Dolores J Baran, DDS

I’m a new patient to this office and everything about my visit went above and beyond my expectations. The staff that greeted me were very friendly and answered all my questions. Plus, I was able to sit in their massage chair and relax before my cleaning. I have a lot of anxiety about going to the dentist so this was really helpful. Dr. Baran spent a lot of time talking to me about the office and dental work. I am very happy with my smile!

Called as a new patient to inquire about a crown & a bite splint (big $ items) and was greeted by one seriously rude and apathetic girl. When she wasn’t interrupting me, she was sighing and speaking in a tone clearly intended to let me know I was annoying her with my questions. It was like I interrupted her day and was asking for her to donate a kidney. Great first impression. Wonderful customer service. I will obviously take my business elsewhere. Many other options to choose from out there.

People, seriously, stay away. Stay far away.
I’m new to Michigan and relied on Unilocal to find a dentist. I read the review below and thought maybe it’s a lone review in a sea of better reviews, so I decided to go ahead and give this dentist a try. Here’s what happened next…
On first notice, the experience is great. They have freshly baked cookies, drinks, loungey-​spa like ambiance. When you’re taken to the back, you’re offered a paraffin hand dip and shown around the other amenities.
My hygenist was very nice actually, friendly and prompt. I was told I was qualifying for some special kind of teeth x-​ray and when I asked if it was covered, they responded with a «yes, of course!» I had to run out right after, so they told me to come back for my actual cleaning. Upon leaving they asked me for my credit card and told me there would be no charge, and that $ 35 would be the cost of the cleaning.
I came back earlier this week for my cleaning. Again, the hygenist was very professional, but we waited for over 30 minutes for Dr. Baran to come in and check up on me. In spite of the wait, I was willing to consider it, they could be having a busy day after all. Dr. Baran came in and promptly asked me to open and started her exam. She didn’t greet or have any semblance of a conversation with me, which is very strange considering dentists usually try to create a rapport. She did her checking, told me I had a cavity, and asked me to schedule a time to fill it. That was it.
I went to check-​out and was slapped with a $ 117.00 bill. How does that happen? Oh yes, the office manager came back to state that there was a claim that had not been applied and therefore had «re-​adjust» the cost back to $ 84.00. If I hadn’t questioned, they wouldn’t have adjusted my cost? Who knows. I proceeded to ask how it went from an original quote of $ 35 to $ 84.00 and was told that it included my cleaning and x-​rays.
You mean those x-​rays I was told I didn’t need to pay for? Yup, here they are haunting me. Turns out there was only a percentage of it covered and somehow this was not communicated. Sure it’s not lying, but it’s blatant misleading on the part of the clinic, whom I expect to be very straightforward and trustworthy.
I don’t mind paying, but when I’m told I don’t have to pay for something and then am slapped with a bill, then it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Especially when there’s no form of relationship having been created with the patient and I feel like I will never be able to return without being mislead again.
Don’t let the amenities fool you, find another dentist. It’s not worth the free cookies!

What an amazing office! I usually can’t stand being at the dentist, but not Dr. Baran’s office! The entire staff made me feel right at home. Melanie my hygienist was simply perfect! I highly recommend this office to everyone!”
Josephine
Commerce Township, MI

