Timber Dental

Best dentist I’ve ever been to, by far. Super friendly, super organized, super laid-​back while also being thorough and professional. And they play good music too!

My worst dental office experience ever!
My first visit went fine six months ago. And had scheduled to come back in six months for a cleaning, and a filling (as recommended by the office). I had to get in a week early for a different lost filling and things still seemed fine. Had a nice discussion about how i have many really old filings that needed replacement or caps. I asked about scheduling but they said next week when i come back we schedule for future appointments after my filling and cleaning.
.
Today is next week. I went in for my 9:10am appt. on time. I had my cleaning but then i was told i was being squeezed in for my filling that they normally don’t do on the same day as cleaning and I had to wait! I waited an hour! I had scheduled this almost 7 months before according to them telling me what i need. Only to be told when i was sitting in the chair that they were doing me a favor by doing both on the same day after I asked why I was waiting almost 2 hours by then! And they had the nerve to tell me they were squeezing me in for an appointment they told me i needed and they scheduled for me! Then they had the nerve to make me feel bad for their mistake, like I pushed them to do something, but they had recommended and scheduled and I had gone over with their financial person!
I also kept trying to explain i wanted to maximize my insurance before the end of the year, but they didn’t seem to grasp the concept and pushed me and made me feel like I was choosing to spend my money the wrong way by using what i have in Insurance this year and finishing up when my tiered insurance would cover much discussed in less than 6 month.
I felt since I wasn’t willing to spent thousands out of pocket instead of wait a few months for my insurance to catch up, and I would be willing at that point. They were just running me for my money!
There was a clear disconnect between what the dentist discussed, then financial and scheduling! And To make me feel bad about it Shameful!

Just had my first dental exam and teeth cleaning here. Nice comfortable office, friendly staff, cool music… But I’m giving them 5 stars for the following reasons: Dr. Matthew spent the time showing me my dental X-​Rays and explaining what he was looking for, and also talked me through why he thinks I should get a night guard. I’ve heard it before, but never heard a convincing argument up til now. I felt like my concerns were heard and my exam and cleaning were thorough. And finally, I got to watch Friends on Netflix while they did my cleaning! Really made a difference, thanks.

I can easily say this is the best experience at a dentist that I have ever had! Everyone on the team at Timber Dental is friendly, professional, and makes sure every visit is smooth and quick. I hadn’t been to the dentist in years, but they put together a treatment plan that addressed all the issues by priority and fit within my insurance limits.
The office itself is beautiful, they have Netflix to watch during any procedures, and the staff always made sure I understood what would be happening, as well as what to do to take care of my teeth and gums in the future. (Added bonus — they can text you appointment reminders so you don’t have to worry about losing appointment cards!)
I’ve had cavities filled, my gums deep cleaned, and even had my wisdom removed a few weeks ago and haven’t had a single issue — no swelling, minimal pain, and no issues with insurance billing or anything.
Thanks Timber Dental — you guys are awesome! =)

Very clean, modern practice with friendly staff. I kind of love that they let you choose something to watch on the TV screen over the chair. By far the best dentist experience I’ve had.

I absolutely love this place. Everyone is so unbelievably friendly and sweet! I’ve never had a better experience at a dental office. I like all the hygienists, but Angie is my favorite. She’s amazingly thorough and really down-​to-​earth. I would highly recommend this dental office for they’re wonderful customer service and staff!

Great dental experience! Lots of newer technology, super nice people, clean & modern office. I’m happy to have found my new dentist!

First visit to Timber Dental today, and I could not have been more pleased. It had been quite awhile since my last dental visit. I was really nervous, but as soon as I walked in, I was put at ease. The overall atmosphere was warm and comfortable. The staff was amazing. Carly took amazing care of me during the first part of the appointment … she was descriptive and made me feel like I was a part a the appointment. Dr. Kathan (Matt) was just awesome. I had some issues that needed to be addressed later, and both of them made me feel like they could be managed, and explained the procedures in detail. This was my first dental experience in Portland, I will be recommending them to anyone who is looking for a new dentist.

