Dr. Linda Levin Gibson, DDS

Let me preface this by saying that the reason for the 1 star review is not the root canal work performed by Dr. Levin (that seems fine and Dr. Levin was perfectly pleasant), but the (over)billing horrors that followed. Short version: Dr. Levin's office waits until you are in a chair to give misleading/vague/unclear insurance information and charges FAR more than any other reputable endodontist in the area. Long version: I arrived at the office on the referral of my dentist. Prior to my appointment Dr. Levin's office sent an email saying payment is due at the time of visit but they will file the claim on my behalf. Because of my dentist's referral and the exchanges that followed at Dr. Levin's office, it did not occur to me that Dr. Levin is not a provider my insurance will reimburse at the highest rate. I was X-rayed, sat in a chair, and Dr. Levin looked at my tooth that required a root canal. It was only at this point, as I'm sitting in the chair ready for treatment, that… the front desk woman brought me a bill for $1,750. This seemed on the VERY high end of root canal cost and I asked the front desk woman to call my insurance company so that I can make sure that the procedure will be covered at 50%. She told me later that she was "unable to reach anyone at your insurance company." but "they will reimburse you under your coverage rate in 2-4 weeks." I did not think much of it at the time. I paid my bill and, out of curiosity checked in with 10 other endodontists in the area and 1 in NYC. The highest price quoted for a #30 molar root canal was $1450. The lowest $1200. This includes X-rays, exam, and follow up exam. To make a long story short, as I thought more about the experience, it struck me that whether intentionally or not, I was put in the position where I was literally sitting in the chair ready for treatment BEFORE anything was saying about the cost. NOTHING was thoroughly explained and nearly everything about how I will be reimbursed was vague. All said and done, this procedure ended up costing me almost $1400 out of pocket (a part of it for unnecessary X-rays that my insurance would not pay for at all) and if Dr. Levin's office was clear and upfront about the logistics behind the cost, it could have cost me $500 out of pocket elsewhere. Be careful not to find yourself in the same situation.

I have had emergency two root canals w/Dr. Levin. She and her staff were amazingly caring. They got me in at the very end of the day on one emergency and in within an hour of my dentists call on the second. She immediately stopped the pain. My only suggestion is to make sure you ask for instructions regarding aftercare and what to expect in terms of pain. I did have to call back twice to get them to agree to call in prescriptions for me.