Philip Wolkstein, DMD

Dr. Wolkstein is the best pediatric dentist we have had. He is direct and helpful and my children really like him and going to his office. He taught me how to help my child with her flossing and her brushing (she was six at the time). Why had no other dentist had shown me this technique before?!? His techniques work! The staff is VERY friendly and VERY accommodating to me, which is important as a working mom. One of my daughters has had to have a couple of fillings and she comes out saying, «No problem, mom.» My other daughter has braces and he helps her make sure she is cleaning and brushing correctly and he works well with her orthodontist. They are always on time and very quick to complete my daughters’ appointments. I have been to other pediatric dentists and the Wolksteins are by far the best!

Not a good dentist for little kids! He basically gave me a lecture about how I need to take control of my toddlers teeth brushing behavior and then modeled how my husband and I should hold down our son (he emphasized how it would take both of us) and force him to let us brush his teeth. We left and my 2 ½ year old son kept saying how angry and mean the dentist was! THAT was his first experience with a dentist?! HORRIBLE. We now have to find a GOOD pediatric dentist and hope that our son is young enough to forget that negative experience.

My kiddos are 8, & 5 years old. They’ve been seeing these dentists for 4 + years now. The father/​son team are wonderful! My kiddos love this dental office. They have plenty of toys to entertain the kiddos in the lobby. They love that at the end of their 6 month check up & cleaning that they get to pick a prize out of the prize drawer. The staff here is very nice, I’m most impressed with the hygienists. They do very well with kid cleanings as we all know that little ones are sometimes hard to get to settle down.

They’re bad with children, extremely impatient and it took the staff almost an hour just to find my sons chart. Needless to say I found a new dentist.

Highly recommended! I have many years experience working in the dental field and bring all my kids to Dr. Phil and Dr. Greg! The expertise of the doctors and experienced staff makes visiting easy from the moment an appointment is booked, all the way through the billing. I also love the seeing the field trips with the littles coming through the office. It was a highlight for my kids when they were in preschool and a great way for the doctors to educate the community. A great family practice!

Dr Philip Wolkstein and his entire staff have been excellent during our visits. Our daughter was very apprehensive about seeing a dentist, but Dr Wolkstein made her feel at ease from the very first visit. She was scheduled to have two visits for additional work however Dr Philip was able to finish the entire treatment in one visit which saved us time and money. He is by far the most patient Dentist we have seen. We highly recommend him, so if you are looking for a Pediatric Dentist give him and his staff a call they will be happy to take care of you.

Dr Phil needs to retire. His lack of empathy is evident. He was forceful with our daughter who was traumatized by the experience. He basically called us bad parents and that we were being manipulated by our daughter who was shaking with anxiety. It took 2 other dentists and about 8 appointments plus an anesthesiologist to get her through her dental needs. As much as I like Dr Greg we’ll never go back.

Lack of kid-​empathy that came through in disturbingly fake, condescending tone toward my kid, and in the way they talked about my kid to me, the parent. If you want to make sure your kid grows up to not feel good about taking care of his/​her teeth, this would be a good fit.

I have 2 kids and the Wolksteins are the only dentist they’ve had.
No need to change when you love their Dentist right?
Staff has always been kind and very accommodating with appointments, Dr’s have always been kind. I like that the children go back alone. I think that sometimes kids aren’t as behaved when parents go back with them. My kids are very well behaved but I like them having to be responsible for their dental health. And when they get good report card from the Dr they feel good about themselves.
My 10 year old has even taken up flossing regularly!
Will continue to refer friends to the Wolksteins!!!

I have 2 children who have been seeing these dentists for the past 6 years. I’ve never had a problem with payments or billing issues. However, I do have a problem with their rudeness to my kids and myself. My kids always say Sandi is mean and the older guy seems to have some attitude when I ask him a question. Thinking of changing dentists. No need to be mean to kids ! If anyone has a referral for a pediatric dentist Id appreciate it!

Horrible experience. After taking my kids here for 2+ years, I am reading the reviews and the office staff and dentist (father, not son) truly are rude and mean. Wish I had known this before. Why a children’s dentist would want parents waiting in the waiting area and not knowing what is happening to their child (ren) is just wrong! My daughter left from having a tooth pulled and was in tears for an hour (she wasn’t told what was happening). There have been issues with billing (they just couldn’t get or keep things straight, took months and months to work out). When I made a complaint about the poor customer service, my message was never returned, and the dentist (father) confidently responded that he chose not to return my call, that he supposedly was standing right there and heard everything that happened, yet at the time I was told he was with a patient! Don’t take your children here, there are good dentist offices out there and this is not one of them.

I saw Dr. Phil as a kid until I graduated from college. Now I bring my almost 4-​year-​old daughter here. Dr. Phil is kind and explains what is going on and the hygienists have always done a good job.

We have taken our girls to Dr. Phil for the past 13 years. Unlike when I was a child and hated the dentist, my daughters all look forward to going to the dentist. The staff is kind and attentive. We have followed the dentist’s recommendation of getting the sealants on their molars, and all three of my girls are cavity free! (ages 13, 15 and 16)
Highly recommend!

We love Dr. Wolkstein! My kids are very comfortable with him and I love the front office. He has provided wonderful care.

