All About Smiles

We started seeing Dr. Cotton when my daughter was 6 weeks old. My daughter was born with lip and tongue ties, and Dr. Cotton performed frenectomies on her using a laser. The surgical sites healed beautifully, and our breastfeeding relationship has improved dramatically ever since. Dr. Cotton and her entire staff are absolutely lovely and were supportive during the whole process. It’s evident that everyone who works at All About Smiles really loves children. I’m excited to continue seeing them as my daughter grows!

We have been patients of Dr. Cotton’s for three years. She is a wonderful dentist and is so caring with my children. Two of my children have required extensive work to be done, Dr. Cotton did an excellent job with making them comfortable and helping them through the process. I can’t say enough about how great she is!

I’m not quite sure why the reviews for Dr Cotton are bad — they must be old or people are crazy. Seriously she’s great — so nice, thorough, and comforting. She has updated equipment and is very knowledgable. I see some bad reviews about her office staff — they must’ve been replaced because her front desk girls are great! I can’t count how many times they’ve gone out of their way to be helpful. I’ll probably add another review once my daughters lip tie procedure is complete, but for now, she definitely gets 5 stars!

Dr Cotton is one of only 3 providers that I refer to for infant frenectomies.
She is very knowledgeable and really takes her time to make sure that the parents are well informed before they make any decisions. She is also very supportive of breastfeeding and openly shares her memories of breastfeeding her children.
I have also observed her preform frenectomies on several of my clients’ infants and she does a great release of both tongue and lip ties.
I highly recommend Dr Cotton.
Amey Clark
Az Breastfed Babies

I have been coming to Dr Cotton for about 5 years. We left a pediatric dentist in Scottsdale who wanted to put my 4 yr old under anesthesia in a hospital just to fill cavities. We’d also had trouble getting him to cooperate with cleaning and x rays. Mr sister recommended Dr Cotton, who had similar issues with her child. I was very impressed with the office which was modern and up to date, but especially with the staff who made my child (now children) comfortable and happy coming to the dentist. They also always had all my insurance info for me and explained all benefits. Dr Cotton always showed me what she thought was necessary (way more reasonable than other dentist), why, and what could happen if treatment wasn’t taken. She filled all cavities in office, without anesthesia (or the accompanying costs), and without trauma to my kids. She was conservative with her treatment, never suggesting unnecessary treatment. The office manager scheduled appts when traffic was less, since we were coming from north Phoenix. He also looked up the kids school schedule online to schedule appts on their days off. I am so impressed with every aspect of the office, that we keep making the one hour drive twice a year to go to Dr Cotton.

I still stand be my review and love our experiences with All About Smiles. We have consistently had excellent service and I would recommend others to see Dr. Cotton.

THE BEST pediatric dentist ever! My kids have gone to Dr. Cotton for over four years and she’s amazing. My four year old is the only kid I’ve ever known who WANTS to go to the dentist. She had two appointments in one week for fillings which required a shot both times but she never even knew she got one! Dr. Cotton is that good! She talks to them the whole time and explains what she’s going to do so they’re never scared or nervous. The one on one care is great and I never feel rushed when talking to Dr. Cotton. The office staff here is also great. Very organized and they do what they say they’re going to do.

My insurance changed so we had to leave a much loved practice. Dr Cotton’s office was recommended to us. However, my opinion is that she is the Auto Mechanic of the Dental world.
My first clue should have been that the office is a ghost town. On two separate occasions (different days and times), we were the only people there. She has lots of high tech equipment, video games, digital everything, many treatment rooms and lots of chairs. But no patients.
Dr Cotton seems like a very nice lady, and I’m sure that she has been successful in her career. But I am not a fan of her practice or her office at all.
The office guy I dealt with was very condescending and «holier than thou». He made it very clear that he and Dr Cotton are the experts and that I am to follow their word to a T. He seems like he is all about the money. And since we seem to be the only patients, I guess I can see why. If I don’t pay, he doesn’t get paid.
Dr Cotton was really pushing what I considered an unnecessary treatment. After hearing her point of view, then my consulting with another doctor, I decided against her recommendation and went with what she said was her 2^nd choice. Big mistake. She really turned on the hard sell, and was very pushy. Basically said that she knows more than I do and I’m not smart to go against her. Well, it’s my kid and my wallet.
I really feel like she doesn’t have enough patients to pay for her practice to open, and has to nickel and dime the few patients that she does have with unnecessary treatments.
Well, not going to work on me.
And just a personal pet peeve, Dr Cotton wears open toed sandals. I just find that unhygenic and unprofessional.
***UPDATE SUMMER 2014**
I just wanted to add that about a month after posting my honest review of this office, I received a letter from them saying essentially «you violated our office policy by speaking poorly of us in public so we hearby release you from our practice».
Not that I’d ever go back, but really? That was unnecessary.

