Bright Now! Dental

We had the worst experience at the Bright Now Dental office in Cornell Rd today. Wanted to do braces for my son and we had no dental insurance, so I searched around and found the Discount Dental where I pay $ 24.99/month and get the discount from 25%-70% on all dental services. Understand that not all the places accept the Discount Dental Plan, I looked up their network and found a closest to my house: Bright Now Dental listed as their partner. Call them and made an appointment for my son to go in for a consultation. We came in early a bit to fill in paperwork as suggested. All 3 receptionists were very unwelcoming. They took the papers and asked us to wait. After 20 mins past out appointment, I noticed many people that showed up after us, were called in while we still had to wait, I walked up and asked if we needed to wait longer because my son needed to go back to school. The guy got up went inside to check then came back and told me that they were cleaning up the room and my son’s name was next, and they would get him in immediately. OK, kept waiting. 10 mins later, I started noticing one more person was called in, and she had just arrived. So I got up and asked to cancel the appointment. Nobody even said sorry for the inconvenience. The guy even had the gut to ask if I wanted to reschedule to another time. I asked for my papers back and left. The worst first appointment I’ve ever encountered. They obviously did not need my business, so I bring it to somewhere else, where they care more about customers. I will not recommend anyone to go to this location.

Horrible customer service at the front desk. I chose this place because it was the closest to me, not worth it!

I was very happy with the service I received from the staff at Hillsboro Bright Now. I was new to the area and had a gap in my insurance and I had a painful gum infection. The staff was so efficient and kind, not only did they see me on the same day they gave me exactly what I asked for after confirming what I guessed the problem to be since I had the problem before… I was given a single tooth ex-​ray, Dr. Brian Smith examined me and Scott cleaned my teeth expertly and applied some medicine. The ex-​ray technician was great as I had a bit of a wait in between exam and treatment since I was essentially a «walk in patient» and had to be worked into their schedule… she checked in on me several times… I am pretty sure some of the staff postponed their lunch to help me! The price was very reasonable… Thanks everyone!

I change filters for this company and this location is by far my favorite because they made my job easier by getting me quicker access to the units I work with. The staff is kind and courteous with BIG SMILES :)))

I just started going to Bright Now in March. Dr Smith, Rene, Corinna & Sheila have been amazing! In 35+ yrs of going to dentists I have never felt more secure & satisfied with my care. My dentist I have used in the last 15yrs retired. So going somewhere new was a bit scary. Never once was I made to feel embarrsed or ashamed about my oral care. I honestly don’t know WHY the prior patients rated them horribly. Maybe the individuals I listed above where not there at the time. Everyone is very personable and genuinely seem to care. I have NEVER found this in any dental office till now.

The dentist noticed me (I learned later) while I was sitting in the waiting room filling out forms as it was my first (and last) appointment. I have ²⁰⁄₃₀₀ vision and have to use a magnifying glass as that’s the only thing that helps me.
When I was called back to see her, she greeted me with «Man, you need glasses».
I had a cyst when I was four that damaged my optic nerve badly leaving me legally blind with vision not correctable by glasses only a magnifying glass. She wouldn’t have known that but common sense tells you that you don’t say something like that to somebody. I’ve seen my share of classless people in my life and THEY even know better. And this is a doctor?
Then my hygienist was half way through cleaning my teeth when she said, «I’m gong to give you a break for a minute» and went away. I really didn’t need a break but okay. Well that was really code for «I’m going to go over here and clean this other psrson’s teeth and come back in thirty minutes». I could here her in the next room the whole time.

I went there and liked the dentist I had, but she left. Then the hygienists were pretty rough and didn’t seem to care. Now that I needed a root canal, they gave me antibiotics and said that I didn’t need pain medicine because the antibiotics would take care of it. When I complained that I had severe pain even with the antibiotics they blamed me for not calling in sooner. Don’t go there, they suck.

