Without even getting to the issue of competency (re: whether a procedure was required, but went undiagnosed (another dentist thought so)), while Dr. Bove slapped on a smile most of the time, the reality of any person's personality (and attendant ethics) can only be seen over time through their behaviors and, particularly, when things don't go smoothly. In this case, I will let you draw your own conclusions. Here are the facts: Some months after my initial exam, cleaning and a procedure, Dr. Bove called sounding frustrated w/ the insurance co (but kind towards me). She asked me to personally call the insurance co bc she said she was unable to get paid. She asked me then to call her back. We're all busy and this is something most dr's offices have people to do for them, but I took the time both to call the insurance co and to call her back, both immediately. I never heard back from her, so I assumed the matter was resolved. Several months later when I returned for my semi-annual cleaning, I was taken to an office by someone I'd never met, told I owed them about $550, told I had to pay it before my cleaning, told I had to pay for my cleaning and submit the bill for reimbursement myself and told I was wrong when I tried to explain I thought this was dealt with months before and that there must be some mistake, as I'd personally called the insurance and thought Dr. Bove would have called me back if there was any further issue. Moreover, when I requested to speak w/ Dr. Bove, I was told she would not speak w/ me. Needless to say, I left. Fortunately, I called the insurance company. They told me that: 1. they had paid the first claim many months before, 2. Dr. Bove's office had not submitted for payment on a procedure (second claim) I'd had done, 3. the very nice agent called Dr. Bove's office to deal with it immediately. She managed to get Dr. Bove on the phone. When she came back to me, the agent said Dr. Bove had been very rude and angry, said she wouldn't deal with it, even to fax the bill directly to the agent to deal with it immediately, that I had to come back to her office to get the bills and deal with it myself and that she had no time for this. According to the agent, Dr. Bove's behavior was so rude and nasty that the agent's supervisor, upon listening to the conversation, referred the call to the insurance company's investigations unit and provider relationship unit. The agent then informed me that she also noticed that Dr. Bove no longer accepted my insurance, which means that it seems Dr. Bove wanted to get me to pay the old bill (that was covered by insurance; I'd already paid my co-payment and deductible), then get me in the chair to have a cleaning that I'd have to pay for out of pocket, only to find out from the insurance co subsequently that she'd dropped out of the insurance plan, so I would have been personally stuck w/ a much larger bill than necessary, since that's the whole reason I have insurance - I could go elsewhere and have it covered. Personally, I don't do business w/ people whose actions show me that they are disingenuous. I had been a good client, paid my bills on time, helped when asked with the insurance, yet was treated this way. You can be the judge of whether you want to do business with someone who has that kind of attitude towards her clients and for that matter, treats anyone (like the insurance co agent) so rudely. I can only feel compassion for someone who behaves this way, but that doesn't mean I have to use her services.