dentist

dental assistant

dental hygienist

patient care coordinator

patient services representative

Smile Brands Inc.

I was very concerned about working for Midwest dental after all the negativity I had heard about it. After interviewing with the regional manager she made me feel very comfortable. I was never trained into the protocol of how the office was run that I was hired for.  It was a sink or swim situation and you had to learn as you went along. There was lots of repetitive paperwork and charting, making of treatment plans, printing of treatment plans, scheduling appointments and printing out appointment slips that all took away from the time that you were actually able to spend with the patient. It was very stressful to try to get everything done in the allotted time. Although Midwest said we could have as much time as we needed for our patients you usually end up with less time. Then you had to break down your room and set it up again and take care of your instruments in sterilization. All things that cut into your 30–50 minute appointments with your patient. I was hired to work 25 hours per week, just shy of the 30 hours I needed to be considered full-time and have health care benefits. I was told that they would look for an extra day for me and help me get those extra hours I needed. But when it came time that I actually found some extra hours in another Midwest office they turned me down. You were paid by a percentage of what you produced. There were no raises and  if you only did a straight prophylaxis on a patient you barely made any money. The only time you made money was when you took full mouth series of x-rays, sealants, or periodontal treatment. If the patient did not show up you did not get paid. Setting up in the beginning of the day, office meetings, cleaning the office at the end of the day, finishing your charts were all done on your own time. If you were an assistant or Front desk you were paid by the hour so therefore all of your time spent  while at the office you were being paid. This caused a little more stress at meeting times and clean up times. You were expected to be there I half-hour before your first appointment time for a morning huddle and that was unpaid, at least for the hygienist. If you had a question about anything you had to bring it up with the regional manager and when you did, it just put a black mark against you because they were not very cooperative or happy to answer anything. If you had a suggestion on how to do something more efficiently or better they acted like you offended them. They basically were looking for "puppets" to work and do as they were told and expected. That is why they hire a lot of newly graduated hygienists.
On the good note… The dentist that I was hired to work for was extremely talented and professional. My coworkers were all also very great and  the patient load was superb!
Bottom line, I would think very long and hard about working for this company!

We had good teamwork and naturally worked well together for a few years. The hygiene chair was seldom empty. We were solid, helped each other, and were friendly. We laughed and ate together often.  After the last corporate change,  their was a severe sudden short staff of employees.  Included were new regulations, which gave all team members much more required work in the same or less amount of time.  The past management and current management had little knowledge of dentistry. The managers did not manage but gave lots of time off to "pets" when asked, not seeming to care that it made it harder for the staff left working.  We had occasional meetings for new things to incorporate.  Either nothing was followed through upon or we were told to "make it happen!"  We seldom got lunch breaks. Morale dropped to an all time low.  The manager was often gone or in meetings.  Organization disappeared, as did the flow of the office. No raises except once, fifty cents an hour. Actually,  pay was decreased $10.00 an hour, with new incentive for bonus, which was good until time was reduced per patient. More paperwork was mandatory with deadlines and frequent threats that if not followed through, it would be a firing offense.  However, the "pets"  somehow did not do the required paperwork and often were over 15 minutes late for first patient's appointment.  Never a pat on the back for doing well, only reprimands.  I learned about many cultures and how to understand many different accents in speaking.  The patients were mostly very grateful and appreciated good service! The most enjoyable part of the job were some good co-workers and so many wonderful patients!  We did have excellent OSHA meetings.  The hardest part of the job was handing off the patient to the dentist after the dental cleaning, and the operatory was so dirty, that I would put them back in my room and clean that dentist's room before I would seat the patient. Most of the staff started leaving without saying goodbye, often leaving the hygienist behind alone without locking the front door at the end of the day. The whole philosophy changed from caring for the patient's needs and wants to money collected. Of course, we have to make money but it is not fair to provide less quality treatment and to not address the patients concerns. I would never work for this company again.  The two hygienists hired after me quit with two months.  Many quit after a few days or one day at several locations. Many promises were broken.