My children have been seeing «Dr Phil» for 15 years. I have 2 girls — 18 and 13. For years my girls have telling me how rude and mean the dentist and staff have been. I didn’t really believe them, I’m sorry to say. Their last (and final) visit was this past January. My oldest daughter had to have a crown on a back molar. Dr. Phil used a metal crown, did not fully numb her and left her tooth and gum surrounding the crown inflamed and in pain. She left the office in tears (and she is very stoic) and said she will never go back to him. He never gave me an option for a porcelain crown. She is an adult, not a child anymore and should of had a porcelain crown put in. Plus, the crown he put in has caused her nothing but pain and problems. I have since taken my girls to my dentist. He is now replacing the metal crown with a proper porcelain crown. Not only has my daughter had to go through unnecessary pain, it has also cost me additional unnecessary out-​of-​pocket expenses to fix his poor OUT OF DATE dental work.
Please don’t bring your children to this dentist!
Dr. Phil needs to retire!

My children went here when they were small. We left, when they finally told me that once the staff took them from me (in the very «kid friendly» office, the staff and dentist, inside, out of parent view– were all very gruff and rude. I took them to my adult dentist and the first thing my daugher said was «wow, that was a LOT easier and less painful. She told me that Dr Phil had told her not to be a baby, and not to cry if it hurt. I feel bad that we went as long as we did. If you do go to Dr Phil, ASK YOUR CHILD about their experience!!!

My daughter has been seeing Dr. Philip since she was 3. She LOVES going… actually can’t wait for 6 months to be over so she can see Dr. Phil! She is so excited to introduce her little brother to the dentist and asks me each week when we can go and that’s about as good as a referral can get!

The office is located off Blossom Hill Rd near Thornwood Drive. You can always find a parking spot. They are located upstairs. They have magazines to read in the waiting room, no video games for the kids to play like some other dentist offices (hence 4 stars).
My son and daughter now have been coming here for years. The staff is very friendly, calls with reminder appointments and have never had a billing problem. The dental x-​rays, cleaning and regular maintenance is done on a regular basis. The dentists are always on hand to answer questions or concerns.
This is a family run business with father and son who are both dentists. They both have a friendly, easy going personality that the kids are not afraid of visiting the dentist. So going here is a joy vs. a pain!

I have had two bad experiences with Dr. Philip. (Our first visit was over a year ago and our final visit was today. In the middle of these visits, we had a very pleasant experience with Dr. Greg — Dr. Philip’s son.)
Today was the last time we will visit this office.
At our appointment today, my four year old son had his teeth cleaned and x-​rayed by Sandi the hygienist who seemed annoyed when I opened my mouth to explain something to my child. I got an unfriendly vibe from her and felt that she would rather have not had me in the room.
When Dr. Philip came in, he didn’t re-​introduce himself to my son, even though we had not seen him in over a year. My son was still a little teary because he had experienced discomfort during his x-​ray (as described below.)
Right away, Dr. Phil looked at my son and asked, «How many teeth do you have?»
My son didn’t answer and just looked at him kind of confused.
So I asked playfully, «Do you think you have a hundred teeth?» and my son giggled.
The doctor repeated in an assertive tone, «Well, how many teeth do you have?»
Again, my son hesistated to answer. After a pause, I said, «Do you think you have ten?»
Then, the doctor snipped at me, «What don’t you just let him answer instead, okay?»
I was taken aback. Dr. Philip then chastised me for comforting my son when he cried after being x-​rayed. My son said that the x-​ray thing poked his mouth and hurt him.
It should be noted that I stepped out of the room as directed by Sandi during the X-​ray. I only stepped in to comfort my son after I heard him crying when the proceedings were over. Sandi was preparing to exit the room and we were waiting for the doctor.
He must have heard me from the hallway, because when Dr. Philip came in, he scolded me for empathizing with my son and said that the x-​ray thing did NOT hurt my son and to let the dental staff do their jobs.
I told him that I felt he was reprimanding me, so he did a little (patronizing) backpedaling, but basically reiterated his message… He made me feel unwelcome and uncomfortable.
I am a National Board Certifited public school teacher with 15 years of full-​time classroom experience (elementary school and middle school.) I hold a Master’s Degree in Child and Adolescent Development. During the course of my career, I have worked with «helicopter parents» and highly sensitive children.
In no way did I undermine the office staff and was actually doing my best to reinforce their messages (Your teeth are getting stronger! We are keeping you healthy!) I simply wanted my son to be at ease.
My son was a good patient who behaved like a typical 4 year-​old. He was compliant but nervous. With unfamiliar adults hovering over him and putting implements in his mouth, I do not blame him!

I took my 3-​year-​old son for his first dentist visit. The front office has a few toys and some books and we did not have to wait long for our appointment. The dental technician who cleaned his teeth was clearly very experienced with children. When she saw that my boy was hesitant, she suggested he sit on my lap for the cleaning instead of the dental chair. She kept up a conversation with him the whole time and he warmed up right away. She demonstrated each new tool on his finger so he would know that it wouldn’t hurt him. The xrays are digital and only two were needed. It was an excellent first experience for my son.
The dentist came in for a minute after the cleaning and seemed a bit brusque for a pediatric dentist. He did his job adequately, but I expected him to initiate more patient education type information in a first dental visit. I asked him about preventing dental problems, daily care, good products, etc and he answered my questions.
I’ll definitely take my son back for regular cleanings but I do wonder what the experience will be like for any other procedures if needed.
Update after March 2012 visit:
The dental hygienist is a scared-​preschooler whisperer. So amazing. And this time, the son, Greg Wolkstein, checked my son. He was personable and more kid-​friendly.