This place is by a large margin the most disgusting medical facility I’ve EVER had the misfortune of visiting. I would expect it in a poverty stricken area of the world. 1.) it smelled like vomit in the whole place. 2.) the receptionist ends up also being the x-​ray tech (btw had open exposed bleeding sores all over her arms, no scrubs just street clothes 3.) ever heard of cross contamination? While they are digging around in your mouth positioning the x-​ray things they walk around the corner and push a button to take an image, If your not yet picking up on it, that means although they are gloved up everyone’s mouth gets to share the button! 4.) As you sit in either the x-​ray chair or the exam chair you get the entertainment of every sound within 15 feet including the tooling and mouth goo suction of the patient next to you… I finally had enough… I got up and simply walked out
Far be it from me to know the workings of a Dental office but I get regular dental work check ups, cleaning etc… I visited this place because I got new insurance and my old place wasn’t on the approved list. Luckily there are others.
Beware!!!

I am so mad at myself for going to Bright Now for so long. I am now having to have all my amalgum fillings taken out and replaced with proper tooth colored fillings. In additon to being extremely ugly the fillings were not put in properly. I never once had a good experience at Bright Now, but I thought it was just part of going to the dentist. I thought it naturally had to suck.
I now go to Infinity Dental off Baseline and have had nothing but great experiences there. If you want a good dentist go to there.

We’ve just started using Bright Now, as our dental insurance no longer covered Dr Smith in Hillsboro (who was good, BTW). I’ve been to two appointments at Bright Now so far — the first was for X-​rays and a consultation, the second for a cleaning with planing and fluoride. They were upfront about their prices for different services during the exam on the first visit, and told me what my treatment options would be when I came back for the cleaning. When I came back, the cleaning was extremely thorough — probably the most thorough cleaning I’ve had — and they again reminded me of the extra treatment options and their prices. No surprises. My hygienist (Melinda, maybe? Can’t remember) was very nice. My 6 year old had her consultation and cleaning done at the same time — not sure why they don’t do that for adults too. My wife has a permanent retainer so she set up an appointment to meet with the orthodontist about that. So far, everything’s been great. They even have a little play area to help keep my toddler busy. Also, having Jamba Juice next door is a nice bonus.

I have been to several dentists in my neighborhood and all have been good. But when I went to Bright Now Dental in Hillsboro I felt like my experience there was the best. My dental hygenist is Miranda and she is so incredibly thorough with my cleaning and my teeth. I have really healthy teeth and all my past dental hygenists agree, but Miranda tells me where my weak points are and what I need to do to prevent them from being worse. My overall teeth health has always been a 9, but I feel these guys can bring me to a 10. (I want to keep my teeth until I die!) I think the other reviews on this page are from insurance issues that have nothing to do with their service. Some reviewers just don’t understand insurance and how much their policies change. Fluoride coverage CAN change without notice. Healthcare is expensive for a reason — the amount of schooling these guys goes through make them deserve it. If your out of pocket cost is high, chances are you just have sucky insurance. They should be reviewing their insurances, not my hygenist. Miranda is a really good dental care provider.

So far my experience was ok. Ppl are courteous and friendly. I had asked several questions and they explained properly. I probably need few more visits to get a better picture. Sometimes they try to push some service or products, but I believe that is not an uncommon practive. One needs to apply own judgement.

My wife calls it «Dark now dental»! And that is a good summary of our review of this place. We went there for convenience and because our insurance covers them (of course). However they are the KMart of dentistry, and we are now searching for a new dentist. I had 5 fillings inserted to fill gaps where my gums had receeded, and 4 of them fell out within 2 months. And when I went to have them redo the work, the receptionist was, believe it or not, angry with me. They redid the work, and since then 3 have fallen out again.
At one point a few months after my cleaning at BND I paid out of pocket for my previous dentist (no longer covered by our new insurance) to do a routine cleaning. He was apologetic for having such negative things to say, but said he couldn’t hold back in good conscience and NOT tell me what a horrible job I got on my previous cleaning!
STAY CLEAR OF BRIGHT NOW DENTAL (aka Dark Now Dental)…