We drive kind of far to go to this office, but it’s worth it. My children first became patients because my 4YO daughter had knocked some of her teeth (almost out) and we needed to be seen on an emergency basis. I did not want to go to an ER just to be told to go to a dentist. I called All About Smiles and they made accommodations for her to be seen ASAP! Dr. Cotton was awesome about explaining exactly what might happen to her teeth and what we can expect to see.
Now both my children are patients there and thank goodness I have not had any problems with the staff. They have been super nice, and because I was self-​pay, they were good about explaining charges, fees, etc.
Maybe they have been reading these reviews and taking the feedback to heart, because when I made appointments recently with Brook for my kids’ checkups she said she will call my insurance (we have insurance now) and get all my benefit info for me. Overall a good experience!

Like some of the other negative reviewers, I also share a similar complaint.
Dr. Cotton personally has been very nice, but the office staff is iffy at times. Their thing is to always get payment regardless. My 9 yr old son needed to have a tooth extracted because it broke. It was on New Year s Day, but Dr. Cotton told me what to do and that it could wait until the next day, when the office was opened.
The staff did not call the insurance to get pre-​authorization, which they should ve. They told me that they do not know if the insurance company would cover it or not and said I would need to pay for services rendered, which I did. That was on ½/​13. Unbeknownst to me, the insurance company did pay them on 1÷15÷13, and they paid them MORE than what I was charged, which it was my understanding I was charged the full fee.
A week ago I called the insurance company, which is now 5 weeks after they paid the dentist, to see if they had paid the claim. They told me how much they paid, when, the check number, and that the checked had cleared. The dentist office never notified me that the insurance company paid, and probably had no intentions. They would ve gotten payment from me and from the insurance.
My 2 kids had dental appointments Tuesday and I was running late. Stephen answered the phone when I called to say we would be late. He said if we were 1 minute late, we would be assessed a late fee. I asked him how much that was. He told me $ 25 per kid, so that would be $ 50. If we were ONE minute late we would be charged a late fee. That is outrageous. We ended up not keeping our appointment with that outrageousness.
Today I made a call to the dentist office and asked them if the insurance company had paid. Sophie answered and said that the account had been zero d out due to the late appointment fee, speaking as if they had been compassionate to not charge us as much for being late. I told her I knew the insurance company had paid the claim they made on the tooth extraction that they failed to check with the insurance company BEFORE rendering services, which the insurance company said they have people ²⁴⁄₇ for offices to call to get preauthorization BEFORE services. They were just too lazy to do this.
When I told Sophie I knew how much exactly the insurance company paid, when, etc., and that what I paid was MORE than the late fee, she became flustered and said she would need to check with Administration (Brooke). Brooke called me back shortly to tell me that indeed that they owe me a credit. If they did owe me a credit, why did it not show up when Sophie checked the account?
I paid about $ 90 for the services. The insurance paid $ 113.81. The late fees were $ 50, but I was getting a credit of $ 20. Do the math. Brooke told me that the late fees were $ 70, not $ 50. I told her that that is what Stephen told me they were. She said he is wrong and I owe the $ 70.
We have been going there for 2 yrs or more. They have in the past worked with me when I have had trouble paying, which they allowed me to make payments, which I always paid. The kids original appointment was actually the Thursday before, which we booked 4.5 months prior. So, we had to reschedule. Dr. Cotton had to fly out the day of our appointment. Our appointment was already set. They called us 2.5 hrs before the appointment to see if we could go in earlier. We could not because the kids were in school and I was at a different appointment.
I do believe if we were never late, and I never called the insurance company, they would ve never told me that the insurance company paid the claim, therefore, they would ve gotten double payment for services of the tooth extraction. Maybe since we had trouble paying in the past, they decided to withhold telling us the insurance paid.
Brooke said late appointments in the afternoon were $ 35, not $ 25, and that was for morning appointments. She was very cold and callous in her treatment to me, as if a robot. The insurance was very prompt in paying, but they were not prompt in refunding my money, nor do I believe they would ve.
Stephen had been there for at least over 2 yrs, so he should ve known their policy. Brooke should ve honored what Stephen said. Rather, it appears that they are upset at me and just finding reasons. I have never been belligerent or even a difficult parent, neither have my kids.
Their office staff made numerous mistakes in handling me, but the cost is on me for their mistakes. I cannot charge them if they want to cancel my appointment nor if they want to push up or out my appointment, but they can do that with me.
Yes, this is a pediatric dentistry. When you have kids, things happen, but that doesn t matter.
For those good reviews, well, wait until you have an issue. It will not be pleasant.

