Dr. Todd H Galkin

This guy and his practice richly deserve to have a class-action suit brought against them! I wish that his exploited former-patients had a way of meeting one another, expressly for this purpose. For now, we suffer as lone individuals. ~ I'm glad the good-review lady finds the office clean and enjoys the wi-fi; maybe once she's been seeing him for a little while longer, she will rethink that "good riddance" remark. It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the "attitudes" of patients who had liked him at first. Taking care of your teeth has NOTHING to do with whether or not a dentist takes advantage of his patients. This one does.

I was never able to get any of my old X-rays (from before Dr.Galkin put that ridiculous roundhouse bridge over my natural teeth). I noticed another review mention clinical notes, which was funny because we were told that Dr.Galkin never takes notes. However, he very clearly had a plan for me in mind: After destroying my two front teeth for no apparent reason- he said any teeth which have had root canals are supposed to be crowned, ground my front teeth down until they were TINY, gave me a mirror then(!) for no good reason (this, as an assistant looking on had an unmistakable look of pity on her face). I told him the piece he put over these felt loose on one side, pointing to the front tooth; Galkin's response was an attempt to wiggle a normal, healthy tooth which was NEXT TO the front tooth I was touching. When the temporary eventually broke, what was left of that front tooth (on the side I said felt loose) was revealed: it was brown, broken off, and about a millimeter long- too small… even for a crown! In the course of a few months, I went from having perfectly normal front teeth to having this rotten stub. My DENTIST did that to my teeth- I wouldn't believe it, either; but it happened. After this piece was off, Galkin attempted to wiggle the tooth beside these (again), pulled back, and asked if I wanted "the good news.. OR.. the GOOD news?" He seemed inappropriately excited and enthusiastic. Then he pulled the healthy tooth next to the front two- which clearly took some real effort on his part. That tooth- being just barely on the opposite side of my mouth from the side where previous teeth were missing- justified (for him) putting a roundhouse bridge over ALL my upper teeth. I asked before that, how will I clean my teeth underneath of this, but Todd Galkin assured me it would be tight. I trusted him. But Dr.Galkin has a definite agenda- one which presents a conflict of interest to keeping patients' teeth healthy. I'm not sure if he ever cared, or if something changed and he realized he could make more $$$ by slowly destroying teeth, then offering increasingly costly interventions to repair/replace what was damaged via his previous, failing work. ~ Once things had been going rotten w/that roundhouse bridge, he offered to replace the entire thing for over three times the cost of the first one- a first roundhouse which had only lasted for THREE YEARS. It was obvious my teeth beneath were now rotting, too, and I could eventually get dental floss all the way over a space between the bridge and whatever was left of my natural tooth there; the looseness of this thing was obvious. (Reading the catty hygienist notes which were meant to substitute for CLINICAL notes about MY TEETH, I noticed "rotting" was mentioned in the quotes attributed to me; it was in quotation marks, just like that- as though I were a total nut; I was very worried about my teeth, but my concerns were brushed off- even as they had an OBVIOUS basis in reality!) ~ So, I was alone in this distress. Galkin seemed to be increasingly in a rush, too. ~ As for the initial two missing teeth: I was NEVER OFFERED a bridge for these (I've since learned that partials can damage surrounding teeth, and that bridges *where teeth are missing* are preferable.) Dr.Galkin also said that the only reason mouthguards aren't supposed to be soaked in mouthwash is due to risk of staining; on hearing this, I was glad to have a way to refresh my mouthguard at home. Do NOT due this: a mouthguard's material becomes more pliable with soaking, and eventually it will be chewed flat and rendered all but useless. Anyway, I have now had ALL my upper teeth- inc. stubs- removed, a lot of bone grafting.. the original implant plan has gone to the wayside, as the bone in my jaw was compromised- by the fact that THE ROOT CANALS were not even done sufficiently. Any normal dentist would have referred me to a periodontist and offered a bridge where the 2 teeth were missing. It wasn't that I never had any problems with my mouth- grinding and clenching at night was an issue, and my previous gum infection- but rotting teeth, the teeth themselves, had NEVER been an issue for me. Dr. Galkin turned these normal, minor issues into something catastrophic; of course few dental professionals can believe this is NOT somehow my own doing, because it sounds crazy. Except this man- Todd Galkin- IS crazy. There is so much more to my story, what has happened since. That man has absolutely no CLUE as to how many tiny, horrible ways having no teeth can impact one's life! Anyway, I'm just glad to finally have some resolution to this mess: a good temporary denture for the top. Galkin does have treatment plans in mind, whether he writes about these or not. A lawyer we contacted- who specializes in dental malpractice- told my mom that he was aware of Dr.Galkin. PLEASE go elsewhere, esp. if you find that you need ANYTHING other than a routine cleaning. This dentist deserves his own episode of "American Greed." ~ If you have any doubts as to just what sort of person the man TRULY is, I highly recommend reading some of the 'Response[s] From Owner' to reviews. Dentists like him are a major reason dentistry should be subject to the same standards of accountability which apply to other medical specialists: Clearly, professional ethics can be lacking and "do[ing] no harm" goes against whatever treatment plans this dentist has in mind for your teeth (yet refuses to commit to paper). I just wish I had my old X-rays so that the professionals I see now would understand, and wouldn't assume I'm lying about a meth habit. Unfortunately for me, what Dr.Galkin does truly unbelievable. Enjoy the guy's tranquil waiting room, but stick to brushing at home and you might at least get to keep most of your teeth! I'd have been better off with no dentist at all.

