Patient Reviews
Keith Morris
I went in with extreme anxiety due to poor dental work, from another provider previous, Dr. Sayles was extremely patient and helped make sure I was prepared for the procedure. The tooth removal was so fast that he actually spent more time injecting the numbing agent then he did removing the tooth. If I needed more work done I would absolutely go to him again, I highly recommend his service!
September 2, 2022
Edward Weissbard
The office staff is friendly, courteous and very helpful. On April 28, 2023, at 9:00 AM, I went in to extract the #18 Molar with Dr. Erik Sayles. The procedure lasted a total of less than 30 minutes. After the dental assistant prepared me for the extraction, I met with a noticeably rushed and slightly agitated individual who introduced himself very quickly as Dr. Sayles. One of the first things I noticed was that he was irritated, bothered, and rushed, possibly by personal stress or the number of clients he had booked for the day. He seemed not to like the position I was lying on the dental chair and asked me rudely to “scoot down; you have to scoot down!” with the dental assistant also repeating the exact request afterward. I understood the reasoning behind his request and quickly moved my self down the chair so that I was in the preferred position.
My only issue was with the way he asked and the dental hygienist adding to the stress by repeating the same request; it seemed unprofessional and increased my anxiety. I need to indicate here that I am no stranger to dental procedures. I’ve dealt with many dental problems since I was younger, from tooth extractions and orthodontic corrections with braces, so I consider myself a veteran of dental procedures. However, based on past dental procedures, this seemed like the most unprofessional and least desirable “bedside” manner I’ve experienced yet. Thankfully Dr. Sayles used plenty of local anesthesia to numb any pain, which would be needed for the quick extraction due to the level of force and speed in which the tooth was extracted. At one point, I was worried about how hard he was pushing against my jaw to get the tooth extracted. Thankfully this was mainly pain-free, with some slight discomfort. After extracting the tooth, he quickly left the room for his next patient.
The dental hygienist asked where was my preferred pharmacy, and I indicated Geneoa Pharmacy of East Hartford due to the option of mailing out any prescriptions to me. I never received any prescription of any type for aftercare. As of May 17, 2023, I am dealing with noticeably inflamed and sore gums at the location where the tooth was extracted and intermittent pain at this location. I will not not return to this provider due to my rushed and uncaring experience on April 28, 2023. I do not consider myself a picky or problem patient as long as I am shown a basic level of respect and courtesy, which I feel was lacking somewhat during this procedure. This is my first medical complaint of any type. I am thankful for the needed procedure, but I feel this could have been handled in a less rushed and more empathetic way.
May 19, 2023
E Hyde
I think (based on my recent experience) that Dr. Sayles gets a bit of a bad rap in some of these reviews. I definitely understand, however, why those patients who gave 1 star rated it that way. The procedure was incredibly fast, pulling one of my rear molars. Doc Sayles didn't give me much time to be nervous before the whole thing was done. During the process I would describe this as coming across as rushed and honestly kind of frightening, but it's a tooth extraction - it is probably not going to be a fun experience no matter what. I decided to trust the process as best I could. If you want a slow, methodical, patient oriented experience- this probably is not the choice for you. I wouldn't ever consider bringing any child there unless they are tough as nails. If they're afraid of the dentist already, this will likely cement that fear for the foreseeable future. I asked that we just slow down a touch as the energy in the room felt pretty frantic, even a bit manic/unhinged honestly. Like when you almost fall off your bike, but don't, that kind of environmental energy. Definitely not a calm or collected environment.
He isn't going to explain a bunch of stuff, and when he does; he'll be actively doing it at the same time. I've had several root canals, all of which took much longer but were far more relaxed experiences. Even one of my endodontists -who was blasting Nine Inch Nails (fine soundtrack, if a bit sadistic for the time/place) during a root canal put me far more at ease. If you're an adult, have had a tooth extracted before & know what to expect - I wouldn't hesitate to book with him. Dr. Sayles was able to see me within a week of calling. Pretty great availability per current norms. I'm not an oral surgeon, so what seems rushed and scary to me could easily be the doctor performing a very routine (for him) procedure as efficiently as they can. I don't know that he reads the reviews, but from other folks complaints - he's improved. He introduced himself, he provided adequate local anesthetic that I really only felt some uncomfortable pressure, no pain. He asked me how I was doing at least once, maybe twice. When I asked him to calm things a bit he seemed passive aggressive/petty in his responses, but I think that's just the kind of guy he is. It may not be a good quality, but everyone is different and not every doctor is going to be your friend.
He's likely not aware of it, and I would expect this to remain the same regardless of patient inputs. Still felt bad obviously, as this is a person I am paying to be able to trust. If you want a fast tooth extraction, see Dr. Sayles. If you want a friend, call your friend afterwards when you can talk comfortably. I will say I was not expecting to find a bunch of sharp tooth fragments (no, they weren't small bone fragments working their way out over time) lining the inside of my cheek when I changed the gauze an hour after the procedure. Might want to watch out for that bc I'm not a doctor but I can tell you that swallowing a bunch of small, hard, sharp things is not a good plan. They seemed to just be kind of left behind. No cleaning of the area was performed post procedure from what I could tell. I'm giving 4 stars because I went in there asking for a tooth to be extracted. Extract it they did. I'll update my review based on the next week or so depending on resulting complications etc.
July 29, 2023
Mary Fomenko
He's horrible The office couldn't find a vein to sedate my daughter so they proceeded to take out her wisdom teeth without numbing her successfully. She was shaking in pain the whole time and when she came out they said she was emotional. None of my other 4 kids,nor my husband or me went through this anywhere else with our wisdom teeth. When I took her for the initial visit, another patient was distraught with them I should if taken her somewhere else.
I'll never forgive myself. One of my friends,I recently found out,also had a bad experience with Dr Sayles. Please don't let this happen to your child or anyone else.
June 24, 2023
