McCarl Dental Group

Dr Lee IS AMAZING! She REALLY cares! The dental staff, EVERY single one, acts as if they are overjoyed to be at work. They truly make you feel like you are the MOST important patient in their practice. My in-​laws have been coming here since 1975 and refuse to let us go ANYWHERE else! Wonderful dental office!

I’ve visited this dentist several times to have some corrections made on the work that my previous dentist has done. I’ve been impressed with both the friendliness of the office and dental staff. I also love that the dentists I’ve seen have done a great job explaining exactly what and why they are doing what they are doing.
However, my one complaint (and reason why they are receiving 3 stars) is that my visits have been absurdly slow. Each one has taken at least an hour (up to 2+ hours) for something that was originally quoted as needing 20 minutes. I spent 45 minutes waiting in the chair all prepped to see the dentist one appointment. The fault lies in the fact (as explained to me) that if one dentist is out, the other one picks up his/​her appointments. While the dentists I’ve seen have always been very apologetic, it is really unrealistic to expect someone to spend 2 hours at a dentist appointment who is both working and taking classes. The work has been great, however, so if you have the time to spare, definitely come here.

My primary dentist is Jay McCarl and he’s the best!!! He interacts with his patients and listens to my concerns and issues I have related to my teeth. In addition, he personally calls to follow up on my outside referrals or surgery I may have had to review the results he receives. The price for dental services are pretty much cheaper if not the same compared to the going dental rates with other practices. The administrative staff are truly friendly and will work with you every step of the way in regards to payment and follow up visits. I love the office since it’s very clean and the staff work around the clock to provide for their patients.

A few years ago I went to see Dr. Jay (McCarl) after my dentist retired and i needed to find a new dental «home» and a neighbor told me her mom loved the McCarl dentists.
I interviewed the front desk staff prior to going because I like to ask practitioners questions about procedures and treatment especially this time since I was a self pay patient.
They recommended that Dr. Jay would be the best fit, stating he was chatty.
The front desk staff and his financial/​insurance manager were outstanding, very polite, sweet and knowledgeable.
I had not had my teeth cleaned yet that year and they recommended that I get a cleaning first.
His main hygienist was very competent, but her behavior was that of a bitter and cranky lady, not to mention disrespectful – (told me that no matter how deep my mouth sore, I needed to floss and that I was not in shape to have Dr. Jay even look into my mouth!) I was shocked since I floss and brush everyday except that week due to the sore (later found out it was from a cracked filling/​tooth) I could not floss that area as I was drinking my meals out of a straw. Hellooooooo I was in pain and that is why I was there. She needed to be more diplomatic, but noooo she continued on-​I felt insulted-​stating that good thing I saw her before Dr. Jay!
When I finally saw Dr. Jay he was super nice, charming, brilliantly informative and a great salesman! FULL SARCASM –«Do you want extra toppings on your filling? They are only $ 500 each? Um, you look like you need 3 of them for a grand total of $ 3,000! So cheap!!!» No thank you said I, SNAP!!! in my head…
His dental assistant was a sweet young naïve girl. She did not possess initiative nor confidence and was lethargic and chatty while she should have been focusing. and I was a bit scared because she did not seem to know much — he kept asking her to do this and that as if he were training her and she was clueless to most of what he wanted. Later I found out that she was a newbie and had no experience except at her school. From her mouth to my ears. YIKES!
Since I had 2 teeth that were cracked and the fillings were a mess, I needed to come to see him twice for fillings and tooth repair.
The first appointment was heart-​stopping because it was him and the newbie and I felt that she should not have worked on a delicate and long procedure such as I had that day. After the procedure I left his office a wreck. The filling felt as if it were pinching the gum and it was throbbing. I called about 4 hours later to report no relief and he said that it would go away, but it did not. YIKES, pain non-​stop
from the pinched gum.
How could this happen in a state of the art practice?
For the second appt. he did the other tooth with no problem and with no assistant – and he tried to file down the pinched tooth, at which time I told him it still hurt. He said it would be alright and that in a few days the swelling would reside and all would be well. NOT!
I was mad as hell when after a few days that pinched gum against tooth was driving me mad… it had morphed into a slow throb NONSTOP. So I called and demanded that he do something… front desk people said he would not be in the office for the week, because he was at their other location and they would have another dentist look at it. Went in and Dr. X, she (can’t remember her name but she was from the military-​not a McCarl) looked at it — said it was fine, she tried to file it??? Gave me an anesthetic mouthwash and said, Dr. Jay did the right thing, I do not know why you are having this problem?! I told her I have never experienced anything like what had happened and perhaps the filling needed to be redone or restructured? She said no, it was all fine.
I sucked it up, bought some expensive anesthetic mouthwash and lived with that low dose pain for a few years. I found a wonderful old school dentist (he is still my dentist) who took the time to examine, x-​ray, probe and most importantly ask questions while probing the problem and VOILA! He had to redo the filling because he found it was crushing my gum against the other tooth! After his filling no more pain, nor problems. AMAZING!
THE FOLLOWING REASONS ARE BASED SOLELY ON MY VISITS
WITH TWO DENTISTS FROM THE MCCARL GROUP AND DOES NOT
REFLECT THE WORK OF OTHER DENTISTS PRACTICING THERE:
I would not recommend the McCarl Group because:
The dentist you see one day may not be available when
you need them the next;
Only from my experience it appears as if the dentists cover up for each others mistakes – which probably happens in all areas of medicine worldwide.
Only from my experience they save money by hiring inexperienced personnel;
Only from my experience they have employees who can say whatever they want and get away with it, probably because of their long tenure
Try to «sell» you everything under the sun for cosmetic use or procedures which
are available but not medically necessary.
They are very expensive. Oh yes they are!