I was a long-time patient of Dr.Galkin's; I now wish more than anything that I had only gotten a second opinion. I learned only later that MOST of what he did to "treat" me was either archaic or not generally recommended specifically BECAUSE they are known to have bad outcomes. A lot of what he did was unnecessary. I really mean it when I say it is too painful to write about right now. What he did resulted in my having to have ALL of the teeth on my upper jaw removed (well, except where the filed-down stumps he left weren't exposed beneath the roundhouse bridge I never needed. (When I first went to him, I had 2 missing teeth from an old infection and had never had any rotten teeth or anything.) My appearance is ruined- people think it's "meth mouth" and my face looks caved-in- and I can't speak properly. I've undergone multiple surgeries to restore some of the rotten stubs, etc. so I can have implants. But even dentists judge me (of course). Most of the statute of limitations was… wasted trying to convince Dr.Galkin & Co. that something was, in fact, wrong: I could taste the rot beneath that bridge, and nothing was cleaning that away; people jumped back whenever I spoke; it was so humiliating. For a long time, things were like that. ~ Getting my own records from their office was another issue. My mother requested these and was told 1) Dr.Galkin himself takes no notes. 2) They only keep records going back 7 years; also, that they switched computer systems 7 years ago. She requested COMPLETE records multiple times, as did I (both via email); each time, Robyn sent a little bit, then chirped about "if you need anything else.." Eventually, my mother did the tedious work of poring over their itemized bills, then having to SPECIFICALLY REQUEST from the office the (seemingly random) items which had been withheld. All notes were written by his assistants. They were clearly designed to cover for the business, as the focus did not seem to be on my teeth. None of my own questions or concerns made it into those notes, but "quotes" of things I never said or things taken far out of context were. But what REALLY surprised me was that their supposedly-dental notes seemed largely to exist solely for the purpose of creating a [false] record of my own disinterest in my oral health and lack of cooperation with treatment; it's point was to make ME look as irresponsible as possible, should I take him to court. Planning ahead. (Included such info as: that I lived in a HUD building; that I had a scab healing by my lip; my tongue being burnt once; a reason I had called about being late; office mgr at my bldg being a bully...SO: When the hygienists ask how you are doing, DO NOT give them any material!) ..And I had always believed that they were genuinely nice.?? ...I feel so foolish now. I already suffered from severe depression before this, and it's not been my only struggle in life. But, right now, it is especially difficult. Dr.Galkin goes on with his life, making bank and forgetting people like me. Meanwhile, it is costing my parents- retired, though they do have good insurance- $23,000 to fix(create+implant artificial) my upper teeth to something like my pre-Galkin teeth. There is more. But that's enough for now. I'm just so tired of people like this winning, people like me losing. If what I have written deters even one person from going here- or inspires you to request your OWN records from this charlatan and his accomplices, or to seek another opinion- well, just do those things.