I have been an office manager for over 7 years, 3 years ago our practice began a Midwest Dental. I have never experienced such support and encouragement. Working in a small privately owned practice there were no real job descriptions, "how to's", or set operating procedures. Situations were dealt with as they happened and where usually an "Oh no!" situation followed by, "Ok, what do we do?" "Who do we call for this?". I needed to wear the plumber, IT, HR, snow removal, cleaning and handyman hat. Once we were Midwest I was pliantly surprised to learn I had an entire support center at my disposal to ask and fix any issue that came up. They had manuals for everything and standard operating procedures. WHAT? Employees knowing how to handle pretty much every situation? Craziness LOL. The regional director we have is amazing and she will work with me at any hour to fix any situation. Our dental assistant fell and broke her arm after work. My RD worked late into the evening helping me secure a replacement. In addition to the support center, there are over 170 office we can call or ask questions with. We ran out of alginate once and I just ran to another office 35 miles away to borrow some until our order came in a day or two. I have read other reviews regarding the bickering at some offices. The hardest part of any job is to effectively blend the different personalities together into one harmonious team. With over 25 years of management experience, I'm hear to say that happens and a good manager will address the issue and if needed get rid of the problem. I have never had an experience that was not taken seriously or addressed promptly. The most enjoyable part of working in the dental field is being able to help people. Seeing someone leave with a smile for the first time (and liking what they see) is indescribable. I love being a part of that. Midwest Dental gives their employees the tools to be the best, further their education and move up in the company. The compensation is right on for our area and the benefits are good. If you work 30 hours or more you are eligible for free dental care and reasonable heath insurance, 401K, and bonuses every quarter. I am so happy to be a part of the Midwest team!

Provide excellent customer service to all in bound and outbound clients.  Resolve escalated issues. Contact Insurance Carriers for verification of claim receipt and status (paid/denied.
Update all patient accounts to correct inaccurate information to include contract allowable and or maximum.
Responsible for managing workflow of the assigned accounts and prioritizing the issues to meet all deadlines for filing to obtain maximum reimbursement. Monitor collections activity for timely payment from all revenue sources using various computer reports.
Understand and stay informed of changes with the procedures, billing guidelines and laws for specific insurance carriers or payers.
Follow-up on any overdue accounts; including comprehensive computer documentation. Research accounts to determine why the balance remains unpaid.
Meet or exceed established production and quality standards.
Establish and maintain an accurate understanding and application of departmental policies and procedures.
Meet routine deadlines and work schedules as well as timely and accurate completion of special projects and any other duties as assigned.
Audit insurance claims to identify and provide required attachments and audit attachments for completeness and suitability.
Work zero paid Explanation of Benefits (EOB) and take action to appeal or properly adjudicate claims.
Work partial paid Explanation of Benefits (EOB) and take action to appeal or properly adjudicate claims.
Ensure claim submission for secondary coverage within timely filing limits.  Ensure response to claim inquiry and tracing within timely filing limits.
Conduct full patient account audits to determine appropriate action.
Provide training and guidance to offices and assist co-workers whenever the opportunity arises.
Build relationships and maintain open communication with dental office staff, internal departments and company representatives.
Ensure all dental billing / collection letters are prepared and mailed according to the set schedule.
Work with any patient, responsible party or insurance company representative who has questions concerning account activity.

