When Dr. Malesra took over Branch Village Dental, my wife and I decided to stay at the practice and give him a try. In late 2023 I began experiencing discomfort on the palate side of my gums and decided to wait a short time until my cleaning visit in January 2024 to have it looked at. The hygienist I had was pleasant to work with but, recently, has shown that she did not use good judgement. After looking at my issue, she had no idea what the problem was and left me with the impression that there was nothing to worry about and that it should clear up on its own in time. She not only did not have any idea of what was going on, she also did not feel it important enough to consult with or ask Dr. Malesra to spend a minute to look at it.
My next visit was in July when the doctor would examine me. The discomfort had not gone away. Upon examination, he said that I probably at some point had a food particle, such as a popcorn husk, stuck under my gum causing irritation, but he did not find anything. He then advised that I try rinsing my mouth with 3% hydrogen peroxide three times per day and get back to him in a few weeks. After that he gave me a prescription for Chlorhexidine. Both did nothing. A few weeks later Dr. Malesra took an X-ray and said I might have gingivitis, recommending I see a periodontist. I went to the periodontist that he recommended. That ended up being a big mistake and a total waste of $115. I will spare you those details except to say that he mentioned that the x-rays Dr. Malesra’s office sent to him were dark, blurry and unusable and had to take one of his own.
Being totally unsatisfied at the point, I chose to see a different periodontist, one that my wife had seen. The difference between the two were like night and day. He, too, thought the x-rays were bad and had to take one of his own. He performed a complete checkup, took photographs of what he suspected and, after some time, did a biopsy as there were white bumps that proved to be Leukoplakia, a problem that could possibly end up being oral cancer. More time will have to pass to determine if this is the case. The point here, though, is that had the hygienist done her job and had Dr. Malesra look at me in January instead of having to wait 6 months, what may end up being cancer could have been caught six months sooner and most likely better treated!
On a Tuesday, I tried calling Dr. Malesra and spoke with a receptionist to set up a time to speak with him to discuss my feelings. I was told he was at lunch and she would have him return my call. It took three days before I finally received a call from the office manager wanting to know what the issue is. I told her I wanted to speak directly with the doctor and she said she was told to speak with me instead. I could not speak with the doctor. I feel any small business owner who refuses to speak with an upset customer directly is a coward and a very poor businessman and should not run a business.
To sum it up, in my opinion, it appears both the hygienist and Dr. Malesra are only adequate in their basic job functions, and when there is an issue outside of normal cleaning or pulling a tooth, they are not of much value. I recommend looking elsewhere if you are looking for a great dental practice. Both my wife and I have left the practice with no regrets!
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1 Reviews on “Branch Village Dental Associates”
When Dr. Malesra took over Branch Village Dental, my wife and I decided to stay at the practice and give him a try. In late 2023 I began experiencing discomfort on the palate side of my gums and decided to wait a short time until my cleaning visit in January 2024 to have it looked at. The hygienist I had was pleasant to work with but, recently, has shown that she did not use good judgement. After looking at my issue, she had no idea what the problem was and left me with the impression that there was nothing to worry about and that it should clear up on its own in time. She not only did not have any idea of what was going on, she also did not feel it important enough to consult with or ask Dr. Malesra to spend a minute to look at it.
My next visit was in July when the doctor would examine me. The discomfort had not gone away. Upon examination, he said that I probably at some point had a food particle, such as a popcorn husk, stuck under my gum causing irritation, but he did not find anything. He then advised that I try rinsing my mouth with 3% hydrogen peroxide three times per day and get back to him in a few weeks. After that he gave me a prescription for Chlorhexidine. Both did nothing. A few weeks later Dr. Malesra took an X-ray and said I might have gingivitis, recommending I see a periodontist. I went to the periodontist that he recommended. That ended up being a big mistake and a total waste of $115. I will spare you those details except to say that he mentioned that the x-rays Dr. Malesra’s office sent to him were dark, blurry and unusable and had to take one of his own.
Being totally unsatisfied at the point, I chose to see a different periodontist, one that my wife had seen. The difference between the two were like night and day. He, too, thought the x-rays were bad and had to take one of his own. He performed a complete checkup, took photographs of what he suspected and, after some time, did a biopsy as there were white bumps that proved to be Leukoplakia, a problem that could possibly end up being oral cancer. More time will have to pass to determine if this is the case. The point here, though, is that had the hygienist done her job and had Dr. Malesra look at me in January instead of having to wait 6 months, what may end up being cancer could have been caught six months sooner and most likely better treated!
On a Tuesday, I tried calling Dr. Malesra and spoke with a receptionist to set up a time to speak with him to discuss my feelings. I was told he was at lunch and she would have him return my call. It took three days before I finally received a call from the office manager wanting to know what the issue is. I told her I wanted to speak directly with the doctor and she said she was told to speak with me instead. I could not speak with the doctor. I feel any small business owner who refuses to speak with an upset customer directly is a coward and a very poor businessman and should not run a business.
To sum it up, in my opinion, it appears both the hygienist and Dr. Malesra are only adequate in their basic job functions, and when there is an issue outside of normal cleaning or pulling a tooth, they are not of much value. I recommend looking elsewhere if you are looking for a great dental practice. Both my wife and I have left the practice with no regrets!