Dr. Galkin's crown was badly made (having to be shaved down when brand new to the point the silver showed through underneath, then the bad fit meant stealth decay underneath and a failed crown under two years. And the tooth underneath had to be removed. He was hostile and defensive when I asked for some compensation. I have a crown my mouth that's 30 years old. I wish that dentist hadn't retired!

I have had dental checkups, every 6 months, for the entire 69 years of my life. That puts me in a good position to evaluate any dentist, from a patient's perspective. Having seen Dr. Galkin for 3 years; I can say that his dental care is excellent. Because most dentists are excellent, it is usually some factor other than a dentist's skill that causes a patient to be unhappy with a clinic. To that end, Dr. Galkin's clinic does not suffer from any of those shortcomings: (1) The physical layout of the floor plan is well-suited for a dental clinic. (2) The location is nice, and parking is better than average. (You can park almost within arm's reach of the entrance.) (3) The atmosphere is relaxed and quiet. It is not crowded with staff and patients bumping into each other. A quiet atmosphere is not to be taken for granted, either, because my previous dental clinic was so noisy that my previous dentist could barely hold a conversation. (4) WiFi is excellent and reading… material is excellent. (5) Better quality of support staff than at most other dental clinics (6) Efficient processing of dental insurance and appointments; and excellent telephone etiquette. (7) Larger bays than at smaller, more-crowded clinics. (8) Everything is clean and spotless, including the windows; blinds; and bathroom Regarding patients who post 1-star, negative reviews; any patient who is disappointed with an excellent dentist, like Dr. Galkin, must be a patient with an attitude problem. A dentist would not want somebody like that for a patient, anyway. So, good riddance.

Heed my warning and read this review. It is not a long rant, but a serious review of this dentist and his incompetence. Dr. Galkin was my dentist for over 11 years. I thought he was the best dentist ever. I was lured in by his friendly demeanor and hypnotized by the massive fish tanks with extoic, colorful saltwater fish in his front office. In addition, he has a friendly and competent office manager. All of this led me to believe that Dr. Galkin was a great dentist. Here is the thing, friendly does not mean competent. It seemed that Galkin's crowns were constantly needing to be replaced. In 2017 Galkin put a crown on my back molar. This was a replacement to a crown he had done just shy of five years prior. He was unable to fit the crown properly and even when he replaced it a second time the crown had a deep overhang and open margin. I decided to go to another dentist and discovered that Galkin had put not 1, not 2, but 3 bad crowns in my mouth all in less than a five year time… period. This means insurance will cover nothing to replace them. Even with insurance, I'm shelling out over $600. Without insurance each crown is $2,000. Galkin tried to pay me off with a list of contingencies including a non-disclosure agreement. His amount only covered half of the money to replace the bad crowns. I'm sure he has paid off many with contingency agreements because at the end of it all, Dr. Galkin is incompetent. Either that or he is purposely putting in crowns that won't last so he can keep collecting money to replace them. The criteria for a "Washingtonian dentist of the year" is a joke. Pretty much any dentist can get that award with positive online reviews. Galkin is not a nice guy once you question his work. His ego is HUGE. He refused to let his insurance company pay out what was owed for my crowns just to be spiteful. It would have cost him less to pay the $2,500 insurance deductible than it probably cost him monthly to upkeep his massive fish tanks. I will continue my fight for justice and have him investigated. Patients seem to have no protection or recourse. Everything protects the dentist or doctor, not the patient.

Nothing but bad experience with this dentist and office. Suggested a very expensive procedure that other dentists since told me would not solve the problem. Charged me for a procedure, but never sent the claim to my dental insurance. Then "banished" me from the practice for asking normal questions (eg, is this procedure covered by insurance?). In addition when I initially asked if the office took my dental insurance, I was told yes. But while they "accept" it, they do not PARTICIPATE in it -- meaning I only receive a paltry amount for anything done. Yes, everyone's very friendly, but I have no confidence whatsoever that Dr. Galkin puts patients first.