strong arm correspondences is met with laughter. You won't see us at this place of business ever again and will be sure to dissuade any others from doing so as well.

Oh my GOSH. I never leave reviews anywhere; I think this might be my first one. I felt completely humiliated here. To be honest, Dr. Bess seems like a competent dentist, but if you are looking for a dentist who cares about you as a human being and who will not speak condescendingly to you, then this is NOT the office for you. I *know* my teeth have had a lot of dental work done and it’s a huge source of embarrassment for me. I brush my teeth, floss daily (not everyone does) and my dad is even a dentist (who lives too far away now). I’m well acquainted with dental care, however I also have a serious health condition and one of the results is my teeth have extremely weak enamel. I do everything I can, including getting them cleaned on schedule, but they still have issues. The few times I’ve seen Dr. Bess, he has not really talked with me or tried to get to know me in the slightest. I stated I had two teeth that each had a filling come out or were broken. I also told him about my health condition right off the bat. He fixed one tooth, but then said he wouldn’t fix the other one because he didn’t want to just “chase problems” in my mouth. He said I needed to get a cleaning first so we could come up with a full “treatment plan.” I was due for a cleaning so was fine with getting that scheduled, but I really would’ve liked my broken tooth fixed since it’s annoying. I never said or implied I only wanted to “chase problems.” I saw the hygienist, Stacie, whom I liked, but when Dr. Bess came in for the exam he went straight to the x rays to read off what needed done. Not sure he even said hi or acknowledged me first. Then while doing the actual exam he just kept talking about how much work I needed done, how bad my teeth were, etc. I already knew I needed lots done because I always do at every 6 month cleaning, and had told him that. He spoke to me SOO condescendingly though. I brought up my insurance and being concerned I may max out, and he cut me off and told me he doesn’t worry about any of that. What *he* worries about are my teeth and getting them fixed so I can keep them. ? I’m sorry, but most people do need to factor in their insurance when getting dental work done. Dr. Bess actually made me feel like I was a stupid person who thought money was more important than my teeth. Maybe if he’d been willing to listen for a moment we could have had a dialogue and gotten on the same page. When he left and the hygienist sat back down, I started sobbing and asked if Dr. Bess was always like that and tended to humiliate his patients. I expressed my concern that, if so, I wasn’t sure about keeping him as my dentist. To her credit, she was really sweet and talked with me about it, and then said she’d bring up my concerns with him at lunch. I had an appointment with Dr. Bess this morning, which I admittedly was running 10 minutes late for. His office called to see if I was coming, brought up how late I was, and said that *their* office (I guess *their* office is “superior” to all others?) runs on time so they would “see what they could still get done.” After hanging up, I felt sick to my stomach with embarrassment so I pulled off the road and called them back. I told the front desk person that I already felt apprehensive about seeing Dr. Bess, which she knew about (huh? so the whole office knew about me crying now?). I said her previous phone call had made me feel humiliated yet again, and that I thought it would be best for me to find a different dentist, based on so many negative experiences right out of the gate. She said ok and wished me well. Did not care at all. I asked if she wanted me to leave them negative reviews and she just laughed a little and told me to go ahead. This office does NOT treat you like a person. They don’t care about you, how you feel, or your circumstances. Furthermore, if anything, they make you feel like you are inconveniencing them. They need to remember it’s the patient who hires the dentist for their services, and not vice versa. I highly recommend going elsewhere instead of this conceited office.

Dr. Bess and his staff are the epitome of patient care! They were all friendly, helpful, understanding and made me feel completely at ease. I was having tooth pain and getting the run around from my current dentist. They got me right in, and determined that I needed a root canal. Instead of letting me go the weekend in pain, they called around and got me an appointment with an endodontist the very next morning! I am definitely switching dentists and going back to Dr. Bess. Thank you for all for being awesome!

YOU ARE IN GREAT HANDS! I am a dentist from London and have had the pleasure of doing research with Dr Bess. He is committed to providing the latest techniques to ensure long lasting results. Not many doctors out there take time out of clinic to go and do research on materials they are using to always make sure they are giving the best to their patients. I could not recommend Dr Bess any higher!

Shea is an amazing dentist. I went to him for a few years before I moved up north. He is very sincere, honest, and funny. I trust him for myself, family, and friends.