I have been going to Mccarl Dental Group for many years now, and have always received top of the line treatment and service. Dr. Jay McCarl has filled several cavities for me, and he does a great job while making it as stress free as possible.
Dr. Jay McCarl even met me for an emergency on a Tuesday night (10pm) and opened the office after I had my front tooth almost knocked out while playing basketball. It’s this level of service that keeps me a faithful patient of the McCarl Dental Group, and I highly recommend them to anyone who needs dental work.

I have always been satisfied with my care at the McCarl Dental Group. I have been a patient there for over 10 years. In the last couple years, my dentist at the group has been Dr. Monica Mattson. She is EXCELLENT! She is patient with questions and very good at explaining things. I must add that I am an artist with limited funds and she has always been helpful with explaining my options and working with the office staff to set up a payment plan.

I started going to Dr. Mattson at the McCarl group a few years ago, and my husband has been going to the office as well (he’s seen a few different dentists, depending on his schedule) for the last two years. We are both thrilled with the service we’ve had there!
I came in after having been to a TMJ specialist who was trying to convince me to spend what promised to be thousands of dollars to get specialized dental gear (I bear down on my teeth at night and get bad headaches from this). I explained this (and my issues) during my initial checkup and Dr. Mattson suggested trying a small guard that snaps onto my teeth at night – WAY cheaper. They were able to make it in the office that day, and my headaches were gone within a week.
The staff has always been professional and courteous, the hygienists remember details about me (or write them down — I don’t know, but they always follow up on how I’m doing in non-​dental life), and Dr. Mattson is incredibly efficient, friendly, and makes me feel at ease. The one time I had to have a filling she even let me listen to my iPod cranked up (I hate dental drill sounds).
The way the insurance has worked for me is they estimate what I’ll owe after insurance and I pay that that day. Then they bill me if it ends up being more (they’re usually not far off at all).
Highly recommended :)
PS: They’re also open on Saturdays

I chipped my front tooth recently, and (having slacked on regular dental appointments recently) wasn’t sure who to call. I am actually friends with Dr. Clayton’s son, so I called him for advice. He got me in for an appointment and did an incredible job of fixing my tooth. Having a chipped front tooth was extremely embarassing, but now it looks and feels perfectly natural. Completely regardless of my friendship with his son, I would absolutely recommend Dr. Clayton to anybody that needs dental work done.

I’m happy to travel from DC to Greenbelt for the excellent care and customer service at McCarl Dental (specifically, Dr. Clayton). It is as pleasant as going to the dentist can be. The staff and dentists will treat you like an intelligent adult as they walk you through your x-​rays, any problems you have, and the ways you might treat them. It is a true family operation, and the fact that the office is a converted house makes the experience even more homey.

Its been a while since I once ventured to this office, so perhaps (and hopefully) things have changed. However I can’t help but warn about this office because of my bad experience. I only went here because my regular dentist was booked and it was right in my neighborhood. Yes there were flashy t.v.s but that was probably to cover the sleazy work being done. I’ve never had a cavity in my mouth (still to this day) but at Dr. McCarl’s I was informed I was on the verge of getting 13 cavities. (YES, 13… practically my whole mouth was rotting according to them) I was also told that I needed my wisdom teeth out ASAP… even though 6 months ago my regular dentist said they were fine. Next, the hygenist gave me a rude attitude about not flossing, and then flossed my teeth forcefully to teach me a lesson… and make my gums bleed and stay sore for the next 2 following days. Well, when I returned to my regular dentist 6 months later, he said I had no cavities, and my wisdom teeth didn’t need to be out either. Perfect check-​up according to him. 5 years later, I still have no cavities, have never had a bad appointment, and just a couple months ago finally had to have my wisdom teeth out. It seemed me at the time that Dr. McCarl’s office was out to make as much money as possible and would go so far as to lie about their patients conditions. However, they don’t make money off of referring patients so perhaps my instincts were wrong. True story: I had a friend who went here with a cavity-​free mouth and came out with 7 cavities… All I’m saying is that if this happens to you, get a 2^nd opinion. Would NEVER go back to this office again!!!
* As a follow-​up, I have received several messages from the office which was a nice gesture… not quite nice enough to change my review, but at least it shows they care.
*As a second (and hopefully final!!!) follow up… I feel that I should clarify a few things since this review has been flagged (really?. thats what I said, but yes)
1. The dentist did not order me to have any cavities filled, he just told me I was on the verge of getting them, as I stated above. (a scare tactic?..)
2. Ok, so its been a while so I can’t remember if the exact number he told me was 13. perhaps that was an exaggeration. But I remember it was insanely high. at least 9
3. I do agree with the person from the office who has been sending me messages that everyone should floss and be encouraged to do so … (just not in such a harsh way.)
4. Finally, by using the word «sleazy» I was only describing my personal experience at the time, and my opinion of the services rendered… not the entire office and every staff member.
5. Please can this be over!!! :D (those are my pearly whites)

Such a wonderful dentist. I went to Dr. Jay McCarl throughout high school and college. Then, had to switch once I got my own insurance a few years ago. That’s the only unfortunate part… they don’t subscribe to any insurance, it’s all supplemented. The extra cost is worth it and you really do get what you’re paying for– but it’s hard to convince a young college-​graduate that.
Dr. Jay and his brothers/​sister, etc. work together in a large practice in Old Greenbelt (in a large converted home, very convenient and cozy). I have been seen by several of the dentists and all are very qualified and leave you feeling like you are in good hands– because you are! The front staff, the hygienists, everyone is just so nice and accommodating. If they find cavities while you’re in there, they typically make time to fix them at that point– rather than have you make another appointment. My parents and many friends still go to them and everyone just loves them.