Dr Cotton was great, but her staff is horrible! We researched our insurance policy and thought it would cover our appointment. The office manager even called our insurance «she said» to confirm they would cover it! So I took my son to the dentist. Then we went back 6 months later. After the second visit the office manager called me and said that our insurance company will not be covering any of the visits after all. Of course I called my insurance company and they said we had misunderstood the information they gave us. But since the office manager had told us as well that our insurance company would cover it, I told her that I will pay for the first visit but not the second. Because before our second visit (6 months after the first visit) the dentist office staff should have told us that insurance did not pay for it! Then we would have never gone to the second appointment in the first place!
So we payed for the first visit. The evil office manager Brooke, who does not have an ounce of compassion in her heart, told me she would be sending me to a collection agency unless I paid for the second visit. Needless to say I never payed because of the principal of the matter and Evil Brooke sent us to a collection agency! BEWARE!

I had the exact same experience as the other review. I really like Dr. Cotton but her office manager is completely pompous and arrogant. We have been patients since they opened but I too just had to reschedule an appointment. My son had to go to a neurologist for a serious medical matter. I gave 24hr notice but was told the policy states I needed to give 48hr notice for an appointment after 3pm… which we had the next day. I had hoped there would be some compassion to our situation but Brooke, the manager, found it more important to collect the $ 50 fee ($ 25 per patient) than it was to help me reschedule their appointment and retain us as patients. LIke the woman who wrote the review before mine… she felt the need to quote the policy over and over instead of wanting to handle business on a human level.
I immediately switched dentists after this experience.
I would not recommend this practice to anyone! It’s unrealistic to think life doesn’t happen especially with kids. This is a pediatric dentistry. Kids and life are unpredictable and these policy’s need to be assessed on an individual basis. This office manager will be ruining Dr. Cotton’s practice if she doesn’t get a clue that maintaining relationships is the key to running a successful business.

I really like Dr. Cotton. I think she’s very good, and has treated myself and my children with respect. I’ve always felt like the best treatment was being offered, and the office was always up front about expected cost. I was impressed by her expertise, and more impressed by her ability to speak to my kids at their level, involving them in their own care, while encouraging better hygiene.
The quality of service provided from the office staff has really declined. This is my issue. I can’t stand her office manager, who is very disrespectful and condescending.
I had missed a couple of appointment before, a no show and a late cancellation, so now I have a «history» with the office, and she is very careful to point that out, *frequently*. We’re not even going to consider the dozens of kept appointments or the hours I have spent waiting in her waiting room, the doctor was running late due to some unforeseen emergency, or just running behind. I can accept responsibility for not showing up to an appointment, and I’m even willing to pay their fee. It is not my expectation that I can do whatever I want without consequence. I respect the doctor and her business. However, I am NOT willing to be chastised and reminded of my indiscretion every time I call.
I gave it my best shot. I realized that I felt like I was working too hard to maintain my relationship with the practice in order to earn my right to have my children be seen by Dr. Cotton. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? That they work to earn my business? Actually, the patient-​dentist relationship, like any other relationship, should be based on mutual respect. It’s just not there, anymore. Too bad.

First let me say that the office staff and dental assistant at this facility were great! Dr. Cotton however was not.
My son is 11 and has had MANY dental visits, fillings, even caps at another dentist. He is not nervous about dentistry at all. Unfortunately that dentist retired and we had to switch. This was our first visit with Dr. Cotton. After the exam she advised that he needed some fillings and they had time now if we wanted. I said ok. Well… next comes the hard sell — GET NITROUS (laughing gas). We’ve chosen gas before, about 50% of the time, depending on the complexity of the visit. His other dentist was great either way. NEVER PUSHY. In this case he needed small fillings so I discussed it with my son and we opted not to have the gas. He’ll still be numb from the Novocaine, just not in la la land. He was cool with that decision and ready to move on with the fillings. Like I said, he’s not nervous about dentistry and has had many experiences (all positive whether we have gas or not). Dr. Cotton was rude from that point on and proceeded to chastise me through the entire procedure. At the first moment my son voiced any discomfort (ie a pinch) Dr. Cotton started in with, «See, this is why we encourage the gas…» I said he’ll be fine and I stood up and patted his shoulder. He looked chill and relaxed. They got through the first filling quickly with no problems and moved onto the next. The 2^nd was a little more difficult and he voiced more discomfort. Instead of Dr. Cotton being encouraging, CALMING and sympathetic; she was abrasive, rude and continued with her comments about our decision not to use the gas. She kept saying, if you had used the gas he’d be much calmer. Her negative attitude only increased his anxiety. Kids sense these things. She was making it worse for no reason. A few comforting words and a pat on the shoulder would have been nice. Instead she couldn’t keep her big mouth shut about the stupid gas. We got through both fillings and he was fine again within minutes; mentally a little worse for the wear thanks to her negativity.
If a pediatric dentist cannot do a couple small fillings without gassing her patients, then maybe pediatrics is NOT for her! She was rude, unprofessional and not good with kids (unless they are gassed apparently).
Again, her male assistant was great… very calming, humorous and nice. My son liked him a lot. Now that is someone who has skills with kids! Its too bad he works for a mean old crank.
P. S. My son said Dr. Cotton ‘…had bad breath and kept sticking her big boobs in my face.’ (LOL straight from the mouth of babes)