Looking for a specialist...

Michael Fisher8 said:Good afternoon...
Can anyone recommend a reliable private dentist in Chicago—ideally somewhere downtown, near Lincoln Park, or the surrounding areas...

Also, does anyone have a rough idea of what private practice rates look like these days? if you happen to know...

I really have to single one doctor out here... it would be Dr. Dean Cekić, his website is: www.ordinacijacekic.hr . He managed to resolve a massive issue for me that three different dentists couldn't quite crack—so I am beyond satisfied with the care... he is incredibly thorough and kind, as is his entire staff, and the pricing isn't outrageous—you can find a full price list right on his site.

Best of luck!

After years of routine dental visits, I’m actually starting to feel some anxiety. To be honest, my last experience at the community clinic was such a disaster that they actually ruined several teeth, and now I just want to 😠..

Can anyone recommend a dentist? Whether it's a private practice, someone renting a space, or even at a local health center—I just need someone meticulous who actually knows what they're doing...

thanx

Does anyone have a recommendation for a solid gastroenterologist who actually has some patience and knows their stuff? I'm looking for someone smart, too. Can I just call them directly, and what kind of price range am I looking at? Thanks!

William Gonzalez3 said:you're asking for way too much...

Alright, let me kick things off here:
Dr. Petar Vukelić
Internal Medicine Specialist - Gastroenterologist

Črnomerec Street 31/a/1st Floor

tel. 212-555-0198
tel/fax: 212-555-0199
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM or by appointment

I'm with you on that one! 👍

And honestly—his nurse is an absolute pro at doing gastroscopies (if she wasn't there, I don't know how I would've survived, since he can be a little oblivious to how much patients actually suffer during those procedures 😉 )

As for the cost—well, it really depends on what you need done, but for me, the gastroscopy and ultrasound combo ended up being about 😉 bucks $267. (Totally worth it, though—no regrets!)

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a reliable ophthalmologist in the San Francisco area. Specifically, I am looking for a place where I can get orthokeratology lenses—you know, those overnight contacts that reshape your vision while you sleep? If nobody knows a good spot in San Francisco, maybe someone might have leads for clinics in Chicago instead. Thanks.

So, I went to see Dr. Pavičević over at Optisol on The Promenade for a full checkup. It was fine, I guess. She actually found a prescription for me, even though I honestly didn't think I needed glasses at all.
Hopefully, it helps you out too 😘

Thanks, but I was wondering if you’d heard anything regarding those night shifts?

They have an office in Chicago

Word is they’re great and actually get the job done much better than most places I've been to.
The catch is they only work up to -4 diopters—honestly, if you have really bad vision, they might be useless for you! 😬
I think the total cost for $1667 everything, including the lenses and the exam, comes out to about
. Either way, you really need to go in for a consultation first just to see if they can even help you at all.

We've actually chatted about them on the forum a few times before, so feel free to dig through the old threads to see what everyone else said!

Here you go!

thanx

After years of wandering around and having some seriously awkward experiences, I finally found "the one." Honestly, I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world: Dr. Mary Bjelica-Stilinović over at 84 Horvatovac St in Chicago.

It’s a private practice, and oh my gosh, it is stunning! It’s decked out like a high-tech space lab or something. She’s in her 40s and just an absolute gem—always smiling, super easy to talk to, and she never leaves a single question unanswered. Everything is done with such incredible skill and precision, which is great, but most importantly, it was actually pleasant (well, as pleasant as a dentist visit can ever be!). They have everything under one roof too—surgeons, prosthodontists, orthodontists—you name it. Plus, they document absolutely everything; they use this special camera to capture before-and-after shots and keep it all on file. Now, she isn't the cheapest option in Chicago, but she’s certainly not overpriced either, and she is worth every single penny.

If you had told me back in the day that I’d end up cracking up with laughter while sitting in a dentist's chair, or that I'd be geekily staring at dental prosthetic results, I would’ve thought you were totally crazy! But hey, here we are! 🙂

hiddenheron78

So, my dentist thought the easiest way out of this mess was just to pull the root tip, but then the specialist he sent me to basically brushed me off... she told him straight up she wouldn't even touch it unless the pain becomes absolutely unbearable or things start swelling up uncontrollably. My dentist—who’s actually a great guy, really knows his stuff—just rolled his eyes at that whole thing and suggested I head into NYC to find a second opinion, since there’s no point in getting stuck with her "wait and see" attitude when all he can offer is an extraction...

Oh, I should probably mention—she’s under this impression that there’s just too much filling in the tooth, thinking it’ll somehow just... dissolve or balance itself out over time... but he told me straight up that while that might happen in some perfect little "theory," in the real world, we're talking a fifteen to twenty-year process that never actually settles things completely.

You should look into the Oral Surgery in Dubrava clinic.
My partner went there a while back and was thoroughly impressed with the surgeons.

Wait, so this is essentially just like fixing a single tooth? Like, what your standard dentist does—grind it down and slap a filling in there, right? And that costs $214? I’m also wondering what it means if we’re talking about multiple teeth using the same material. I know I'm asking some pretty basic questions here, but...

Yeah, that’s exactly how it works, and honestly, I didn't feel a thing during the whole process. Getting a single filling done usually runs you about $71 plus $40 for that remineralizing toothpaste you have to use to brush with for a month. So, you're looking at roughly $111 per tooth. Now, if you've got a bunch of them that need fixing—which was definitely my situation back in the day—each additional tooth only costs $71, since you aren't buying a whole new tube of toothpaste every time. Makes sense, right?

I went through dental school at the University of Chicago, and honestly? I wouldn't do it again if you paid me.
They had to pull my wisdom teeth. The first time was a quick little 15-minute procedure, but man, I ended up swollen for a whole week... I was crying like a baby because they didn't bother telling me a single thing about what was actually going to happen. I had absolutely no clue I’d end up with three stitches in my mouth. Just a total shock.
The second surgery took about 45 minutes, and the tooth was just as stubborn as the first one. They basically massacred me—my tooth was actually loose for a while afterward. My regular dentist (she has a private practice) couldn't believe they didn't even prescribe me any antibiotics.
So, yeah... if I ever have to go through that again, I'm definitely heading straight to a private clinic and paying the premium.
Anyway, the only reason I even went to those guys was because my mom's friend used to work there, so she knew the doctors and blah blah blah...

Thanks. I follow you. And just one more thing to add to the mix—they charge per tooth regardless, whether we're talking about a tiny little baby tooth or a massive molar...