Overrated defines this place in my opinion. While the office itself is nice they seem to do a lot of extra things that aren’t needed. For example there really is no reason to ‘photograph’ the inside of someones mouth, and costs additional for no benefit according to what I have read.
They seem to push extras that aren’t needed. Sealants for kids — every single visit they push these despite me saying no (evidence suggests they are useless). They seem to push Xrays every visit, despite Xrays being cumulative in radiation and not needed unless there is an ‘issue’. Digital Xrays are not lower in radiation, yet they keep telling me this. (look it up) Watch for them telling you ‘you have cavities’, I was told almost 5 years ago I had a ‘serious’ cavity. I elected to not get it filled because I understand the dynamics of killing bacteria (cavities) and re-​enamalization of teeth. Sure enough 5 years later, nobody mentions it anymore — is it gone? My new dentist (Peter G Anderson DDS in Birmingham) tells me he sees patients everyday that other dentists say they have cavities, and he can’t honestly classify them as such. So BE CAREFUL.
We’ve been going here for 7 years we have had 2 ‘cancelled’ visits. One was a car broke down, the other our daughter was sick. We had another one a few weeks ago due to a family emergency and called a few days in advance. Despite this they billed us for the missed visits. My wife was told on the phone ‘we’ve established a pattern of cancellations. (outright exaggeration) Also be very very careful with billing issues. We find mistakes constantly. For example a couple of times our insurance was billed for exams by the doctor, but the doctor was out of town that week. They have billed us for Xrays when we didn’t get Xrays. I have reported all of these incidents to our insurance company, and have requested they schedule an audit of this office.
In my opinion I would advise people to stay clear of this office if your intent is to get a cleaning and go home. If you want offers of this or that, and things you probably don’t need, and potential billing issues, then feel free to go here. We’ve cancelled all of our upcoming appointments and are migrating a new dentist.
Update: Dr. Baran messaged me on Unilocal telling me to call and ‘verify’ I am a patient or I will need to remove this review since it is ‘slander’. The definition of slander is a false statement. Since I can quite easily prove everything posted here, that definition is invalid, and therefore the review stands. There were 4 negative reviews here last week, now there are only 2. Given I have already received what I deem a fairly intimidating email we can only surmise others have received similar messages… I don’t intimidate, and working in the legal field litigation certainly doesn’t scare me. Litigation is no substitute for good customer service.

I am not a huge fan of going to the dentist, but who is. However, Dr. Baran and staff make this experience as great as a dentist visit can be. Lets go through a few things during my cleaning, filling, and crown experiences.
Atmosphere:
The office borders on more spa than dental office. Everything is open, clean, and comfortable. This carries not only from the lobby, but all through the dental service areas as well. There are no closed dental rooms which feel stuffy and like the doctors. Everything is modern with personal LED TVs on your chair and spa like fountains in each room. There is even a massage chair room while you are waiting for the crowns to made on site or things to set-​up.
Staff:
Everyone is very nice and knowledgeable. The services are quick, but not rushed. I didn’t feel so much like there was a stop watch running with the doctor or the assistants.
Services:
I was very happy with the before and after pictures from my cleaning to see the great work that they do. Using the latest technology, they show you progress and things along the way so you can see what they are seeing as well. The visit for a filling was extremely quick painless. They did a good job of getting me set-​up, numb, and done with the filling without rushing through it. I also had a crown during another service. This was all done on-​site. A machine maps everything out for exact precision which you can see on their screen. This is then machined in about 10 min and ready to be installed. Everything went smoothly and I am happy to keep coming back.

No one likes going to the dentist. This office makes it the least scary and uncomfortable experience possible. The staff is friendly and competent. Dr. Baran is through and is able to explain things in an easy to understand way. The office itself appears to be designed to be as relaxing as possible.
The extras do not hurt either: parfin hand wax, coffee,/tea/juice/cookie bar, personal TVs during teeth cleaning and a well filled «goodie bag».

I want to begin this review by letting the reader know that I am terrified of going to the Dentist. I will run away from the Dentist and hide, I will miss appointments, I will lie about my comfort level just to get out of the chair as fast as possible. I simply have an irrational fear of the Dentist, and of caterpillars.
So, I have this tooth that has had two root canals and two crowns. All of the dental work had fallen off and the tooth was not doing well. Since moving to Royal Oak I have not been to the Dentist and had no idea where to go. So, I felt like I could ignore the pain for a while and see what would happen. What happened is this: searing pain from my ear all the way down the right side of my neck. Knowing this can’t go on for long, I googled «emergency dentist» and Dr. Baran came up. I am so glad she did.
The receptionist was so nice on the phone and she got me in within 25 minutes of the call. I filled out paper work and was offered a free paraffin wax treatment for my hands if I should like it. Had I not been having a class 3 anxiety attack, I would have taken the offer up.
Dr. Baran came into my exam room and promptly introduced herself and then listened to my story. (What a wonderful and caring Dentist, I truly recommend this practice 100%). She read my forms and asked questions and then looked into my mouth. Sadly, I have to go to an oral surgeon to have an extraction done. But, Dr. Baran was so nice and gentle that after the tooth is ripped out I will definitely go back and see her, every six months, I promise.