Poor management!!!!!! ALLLLL DMOs do are look at spreadsheets and create unrealistic # expectations and inaccurate reports based on such a terribly dated system. (Stupid thing can't even pull a report of what 2×2 equals accurately) RIDICULOUS to think you can run a thriving business on terrible statistics as stated!!! CORPORATE NEEDS TO BE MORE INVOLVED IN WHAT THEIR CROOKED DMOS ARE DOING!!!(Or maybe they don't give a flying hoot) The way the east market is being ran, it won't be long before the entire market comes crashing down. These inaccurate reports are a way to cover a sinking company while padding upper managements pockets!!! The employees that bust their tails, only do so to allow upper management to receive bigger bonuses cutting the "worker bees" quarterly bonuses to NOTHING!!!!! You aren't even allowed to order supplies needed to efficiently run an office or DENTAL CLINIC due to such low unrealistic budget expectations!! (If you stay within budget, managers get a bigger bonus)! What type of dental clinic have you EVER walked into that isn't even allowed to give their patients mouthwash to use after brushing???? MONARCH DENTAL!!!! These people need to get a grip!!! DMOs give EXTRA (bribery) bonuses to supervisors for OVERWORKING part-time staff...All while giving the other full time employees, that rightfully helped make those numbers ZERO!!!! Way too many duties for 1 person, they want to work their employees EXTREMELY understaffed but expect them to have ZERO overtime!!! Again, UNREALISTIC!!!
Double standards like no other!!! So many family members, friends, boyfriends/girlfriends of family members, its ridiculous! They don't pay the people that are required to travel properly and refused to do so 2 years ago, even after corporate informed certain DMOs time and time again of proper procedures for travel. (They do what they want)!!! You can trust any of them, including their fake glassdoor review, Google reviews, ect. At one point office managers were getting a kickback just to have their employees to write a good company review!! Things need to change before this one market ruins this entire company!!!

I enjoy coming to work at Smile Brands. It’s a company that has a clear picture of its vision and culture and the management team members are good role models of that culture. Our vision statement, Smiles for Everyone®, is more than a slogan; it’s a goal we strive to attain daily. 

Those three words embody the concept that our purpose is to ensure that each person from each constituent group we serve or work with – patients, employees, affiliated dental providers, suppliers, investors and our communities – should feel positive about the interaction they’ve had with team members and the organization. If the outcome isn’t win-win, we need to figure out how to make that happen.

An important part of delivering great care and service is our G3® service platform. G3 stands for “Greeting, Guiding and Gratitude”. It’s a concept developed for the affiliated dental offices to use with patients, but we quickly realized that it applies to everyone’s job. Make people feel welcome; tell them what you are going to do to help them; and thank them for the opportunity to serve them. 

We also try to have fun at events such as a chili cook-off or getting donuts on National Donut Day, and we love to participate in volunteer activities, such as collecting backpacks, food and toys for people in need. We also enjoy supporting the Smiles for Everyone Foundation, though our donations of time and money, to help low-income people in the US and abroad get the dental care they need.

It’s a fast-paced environment, but we are not confined to our functions or departments. If you need support or help, you just have to speak up. We are a team that’s been through a lot over the last four years and we have each other’s backs.  

If is rewarding to feel that we are helping to improve people's lives through our support of the affiliated dental offices.

2024 is the "year of retention" according to management-yet nothing has been done or even discussed for that matter- to make people want to work here, and be happy to keep working here. Employees were made to go to a "mandatory" meeting..3+ hours away (assistants and front desk make $20 minimum-if they're lucky and most have kids. Its easy to travel that far for a work meeting when that's your situation right?) to supposedly discuss how to improve morale and what needs to be changed at the company. Instead of discussing that, we basically made plans on how to make the office more productive and bring in more money. The way the company acts toward its individual offices is disconnected from what makes dental offices successful long term. Instead they are focused on new patients and treatment plans. More and more of an emphasis is put on financial B.S.  each month. Getting supplies to work with and have materials to work on patients and keep employees safe is a constant battle and point of contention, despite giving us a budget that is not consistent with what it historically cost (% of revenue) in the industry to run a dental office. I could go on and on but its very sad that dentistry has devolved into what it is today, and will become even more in the future. I love my coworkers and for the most part they are what make me want to work here, and I would stay here forever if the company would get its head out its bum, but that will never happen with a corporate company unfortunately.

