out of Read Reviews for Dr. James Forbes
the most important thing about dr. forbes is what he hasn't done. when i first moved here 12 years ago i went to a dentist many friends raved about. she was personable and scary -- i had major problems with my teeth that needed to be fixed immediately. my partner urged me to try dr. forbes. thank god i did. a filling i needed to replace "immediately" wiht a crown is still there under dr. forbes wait and monitor attitude. the other things she discussed he described as cosmetic "options" not absolute must dos. this is a VERY different approach. the reality is dr. forbes has a thriving practice -- he doesn't need to hype unneeded work to pay his bills. plus he's a totally nice guy as is his office manager, and dental hygienist (sue is my favorite). its efficient, friendly and you get good care. he was not more expensive than the other dentist in terms of cleaning etc, but of course much LESS expensive bc i'm not having to do a lot of unnecessary work.
I know this doctor: 12 years
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I had some major work done about 12 years ago by Dr. Forbes. The work was excellent and has held up perfectly.
I know this doctor: 14 years
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Dr. Forbes communicates well, takes time to talk and explain options, and listens to what you are interested in. He will find alternatives for you. He seems pretty modern and updated on materials and procedures; at least in comparison to my trip through several dentists previous to finding him. I would not blame his work, but maybe the lab that prepares crowns, because I had non-metal base crowns fail after time. ... and other work that is completely problem free. But I have no reference point to other labs or materials. Office staff is very friendly and I never had to wait; never had a scheduling problem in maybe 25 visits over the years. His assistant is sometimes heavy handed, literally not sensitive or very aware that her control of tools in your mouth pinches your lips, presses on your teeth (like the side of the drill) or the suction thing jammed too hard under your tongue. I can live with this, because the dental work is the important thing. Prices seem to be a little high, but I'm not sure if it's just the same across town anyhow. It may be just the average. They handle insurance very promptly, and have willingly re-submitted claims that were denied to (try to) get them approved.
About Hygienist: There are at least three hygienists, each has a unique touch and feel and technique. Find one you like.
I know this doctor: four years
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Although Dr. Forbes if very personable, I would not recommend him to anyone needing crowns. He did a couple of crowns for me leaving a large gap between both of the crowns and also the next tooth. As a result,whenever I ate, food stayed packed in the gaps. Since this was unhealthy for my gums and I was also constantly uncomfortable, I eventually went to see him about it . I was very disappointed when Dr. Forbes said there was nothing to be done. Finally I had to go through the expense and additional discomfort of having a different dentist correct the work of Dr. Forbes.
I know this doctor: several years
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The dental work he performed was fine. His office staff is consistently making scheduling errors and unapologetic in that regard. My wife and I finally had to leave this provider based on his unwillingness to take responsibility for his terrible office staff.
About Hygienist: Sue. Great--ask for her if you are scheduled Mon-Wed.
I know this doctor: 1.5 years
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I chose Dr. Forbes for his proximity to my office. I've appreciated his service enough to go back for the past five years. Dealing with Dr. Forbes himself is always a pleasure. He replaced an old filling, and did a fantastic job. One of his hygenists was a little rough with my gums when I went in for a cleaning once. Otherwise I have no complaints.
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Dr. Forbes is generally a very competent doctor, however, he did a crown on one of my back molars and half the enamel coating cracked off the crown after a few weeks. Rather than begin again with a new metal foundation, he sent it back to the lab and they recoated the crown with additional enamel which made it larger then the original cast. Putting it back in was a very tight fit because it was larger than my original tooth. I have very closely spaced teeth, so this larger crown caused all the rest of the teeth to shift out of allignment, so now my lower front teeth are crooked. Very discouraging after having two rounds of braces to correct the crowding...
I know this doctor: Over six years
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I decided on Dr Forbes based on the reviews on this site and I couldn't be more pleased. His staff is quite nice and very professional. If you total the time I've waited, in lobby or in the chair, for attention it comes to about three minutes -- I didn't have to read any six month old issues of Esquire. He doesn't try to cheap out in procedures; during a filling at the slightest demonstration of pain he gave me plenty of novocaine; I didn't realize these things don't have to hurt. And, as another reviewer mentioned, he is not judgmental -- you will not have conversations about flossing every night as if you were out with your mother. Oh yeah, no one will try to talk to you about the Giants while there is a drill in your mouth. I for one was quite grateful for that.
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Dr. Forbes is very knowledgeable and friendly. The only thing I was disappointed with was the cleaning from the hygenist - it was not very thorough. My dentist's office in San Diego (where I recently moved from) had a very thorough cleaning and flossing. Overall price was moderate for the area and I think he's a decent dentist.
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Dr. Forbes was recommended to me because I am always very anxious about dentist appointments. He, and his staff, were very accomodating, gentle, and understanding. They were not judgmental (a big dentist pet peeve of mine) and Dr. Forbes was very careful to describe my treatment to me. I would highly recommend him for people who experience anxiety about visiting the dentist
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