I will start off by saying I got everything I expected. The appointment process was easy, the girls in the front were pleasant, the xray tech LaTanya was very sweet and gentle as possible during the somewhat painful xray process, Dr O’Loughlin was also very kind and personable, and the hygienist Debbie was quick; it was the fastest cleaning I have ever received which for me (I hate cleanings) was GREAT!
They had a new patient special; cleaning & full xrays for only $ 29!
Overall, the process was easy, quick, and cheap.
The only word of caution I would give is…
be careful of the upselling… but I follow that up by saying, none of the people there were pushy about it. They ask you once if you want an extra service, if you say ‘no’ they don’t make you feel bad about it.
Some people get upset about getting an extra service, then getting mad about it because they end up having to pay for it later. Bright Now Dental is easy… just make sure you know what you’re going in for, know what you want, and TELL them what you want… ASK them what the cost will be if you’re considering anything extra they are offering. It is truly that easy.

Let me start by saying that I only typically write reviews for businesses if I think their products and services are off-​the-​charts amazing or absolutely horrific. Furthermore, I prefer to address my complaints with the establishment directly or to their corporate offices over posting to a public forum. I have made several phone calls to Bright Now’s toll-​free number and to the «corporate number» in CA that I was referred to, but I still haven’t been able to speak to anyone other than the operator. So this leaves me with no other option but to air what I have to say here in an effort to help others avoid an experience like the one I just endured.
To offset the increase in my medical insurance premium at the start of the year, I chose to switch to the managed care plan option through Cigna Dental. They sent me a list of providers and I chose this dentist based on location and the fact that they were able to get me in for an appointment within the week.
My appointment was yesterday. I was under the impression that I was scheduled for a cleaning, exam and x-​rays as that is what I requested and what is covered by my insurance. I arrived at the office and waited close to an hour before being called back for my x-​rays. The dental assistant who took my x-​rays said I would see the dentist for an exam afterward and the hygienist would evaluate my gums to see what kind of a cleaning I would need. She asked if that was something I was interested in having done while I was there. I was a little surprised to have been asked that since a cleaning was the main reason for my visit.
Following the x-​rays, I was ushered into an exam room and told that the dentist would be in to see me in a few minutes. At that point, I had been there for an hour and the only thing they had done was take x-​rays. I continued to wait. I waited another 15 minutes before the assistant returned to tell me that the dentist would be in to see me «in a few minutes» because she was in the middle of a procedure. I explained to the assistant that I was on my lunch hour and had already waited nearly an hour and a half and didn’t think I could wait any longer. She told me to hang on and a minute or two later the dentist (Dr. O’Loughlin) came in to see me. My «exam’ took approximately three minutes… long enough for her to notate my existing dental work, tell me my teeth were okay now but that I would need another crown or two at some point in the future, and to comment on the (excellent) quality of my existing dental work. She also told me that the hygienist would be in to check my gums and to give me a «quote» for a cleaning (which I again questioned). I had to acutally ask her if I had any cavities as she was leaving the room. (Fortunately, I didn’t)
They hygienist, Miranda, came in shortly thereafter and checked my gums. She was able to determine that I only needed a basic cleaning. I was then told by one of the office staff members (who was assisting her by writing down the numbers for my gum assessment as she was calling them out) that they could do the cleaning while I was there but that the wait would be at least another 30 minutes. By then I had been gone from work for nearly two hours so I asked them to schedule my cleaning for another day. They were able to get me in at lunch today. I returned and this time I was seen on-​time. The hygienist today was Debbie. I had what might have been the world’s fastest teeth cleaning and, ordinarily, I might have questioned how thorough it was. Debbie, however, was friendly, professional and a skilled hygienist. I ended up being in and out in 20 minutes today.
It’s hard for me to believe that it took 2 separate visits and over two hours for me to get a basic cleaning, a brief exam and x-​rays from this establishment when my previous dental office was able to provide all of those servies in under an hour.
I also overheard conversations with other patients regarding their treatment while I was waiting. It definitely sounds as if Bright Now specializes in «upselling» every patient who walks through the door… whether it be for a deep cleaning, whitening or the flouride varnish. This is a dental BUSINESS, not a dental practice. Clearly their focus is on raking in dollars rather than delivering good patient care. I learned my lesson the hard way… no more «strip mall» dental chains for me! I strongly recommend skipping this place and going elsewhere!