Boy did that go downhill quick from making the appointments months in advance to the experience at the office. While we were excited to make the appointments, apparently follow up and being prepared is not something they focus on.
When they come to get you, they take you to a chair that is right off the hallway, with no privacy whatsoever and others are walking by (what is this, dental school?). Then I sat in the office for a total of 25 minutes into my appointment while they searched for my records that I’d asked them to transfer over in April. And guess what! No one bothered to make sure they had my records before I took time off in the middle of my work day to come down there! T
The hygienist said they were not allowed to do a basic cleaning without xrays (wtf?) and tried to get me to do them again, but I told them I was trying to get pregnant and was not about to get unnecessary xrays. She proceeded to tell me that they would cover «my reproductive parts» so they would be safe but again I declined. She then had the nerve to ask me about my specific fertility/​reproductive details and it honestly left me stuttering. How about none of your business?
While she went back to investigate further, she came back and said they asked for them but never got them, I asked both the hygienist and dentist why they didn’t bother telling me before the appointment that they didn’t have my records, so perhaps I could assist. The hygienist kept saying it was my responsibility to get them the records and I needed to fill out a form for HIPAA with that dentist’s office — um, no, most new providers will have you fill out a transfer authorization form at their office and THEY fax it in, they don’t tell a patient to go do it on their own.
Then the dentist came in and first said that they’ve had problems trying to get xrays from my particular dentist, then said that their office uses film xrays that «weren’t to their standard of quality» so he wanted to do them again either way. Again I said no and explained why and he actually tried mansplaining to me «do you even know the radiation amount in an xray». Ohhh, I’m so not getting pulled into that. I simply said hey, I’m not comfortable with it, and I’ve already said no twice, so please do not ask me again. (By the way doc, many studies *have* linked xrays to low birth weight and whether you agree with it or not, if someone says «no» you need to respect their wishes). He then said well, we could just do the cleaning (huh? your hygienist was very emphatic about how that’d be impossible) and yet still made no indication of getting my files over — I suppose those film xrays that they used for decades on all of us are just not something he wants to take the time to obtain/​review. So I said hey, this is just not a fit for me and that my husband and I would go elsewhere.
No apologies from them, no attempt to right what they’d messed up on, and no respect for pregnant or possibly pregnant women’s wishes. Classy. Oh and the best part? They sent me within MINUTES a «how did we do?» online survey. Really? REALLY? What a joke.

First visit went ok — just routine cleaning, X-​rays, check up, etc. He recommended that I have some old fillings replaced and that was consistent with advice from my previous dentist. So far so good. We discussed a pre-​treatment Rx and I explained that I have an adverse reaction to «X» but «Y» works really well for me. Here’s where things start to go sideways … I go to pick up my Rx, and he’s called in «X». Ok, I call, he corrects it, I make another trip to the pharmacy and get «Y». I go in for a pretty routine treatment, replacement of old fillings. He handles a couple of them, but manages to drop an instrument and lightly scratch my face with it. No big deal. But then he says he can’t get to the one in the back tooth next to the wisdom tooth and says he will refer me to an oral surgeon to have the wisdom tooth extracted. I go to another dentist for a 2^nd opinion. The 2^nd opinion is not only can he work on the back tooth as is, but the idea of extracting the wisdom tooth would never have crossed his mind. Ok, maybe just a difference of professional opinion. But I’m going with the dentist #2.
UPDATE
Dentist #2 has now looked at the X-​rays sent over from timber and says only 1 filing needs to be replaced, not the multiple fillings timber said needed work. Let’s see … less pain, less time, less money … yeah, I’m going with #2.
UPDATE #2
Dentist #2 is Neil Geared at Wilshire Dental. Please read my 5 star review of the treatment I got there.

