West Coast Smiles

I've had a handful of traumatic dental experiences, but this ranks as the worst dental experience of my life. I went to this office twice and both experiences were downright awful. The dentist and the front desk worker constantly fought and spoke to each other with such rude tones that it made me even more uncomfortable than I already was. While treating my tooth, the dentist used a BLOWTORCH on his tools/implements before putting the tool in my mouth. I felt extremely unsafe having an open flame on the table so close that I could feel the warmth. I went in, had a root canal started and they promised to send the documents to my insurance to finish the job, but I have yet to hear back. When I call, they brush me off or "need to call back" once they get more information. It's been 2-years so I doubt anything is going to change at this point. Also, I should mention, when I went in, I had a bad reaction and my face swelled up within minutes of leaving the office. I called back, but the dentist said it wasn't his fault and there was no reason my face should have swelled up.
Feb 21st, 2023

I had not been to the dentist in 5 years due to generally bad experiences. But since COVID was letting up I decided to enroll in dental insurance and get my teeth fixed up. The insurance company assigned Dr. Plamenac to be my primary dentist. I scheduled an appointment and confirmed they accept the insurance. My experience with Dr. Plamenac was a letdown. I had a couple of filling that had fallen out the year before I wanted replaced. He took x-rays and confirmed. Besides some strange jokes he made, everything seemed to be going well until he gave me the quote which was for twice the amount I should pay with insurance. When I pointed out the discrepancy he tried to convince me the amount was correct. Eventually he figured out I knew my insurance plan and simply said he would not accept the insurance and if I wanted the dental work done I would need to pay full price out of pocket. I remained calm and he remarked that people are usually more angry when he does not accept their insurance. This leads me to believe my experience may not be isolated.I was just really hoping to finally find an honest dentist. Going to the dentist is not easy for many people. I just feel betrayed for finally overcoming my dental fear and seeing someone only to be given the bait and switch. My fear of going to the dentist is worse now.  Dr. Plamenac might be skilled dentist. I do not know, his other reviews suggest so. But I can attest that his ethics are questionable from my experience. If you do decide to use him I would recommend knowing your insurance information in advance then confirming that he (not the receptionist) will abide by the prices disclosed in your insurance plan before any work is done including x-rays or exams.
Aug 16th, 2022

I had a root canal done and a porcilin crown and was very satisfied along with the appointment timing. I highly recommend there services .
Feb 22nd, 2022

I broke a crown and the tooth with it on a Friday afternoon on Memorial Day weekend. The tooth was in my concerns list (it was flimsy) and was going to be replaced by an implant eventually. At my regular dentist no one even answer the several messages I left, so my insurance, Delta Dental, recommended West Coast Smiles. Dr. Jovan Plamenac and his kind assistant Tamara were able to see me at almost 5 PM. They managed the bureaucratic aspects with my insurance seamlessly and there I went to the chair. They both treated me very well. We had a nice conversation while the anesthetics worked its magic, and when it finally did Dr. Jovan took the offending molar remains easily, like only the very experienced dentists can do. All in all, a great experience. Go for it.
Jan 21st, 2022

I hate this place so much the doctor was so rude and started yelling I recommend not coming over here
Oct 23rd, 2021