Dr. Barry L Holden, DDS

I was referred to Dr. Holden’s office by my local dentist due to irritated gums. At my initial visit, periodontal pockets were checked by Dr. Powe, and a lower deplaning appointment was scheduled. I completed that treatment as recommended. Following the procedure, Dr. Powe prescribed an ointment but did not provide instructions for its use. The medication label specifically states “external use only,” which caused understandable concern and confusion without proper guidance. He simply told the hygienist to send it in, but did not say anything to me about it. At my follow-up appointment, which was intended to evaluate the results of the deplaning, Dr. Powe examined two lower teeth for approximately 20 seconds and immediately stated that I now required laser treatment. The entire interaction lasted about one minute. When asked if I had questions, I explained that my original concern, irritated gums, had never been clearly discussed or diagnosed. I also noted that I had already spent… over $1,000 on treatment and that I travel 50 miles one way for appointments. I asked if we could discuss my original diagnosis and overall treatment plan. Dr. Powe responded in a hostile, arrogant, and unprofessional manner, stating, “If you can’t talk with me and want to talk at me, then there’s nothing I can do. I can’t help it if you don’t know how to have a conversation and you are being disrespectful.” I immediately left the exam room. At the front desk, I was visibly shaken and near tears. Dr. Powe came out shortly afterward and threw my file onto the receptionist’s desk. The receptionist handled the situation with professionalism and kindness and waived the $92 charge for the brief visit. The hygienist and office staff were consistently polite and professional throughout my time there. However, I never met Dr. Holden during any of my visits. After spending over $1,000, I left without a clear diagnosis or explanation of my condition. I expected an initial diagnosis followed by an appropriate treatment plan, not multiple procedures without clarity on the underlying issue. And not with a doctor so arrogant and belittling. In total, I spent approximately three hours in the office over 3 visits, with only a 5 minutes of direct interaction with Dr. Powe. Based on my experience, I felt rushed, unheard, and pressured into ongoing treatments without adequate explanation. I value clear communication and mutual respect in healthcare, and unfortunately, that was not my experience here. I will certainly let my dentist know I was referred to Dr. Holden’s office by my local dentist due to irritated gums. At my initial visit, periodontal pockets were checked by Dr. Powe, and a lower deplaning appointment was scheduled. I completed that treatment as recommended. Following the procedure, Dr. Powe prescribed an ointment but did not provide instructions for its use. The medication label specifically states “external use only,” which caused understandable concern and confusion without proper guidance. He simply told the hygienist to send it in, but did not say anything to me about it. At my follow-up appointment, which was intended to evaluate the results of the deplaning, Dr. Powe examined two lower teeth for approximately 20 seconds and immediately stated that I now required laser treatment. The entire interaction lasted about one minute. When asked if I had questions, I explained that my original concern, irritated gums, had never been clearly discussed or diagnosed. I also noted that I had already spent over $1,000 on treatment and that I travel 50 miles one way for appointments. I asked if we could discuss my original diagnosis and overall treatment plan. Dr. Powe responded in a hostile, arrogant, and unprofessional manner, stating, “If you can’t talk with me and want to talk at me, then there’s nothing I can do. I can’t help it if you don’t know how to have a conversation and you are being disrespectful.” I immediately left the exam room. At the front d

Dr. John Powe is worthless. My wife went to him and not only did he excuse him self mid sentence to place his lunch order at jersey Mike's he stepped out for 20 min to talk with another coworker. He is unprofessional and charged $150 to measure her gums. He told her that would not help her nor could he bother to sit and listen to what she was saying. I would never recommend this so called doctor who is only interested in what he can bill you not your problems. I'm sure the owner is a great doctor however this pice of garbage should have to carry around a plant to replace the oxygen he breaths. The only thing he is good at is being a handbrake to the dental community and slowing them down

A highly professional periodontist with a personable and caring manner. Dr. Holden is a perfectionist and you are in excellent hands in his care. The best in the State College area.

I had to have gum surgery while wearing braces due to gum recession. (My dentist told me that I wouldn't need to worry about gum recession if I got braces, and now I have gum recession in lots of areas instead of just one.) The result of the gum surgery was excellent, and I will definitely use Dr. Holden again as I will need more gum surgery in the future. I also found Dr. Holden to be extremely personable!

We found Dr. Holden to be a skilled and caring periodontist. My daughter isn't very good with doctors/dentists (ok, she is terrible) and he got her through the surgery with no problems. The consultation was detailed and confidence-building and follow-ups were efficient. The reviewer who commented about price is correct in terms of how the charges work (charge then get reimbursed, possibly only partially) but I blame our crappy dental insurance system rather than the doctor. Everything about this was explained up front (including potential issues with non-full reimbursement and details of how they do everything they can to document patient needs in order to ensure reimbursement) and several different payment options were presented.

Appears to do a decent job, but INCREDIBLY overpriced! Then again, all the dentists in State College, PA are very overpriced. We only use them in a dire emergency, and get most of our dental work done out of state.

Dr. Holden charges 3 times more than insurance allows which leaves us paying a lot of money out of pocket. Actually he makes you pay for the entire visit at the appointment time and then you get a "little" reimbursement check from the insurance company. The most recent visit he charged my husband $635 and we just got the reimbursement allowance of $200. Going to look for a more reasonable periodontist. It also took 5 months to get an appointment.