I’ve had a lot of dental troubles for 20 years… been to lots of dentists… I very HIGHLY recommend Timber Dental. I had my 1^st visit today. Carly was awesome! She was friendly, informative, professional, and thorough in cleaning my teeth & giving me tips on how to improve my gum health. If I were in the habit of tipping my dental team, I’d certainly give her a huge one! :-)
Clean, pretty office! Awesome technology! Scans and actual photos of my teeth, which I could view on the overhead screen, helped me to follow and understand what we were talking about. It also made me feel reassured that I wasn’t being «scammed» for extra treatment… I’ve seen enough of my own dental scans to have an idea of what’s going on.
Dr. Kathan performed a more thorough exam than I’ve had previously, checking jaw joints, bone structure, and an oral cancer screening. He kindly and matter of factly delivered my «bad» news of needing a root canal and told me my options.
Dani was really helpful and sweet about telling me my dental treatment plan estimates.
Also, as a medical professional myself, I appreciated Carly’s verbal handoff to Dr. Kathan about my case history, which was more efficient than extensive notes.
Bad news? Ha! It’s only ONE tooth… and the crown and future cleaning treatments are so much more affordable than past experiences! I’m pleased so far!!!

This place is just awesome, and who ever says that about a dentist’s office? The office is bright, clean, modern, and everyone is genuinely friendly. Everyone there I’ve encountered from the receptionists, dental assistants and of course Dr. Kathan seem to truly enjoy working there and their relaxed and happy moods make coming to the dentist enjoyable. I’ve only had cleanings but my husband has had some other work done and feels the same.
Yesterday we took our four-​year-​old son to his first real appointment. He had some nervous energy and is sometimes skittish about appointments like these (read-​I still cut his hair in his sleep because the haircut place is still too scary for him, sigh…) so I was wondering how it would go. Well, everyone treated him like a real person – didn’t patronize him like some people do to kids – and he relaxed and thought it was great fun! Dr. Kathan took his time getting to know him, explaining to him what he was going to do, and goofed around with him. When it was all over he got to pick out his own color toothbrush. He asked for red and there wasn’t a red one but the receptionist went in the back and brought him out one. He picked a toy from the toy chest and we were off. Today after breakfast he asked me when we could go to the dentist again. So, I thought a Unilocal review was in order. Thank you Dr. Kathan!

Every person asked how my day was. Every person went to specific detail about each step of my visit. The woman doing my cleaning was very responsive and made modifications when my mouth was too sensitive. The doctor and hygienists all made me laugh and feel like this wasn’t my first time in. They made extra time for me to have extra work done the same day rather than having to reschedule. I’ve been looking for three years for the right dentist. I’ll be back.

Oh Timber Dental. I want to like you.
But I’ve never had a dentist give me a huge, shiny bruise like that before, just doing a simple filling. And I’m incredibly irritated by the fact that I’ve had to email and call twice to try and get a refund on the money I overpaid (because once again a dentist charges me prior to the procedure and over-​bills per insurance.)
Everyone was nice, I liked the distraction TV with Netflix over the chair, and the full-​head xray scanner was very hi-​tech.
But I’m not sure I’m going to go back. We’ll see how long the refund takes after this most recent phone call.

I haven’t been to the dentist since I was a kid… I finally got on my wife’s insurance and scheduled my first adult appointment!
Nerves left when I walked in. The atmosphere was great! the receptionist was so friendly and the office was beautiful.
I got a cleaning, and ex rays. needless to say I need quite a few fillings .
During my cleaning, I felt it was a little rushed and mentioned this to the receptionist when I called to schedule my first filling. she was very sympathetic and said she would schedule extra time for the next appointment.
Dr Kathan thanked my for my feedback when I saw him, and talked me through the steps of getting my first filling.
He was extremely nice and gental. walked me through everything and made me feel completely comfortable.
i didn’t feel a thing! I could have honestly fallen asleep if I wasnt trying not to laugh at the jokes that were being said between Dr Kathan and his assistant.
I even got a card in the mail mentioning my holiday plans we had talked about.
I am a hair stylist, so customer service is EVERYTHING. they succeeded.
is it weird that I am looking forward to going back to get more fillings?

