Upper West Side Dental was founded with the vision of creating a dental practice that treats every patient with dignity and first-rate care. If you are looking for a dentist who will treat you with respect and compassion, wed like to meet you. From the moment you walk in the door of our Upper West Side Manhattan office, youll notice that our practice has an entirely different feel from other dental offices. Our Upper West Side dentist and office staff are highly-trained and exceptionally friendly.
Visiting the dentist can bring a lot of anxiety to patients, especially if they had negative experiences with pervious dentists. Weve learned that fearing the dentist has a lot to do with discomfort. At Upper West Side Dental our Upper West Side Dentist, Dr. Shirley provides Nitrous Oxide to make procedures as comfortable as possible. Nitrous Oxide is known to many as laughing gas and is a safe and effective sedative agent suitable for patients of all ages that are in good health.
Nitrous oxide is inhaled through a small mask that fits over your nose and instantly relaxes you. Nitrous is not intended to put you to sleep; you are able to hear and respond to any requests or direction during the procedure. The effects of nitrous oxide wear off soon after the mask is removed. Patients are able to walk, drive or ride an bike home without the assistance of another person. Visit our Upper West Side Dentist if you are interested in learning more about having nitrous oxide during your dental producers.
Dr. Benjamin Shirley is passionate about creating and maintaining healthy smiles, one person at a time. He is a second generation dentist who grew up learning about dentistry from his father who is now a retired dentist. Dr. Shirley is proud to continue his fathers legacy.
Dr. Shirley was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics as a NASA scholar from Morehouse College and received his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Meharry School of Dentistry. Dr. Shirley is passionate about teaching; he became a teacher andUFT memberin Los Angeles before practicing dentistry in
New York. After teaching for 2 years, he began his career in dentistry by completing a General Practice Residency program at Peninsula Hospital Center in Far Rockaway, NY. He was an associate at various dental practices in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan before co-founding Upper West Side Dental in 2011.
He says: I treat my patients the way I want to be treated; with respect, dignity and first rate care. It is my priority to make sure my patients are comfortable and well informed. My extensive education and experience working in a hospital prepared me for very simple and complex dental cases. l pride myself in not over treating my patients, listening to what they want and making recommendations to help them achieve the smile they have always dream of.
Reviews
Rating 4.6 out of 5 based on 216 reviews
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newest oldest highest lowestJessica Brown
2 years ago
Great Experience! Very thorough and professional staff!
TALEIMA ELLISON
2 years ago
Always have a great, smooth experience here. The staff are friendly, respectful, caring and courteous of your time. The office is run very smoothly and efficiently. Felt very relaxed while watching Netflix during my filling treatment. Definitely recommend
Kyra Cho
2 years ago
Dr. Shirley is a delightful dentist!
Weike Wang
2 years ago
Dr. Shirley cares deeply about his patients. Because of covid, I had avoided the dentist for almost 3 years. Then when I went in for my cleaning, I learned I needed to redo 2 root canals and have crowns put in (both front teeth!). Dr. Shirley and his team (all of whom are so great, polite, and happy people), gave me the run down of how to get my teeth back to health. He recommended a great endodontist who did both my root canals in 1 hour...and then I went back to Dr. Shirley for the crowns. Dr. Shirley did an amazing job with the temps and then when the first crowns came in, the shade was slightly off, slightly more yellow than the temps and than I would have wanted. Dr. Shirley was able to help me get the right shade the second time around, and now they look great. Going to the dentist is never that fun. But Dr. Shirley makes it better, is terrific at his job, listens to his patients, wants the best for you (he understood, these were my front teeth..and I was picky about them.), and works incredibly hard to give you a great smile. When I was not super thrilled with my first crown shade, Dr. Shirley called me and we talked through it on the phone. Dr. Shirley is not one of those docs who will make unreasonable promises and ignore you/not deliver. He will walk you through exactly what might happen and I was also very grateful for the endodontist referral that made the 2 root canals, both of which were difficult cases, much more tolerable. Now that my crowns are done, I am looking forward to going back for my cleaning and future whitening. Shout out to the staff in his office. They are GOOD people AND if you are the last patient of the day, you get to watch Netflix. I watched the great British bake off twice.