Bright now is the epitome of the corporate dental office. They like to hire young and impressionable people because those people cannot stand up for themselves. While I enjoyed my first couple months here, and I clicked with a lot of my coworkers, the place is just dead. Management/long time employees are unwilling to resolve any of the negative patterns that occur, they are complacent due to their long stay at the company. The monthly meetings only exist to prove that management is doing the bare minimum, no one's opinion is actually valued and everyone comes for the free food. Nothing is ever resolved, and the particular office I worked at had a habit of blaming "the new kid." It's clear how they developed this pattern of complacency with around 35 assistants coming and going within their 17 years of business. Management is stretched too thin with one manager per ~7 doctors, and they don't have time to care about work environment. They had some great benefits when I first started including dental discounts, medical benefits, death and dismemberment fund, 401k accounts and matching, and yearly raises. After a few months of working there they stopped matching my 401k, and after a year of work I got screwed out of a raise. I left the company because of the toxic work environment, complacency of management, and the games they play with benefits. The doctor was the only one connecting with their patients and providing quality service . All others just want to play fake buddy-buddy and work their broken system until it kills them from stress. Not a way to live.

***Honest review from a past employee***

The review will be broken down into two parts: 1.General Job description 2. Pay/salary etc. 
 Started at Midwest Dental at $15.50 an hour.  The job itself is a call center job and basically you are on the phone pretty much all day, hang up and next call(that is unless you don't pick up calls and go on Do not disturb) Good job if your new to IT and just graduated.  As a tech/helpdesk you are limited in what you can do with active directory(only reset passwords and can’t move users, add permissions or edited OU), no gpo access, and no infrastructure change permissions etc. (you are there to pick up calls and be the first line of defense) But you are open to troubleshoot printers, computer hardware issues and software issues pretty much basic issues in general with 3rd party vendor support. The raises a 1-2 percent so like 10-30 cents max. Long sitting, office environment, call center. Flexible schedules. PTO is slowly earned until your there one full year and then it can be earned faster. No paid holidays or sick days. You have to use your own pto to cover holidays. Overall a good job when trying to get experience. ( As a person looking for a job or career we look to apply to a position for the money so I wanted to be honest and real.) you will make 30-34k as a IT Technician. IT Support Engineers which are really conversion specialist for new offices make 38-40 k is what I heard.  Overall, okay job if new to IT, downfall is it’s a call center. Upside is it’s a job with benefits. Management was not as good when I was there. The manager played musical chairs with people and it was like high school all over honestly. There was a lot of broken promises to employees and when there was any employee input upper management didn’t take it well.

I'm a current employee and have been with the company since 2018. Overall I enjoy coming to work. Could communication with superiors be better? Sure. Could the pay be a touch better? Show me an employee that doesn't think they deserve more in ANY company. The bottom line is they offer benefits (which in the dental field is hard to come by), have a bonus system, don't push you to sell unnecessary treatment, and there is always an opportunity for advancement. Our computer software in the legacy offices is super outdated but they're working on it. Eventually we'll be transferred to a more modern one and right now they're doing a few offices at a time. Every district is different but I love mine. I started at the front desk and was promoted to office manager after a change in doctor/staff. I've generally felt supported but do agree with the other reviews that we're almost always understaffed. What those reviews don't mention is where the world is right now..... everywhere you look there's a "We're Hiring" sign outside so yes, we're understaffed. However, we're willing to interview just about anyone with the minimum qualifications for the position because we can build them up and teach them to be proficient. When one of these other reviewers finds their "unicorn office" where the pay is perfect, stress level is manageable, work/life balance is perfect, management all along the chain are readily available and communicate to perfection, I'd like them to let me know because every job is going to have it's pros and cons.... that's life. You can't be unrealistic. I love this company and plan to stay here for many, many more years.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Dentist 14 salaries reported	$202,143 per year
Dental assistant 16 salaries reported	$21.70 per hour
Dental hygienist 8 salaries reported	$48.22 per hour
Patient care coordinator 4 salaries reported	$14.63 per hour
Patient services representative 10 salaries reported	$16.30 per hour

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