William L Ebbs, DDS

Stay away! I also wished I had paid attention to the more detailed reviews outlining issues.
I was referred to WDS and went for a cleaning and check-​up. Well I was told that I needed a deeper cleaning and some anti-​biotic shots. I later learned that this is not the initial treatment option but only done when you’re trying to up-​sell.
I was told that my insurance did not cover the treatment so I signed up for Care Credit since I thought I needed the work as recommended by the hygienist and dentist. Well it turns out WDS also billed me (and I paid in full) and my insurance.
When i got an explanation of benefits from my insurance company is when I found out that they had also billed my insurance. I contacted the «office manager» and billing staff and things went from bad to worse. These folks are totally unprofessional and unethical! And this is not an isolated incident since my new dentist (who’s just down the street and who is awesome!) told me that he gets lots of new customers from WDS who come in relating stories like mine.
So heed the bad reviews that actually explain issues and stay away from this place!

My visit was November 2012 and still has me seething to this day. If I could give zero stars I would. Absolutely the most horrible experience I’ve ever had anywhere as a customer — in terms of the unprofessional, inexperienced and rude staff, pushy sales tactics from a dental assistant and accounts person while i’m sitting in the dentist chair! Refused to clean my teeth unless I signed up for a big expensive scaling. I never actually saw the dentist Dr. Ebbs that i had the appointment with. I never saw any dentist And then trying to bill my dental plan extortionate rates. I just wanted my teeth cleaned and polished.
To start with, while you’re in the waiting area they have a video playing about getting your teeth scaled. Then an inexperienced dental assistant was flapping around trying to get items together to x-​ray my teeth looked like she didnt know where to start — I didn’t want my teeth x-​rayed I just wanted a cleaning, they said it was part of the service so I said okay (there was a huge charge on the bill for this $ 300 which they did not make me aware of — i could’ve had my old dentist forward them on if I knew).
Then the clamp to open my mouth was way too big — i asked could she use a kids one as i’m petite and she was finding it impossible to put in and I was writhing in pain — after 20 minutes — no exaggeration — she spent 20 minutes pulling at my mouth trying to put fit it, asked another guy to try and eventually a 3^rd more senior dental assistant came in and managed to do it in a flash — she was very bubbly and chatty and I felt better like she knew what she was doing.
X-​ray complete and this assistant started poking around my gums, just pulling and STABBING at my gums with that hook like tool, pulling the gums upwards and consequently made them all bleed. Of course they’ll bleed! I had just been to the dentist 6 months in my home town, and regularly go twice per year, and my gums never bled during examination, She said it looks like I need my teeth scaled and started talking about the process which is super expensive, super painful and what was even more dodgy about it was the medication/​painkillers were they’re own brand and cost over $ 1,000 .,. I said I wasn’t interested and didn’t feel I needed it per my dentists examination 6 months ago my teeth were perfectly fine — she said well maybe they are not at the same level of dentistry where you’re from but I can see you need this done She put on a video about the process and left the room. I was like -. WHAT?!
She came back I still said no. So she got an accounts person into the room who also said I urgently need this done and if i can’t afford it they have payment plans. Again I was like no its too expensive and I don’t think I need it — so they refused to clean my teeth! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I got so upset at how they were treating me and she eventually agreed to clean my teeth but refused to polish them unless I signed up for this treatment. So the dental assistant did the cleaning — but it should have been the dentist Dr Ebbs right!?. And they charged full whack for clean, polish, admin fees, processing fees, x-​ray fees all to the tune of $ 940. My dental plan fought back to reduce the fees.
I normally take reviews with a pinch of salt but if you’re reading this and have made an appointment, please reconsider, I assure you these reviews are all accurate.

I realize it seems petty to give a one-​star rating, but I can’t give a higher rating as they canceled my appointment 30 minutes before it was scheduled to occur.
I made an appointment two weeks ago as Aetna indicated he was my primary care dentist. I also happen to have these two weeks free, which is why I was willing to wait two weeks to sneak in just at the end of my time off.
As I was literally on my way out the door, I received a phone call from his office. They told me that he is no longer accepting new patients, despite the fact that his name is printed on my insurance card, and I now have to start over and select a new dentist with my insurance.
So I’m sure he’s as great as everyone says he is, but at least for now, he’s not accepting new patients. And his staff apparently doesn’t verify insurance information when you make your appointment; they let you waste two weeks and wait until 30 minutes before your appointment to cancel.
I find this unacceptable and unprofessional.
And now that I’ve vented, I’ll stop whining and go find somebody else!