Jess Weiss
2 years ago
I had posted a review before, and they didn't like it so they must have deleted it. The service is horrible, appointments got cancelled multiple times and I had to fight them for months to get my refund reimbursed. I've never seen any doctor's office work so hard against a patient. Stay away if you can. OH and PS: they offer gift cards to patients to give a 5-star review. UPDATE based on their response: They spent months refusing to mail the reimbursement, and I couldn't simply commute to pick up the check for weeks. Appointments were cancelled several times before I had to postpone one for 30min and was threatened with a cancellation fee. I called my insurance several times to discuss the matter and also have extensive notes on all the communication. I attempted to call the insurance with the dental office on the line, and they were never available. Their office manager also couldn't ever provide clear information and the people with the information weren't available. Alas I hope they conduct a better customer-friendly business and dental care.
Rebecca Mattiola
2 years ago
First time at this dentist as I am new to the area. The staff is extremely nice and accommodating. There was great communication through the entire appointment, will definitely continue to come here.
Margaret-Ellen Christensen
2 years ago
I would give Dr. Shirley and his colleagues more stars if I could. I was truly terrified, paralyzed by anxiety about coming to the dentist - I hadn't been in 6 years. I was immediately out at ease, everyone who helped me including and especially the doctor, took every possible action to make me comfortable, and to my astonishment (or my anxiety's, I guess), I was comfortable throughout. Thank you all so much!
Alissa Schaible
2 years ago
Lovely spot that I've been going to for years - wonderful staff, and I appreciate how easy it is to make appointments.
Meakecaf
2 years ago
Wonderful dentist to work with, very nice location for parking especially in Manhattan. Helped me a lot in bettering my oral hygiene
Bliss Bagnato-Conlin
2 years ago
I've hardly felt comfortable at the dentist before, but UWS dental is the most efficient and welcoming experience I've had hands down! You are taken care of from the second you walk in, and I have always received excellent care.
Rawls DJ
2 years ago
I love UWS Dental! The staff is super friendly and the office is modern and welcoming. Dr. Shirley restored my tooth in less than an hour and it was the most comfortable dental experience I've ever had. Very competent and highly recommended!
Kelley Steitz
2 years ago
I just went here for the first time and was pleasantly surprised by how nice the staff was and how efficiently they ran the place. They really seem to use technology to their advantage here. Some of the examinations the dentist did were much more thorough than what I've received at previous dental offices and I credit that to high tech devices and proper training. All around great experience.
Liam Stahl
2 years ago
I went in to get a couple teeth pulled, and although the extraction went smoothly, I was given hardly no post-op instructions. They told me they would call to follow up in a couple weeks, and after several weeks of not hearing from them I started to notice some painful swelling so I called them. I was able to get an appointment relatively quickly and when I asked if it was possibly a piece of tooth fragment, Dr. Shirley told me that was impossible and that it was my jaw bone readjusting and they may need to shave it down if it still hurt in 3 weeks, and that they would call me. The next week a piece of tooth fragment came out and the swelling immediately went down, proving Dr. Shirley wrong, and now several months later I have not received a single phone call from them like they promised.
Anthony Caragiulo
2 years ago
I recently changed dentists and am so happy I found UWS Dental. The staff is incredibly friendly, clear, knowledgeable, and communicative. Dr. Shirley and the dental assistant kept me informed of the procedures along the way and took time to answer all my questions. Additionally, took time during the check-in and check-out process to explain and answer all questions. They even let you pick music to be played in the exam room! I highly recommend UWS Dental.
Jack Ford
2 years ago
I'm so sorry- meant to leave 5 stars! Dr. Shirley is the best and the staff is wonderful. Thanks!!
Max Toubman
2 years ago
Very kind and mindful staff. I loved that they let me choose the music to play during my exam!
Alexander Branton
2 years ago
First, the team is so nice and helpful. They are all knowledgeable about oral care, which is nice. Dr Shirley is a pro. He is so positive and passionate about the health of your teeth but also your experience. Thanks team!
Tiffany Shiew
2 years ago
The moment I get someone on the line to ask a question and possibly book an appointment, does not mean they should hang up the phone. Even a "Hello? Hello?" Would be nice to let me know they cannot hear me, if that was the case. Instead, I was immediately silenced, the moment they heard me speak.
Stef Bashaf
2 years ago
Dr. Shirley is professional, friendly, efficient, and precise. I feel lucky to have chosen UWS Dental. Thanks to the UWS team for making my fillings/crown fittings good experiences.
Anita Duka
2 years ago
I recently visited the office myself and I was very pleased with Dr.Shirley. I decided to bring my little boys ages 3 1/2 and 5 years old. My boys absolutely loved DrShirley, he was super patient and gentle with them. Safe to say we have found our family dentist.
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