I can honestly say coming to Timber Dental was the first time I’ve ever been excited to visit the dentist. I won’t go into the details, but I needed a root canal ASAP and Dr. Kathan and staff were able to see me the same day.
The office is kind of industrial chic: minimalistic but inviting at the same time. The exam chairs are comfy and a cool perk is the LCD screen hanging from the ceiling; you’re given free reign of Dr. Kathan’s Netflix account while getting work done on your teeth.
I always felt that I was in good hands during my visits. You can tell the doc is up on the latest technology and research and clearly knows his stuff. The staff, also, has always been warm and helped me out with my wonky insurance. Great experience from start to finish with cool jams in the background while you wait.
If you’re not yet convinced that this place is awesome, just look at the logo! You can’t go wrong with a logo that clever!

Not only have I had the pleasure of working along side such a wonderful dentist but Dr. Kathan has recently become my dentist too. He seeks the very best for his patients, treating them all like family. He takes the time to explain every detail of his treatment plan, yet leaving time so patients can ask quesions.
If your a patient that has needle anxiety, you will be pleasantly surprised. Ive had him restore a couple teeth for me over the year and i’ve never been given an injection with such ease. He has some serious technique… wishing all dentist could be this good.
if your looking for a new dentist in your area give Dr. Kathan a shot, you won’t be sorry. He’s not only a great doctor but a genuine person at heart. I’m sad to say that we no longer work together but I do plan on keeping him as my dentist. A 45 min drive to his stellar office for superb treatment is well worth the trip.

Dr. Matt is awesome. When I went to Timber Dental I was hoping to find a dentist that takes a ‘conservative approach’ as I’ve had my fair share of dentists that hand me a treatment plan that costs thousands of dollars, only to find out from my dentist father-​in-​law that it was an ‘aggressive’ (and not needed) approach.
Finding Dr. Matt was a great surprise. He’s super personable & takes a long-​term perspective. I felt comfortable trusting his treatment plan which factored in that I can only afford so much right now.
During my filing he made it super comfortable — what other dentist offerings Netflix while they work on your teeth!
HIGHLY recommended. I’ll be sticking with Dr. Matt for years to come.

I just received a hand written thank you card from my dentist, Dr. Matt at Timber Dental. I appreciated the personalized service and attention given to the patients.
As a first time patient, and a person who hasn’t been to the dentist in several years, I was saddened and scared to learn that I would have to have some work done, but the staff at Timber Dental made it as painless as possible. I was impressed with the flat screen TV hanging above me as I was having the procedure, the 80s style sunglasses I was loaned so the light wouldn’t shine in my eyes and the fact that on my second visit, they had remembered what show I had been watching on my first visit.
That and the new technology they have for cleaning so they don’t have to do all that scraping and instead use some supersonic stream of laser water (or something like that). They still do a little bit of scraping, but not the entire cleaning. And Dr. Matt was able to remove the staining between my teeth from years of coffee and tea consumption. Also they had a intra-​oral camera and I was able to see inside my mouth on the TV above me so I could see which teeth needed work.
They will definitely be my regular dentist and I’d highly recommend Timber Dental looking for a wonderful dentist.

Best… dental… checkup… ever. The staff was really nice. They were very punctual with my appointment. The office was very clean and modern. My dentist was Matt, and he was very friendly and open.
They had a big screen TV hanging above me, so that I could see much of what was going on while they were helping me. They even let me use the suction tube so that I felt a little less like a lab rat and a little more empowered and involved.
Not only did they do the routine aspects of my visit, e.g. cleaning, but Matt gave a refresher course on the best way to brush. He used a dye on my teeth so that I could see the plaque or spots that I was missing with brushing. Having never seen that before, I was able to understand new brushing techniques with what their actual effects would look like.
Matt seems to have the philosophy of «If you teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.» Instead of hoping to get more money from patients, he wants people to know the best ways to be able to avoid dental work as much as possible. A real find :)