I’ve been going to Dr. Ebbs for a few years now and have nothing but good things to say. The office is very conveniently located, the staff is friendly and professional, the cleanings are thorough but quick, and Dr. Ebbs is knowledgeable and nice. And I’ve never been kept waiting for an appointment. I wish every doctor I go to ran such a good practice!

After breaking a tooth, I went to Dr. Ebbs for a second opinion on what I thought was an outrageous assessment of my dental needs by another dentist. He told me that it was likely that the previous dentist was just much more aggressive wtih his treatment and it was his personal approach to take a more conservative stance. (READ: the other dentist was probably trying to rip me off/​commit insurance fraud.) Beyond recommending a MUCH more reasonable treatment plan, his prices were MUCH more fair. (The first dentist was going to charge $ 400 for the same service for which Dr. Ebbs charged $ 250).
On both visits the hygenists and receptionists were friendly and got me in earlier than my appointment time. Prior to having any work done I was provided with a quote and that was the ending price I paid– no surprises. Dr. Ebbs was as gentle as one can be while grinding away and poking teeth. Several times he asked if I was doing ok and if I needed to take a break.
I can now say that I don’t absolutely HATE going to the dentist. Which is saying a lot for me!

Dr. Ebbs is a nice person; however, his business practices are suspect. I was given a periodontal exam and shown a video explaining what my condition was. My condition and treatment plan were never explained by an actual person. Before they brought out the recommended course of treatment, they asked what my job was. I informed them that I was an attorney. I was then brought a $ 1300 treatment plan, which included a $ 300 toothbrush thrown into the itemized list of costs. Again, no person ever explained to me why this treatment was necessary, especially why the $ 300 toothbrush would be necessary. I went to a different periodontal specialist the next year and he recommend a much less serious (and less costly) course of treatment.
In addition, their routine exam charges always exceeded my insurance plan’s copayment. I would never go to this dentist again.
I highly recommend Dr. Economides by the Clarendon metro in Arlington, a very trustworthy and kind dentist. For some reason, such dentists are very rare in the DC area.

After being a patient of Dr. Ebbs for two years, I decided to see another dentist to confirm the procedures which Dr. Ebbs recommended I get.
The 2^nd dentists disagreed with the expensive, involved procedures which Ebbs was pushing me to get, and recommended way cheaper, less invasive solutions. In fact, I saved over $ 2000 by NOT going ahead with Ebbs’ diagnosis and unnecessary procedures.
Beyond this obvious swindle, Dr. Ebbs’ staff is rude, unhelpful, and dishonest. One hygienist kept referring to her various brothers who had «similar» procedures to the exact ones she kept recommending for me (how ironic), which seemed sketchy. Each time I saw her, the hygienist had a «new» brother which the same «problem» that I had…
Also, while I was in mid-​conversation with the receptionist, she walked away and declared that it «was her lunch time.» …mid conversation, really?!
I would pay ANY amount of money to never see these jokers again.

Unfortunately there’s some interesting quackery going on at this office. I’ve changed dentists.

To preserve my journalistic integrity, I’m issuing the following, full disclosure: most of why I like Dr. Ebbs is because he is a hottie. He smells nice and his specs are smoking hot.
I’ve been to Dr. Ebbs twice, once for a consult, and once for a filling (aka «build up»). Look, I can’t say much about his dentistry, because my procedure was pretty simple. But hey, he has a decent bedside manner. And did I mention he was hot?
Now, I did get charged for something that should have been free, but I called and the accounts people credited my account without too much of a hassle. So I would say, watch what you get charged for. However, I’ve had way bigger fights with dentist’s bills (and the profession, after all, is kind of designed to rip you off — it’s the system — universal health care, people! we need it!). But that’s why I’m not giving him the five star treatment.
BTW — I used to go to Dr. Michelle Loewinger — highly recommend. Just don’t use her anymore because I switched dental insurance. Dr. Loewinger is a sweetie pie (though she does like to brag about her kids who are in Princeton or something and her dental assistant is somewhat of a loon). But otherwise, she is a good egg. And she’ll give you the nitrous gas if you are willing to pay for it. I loves me some nitrous.