Read the filtered review of this particular franchise that was written by another Unilocaler, I have experienced unethical practices at this particular office as well and suspect this is likely common across the chain. This will mostly be a gripe review, so apologies for that… i just don’t have good things to say. I can’t discourage people enough to take their business elsewhere, your teeth deserve better :)
Arrived for my 6mo cleaning and found a handwritten note on the door saying ‘Sorry we are closed’, no phone call or anything, a bit unprofessional. You, of course, are liable for fees if you don’t give them proper notice of not being able to keep an appointment… hmmmm. I’ve also had to wait in the parking lot for 15 minutes before anyone showed up to unlock the door for my 8 AM appointment! Classy staff showed up to unlock the door with Starbucks in her hand… huh?!
On one visit, I had a fluoride treatment and ‘it was covered by insurance’. A year later at a cleaning visit i was told (at the front desk AFTER my appointment) there was a charge for fluoride. I said, ‘this was covered last time and i wasn’t told by the hygienist there would be a charge’. She said she couldn’t find record of my last fluoride treatment… so i just looked at them and didn’t say a word. After a bit of an odd, uncomfortable silence, she waived the charge — they get 1 star for that.
I was also told on a separate occasion I needed an ‘oral irrigation’ (i believe for excessive bleeding/​pocketing) and found out i wasn’t covered — but i didn’t find this out until i scheduled my next visit with the receptionist. Again, i wasn’t told anything about this being an out of pocket expense while i was in the chair. I see other reviewers now have written similar stories.
Very shady the way they try to up-​sell you on everything here (fluoride, oral irrigation, «do you want whitening for only 99.99 today?»). I’m searching for a new dentist. The tricky part is my junk insurance doesn’t allow me much flexibility. Do your best to find a non ‘Bright Now’ chain, I’m not confident my teeth are getting a proper cleaning every 6 months.

So today was my first visit to this dentistry and I was for my two kids new patient appointments. Scheduling was very easy and quick, they were able to get an appointment a week after calling in which was great. The staff at the front were very friendly and helpful. The office is a bit smaller than I am used to but we used to go to Kaiser Dental which was huge. May and Miranda cleaned my kids’ teeth and my kids liked them. They were very friendly and were ok about explaining what they were doing to ensure then kids felt comfortable. My kids saw Dr. Donald Wells who was awesome. He was very nice and the kids felt very comfortable with him considering he isn’t a pediatric dentist, which is what they are used to. So far I am liking my decision to give this dentistry a try. It is close to home so that is a plus and they offer a in office discount. I look forward to having my first dental visit and giving a better review from my own personal experience in the chair.
Update: If this place wasn’t so close, I didn’t love the dentist’s and my daughters didn’t have braces here we’d be gone. They were ok before, but now the billing is a headache and the new staff of receptionists are incompetent. And it is inconvenient that the ortho staff is only in a few days a week. Ridiculous!

I’ve been to this Dentists office before without issues, however this time was different. I called and made an appointment, simple right? They didn’t ask me any questions or anything. I arrived for my appointment and let the receptionist know my insurance had changed– it changes every January because the company I work for can’t make up it’s mind– but always has the same in network Doctor’s & Dentists. I was told that I’d have to reschedule and I could not be seen– that it’s Bright Now’s policy that they need 24 hours to verify insurance. I asked why when I called, they did not ask if anything had changed– if they had it would of avoided me leaving work and having to take time off, only to have my time wasted– but was told it was «my responsibility» to make sure I notified them of the changes in advance.
I have never ever been refused service because of a change in insurance– and it takes 2 minutes to verify coverage and network– why the HUGE inconvience?