Ponsonby Dentist | Lumino The Dentists

Never normally leave reviews, but this is necessary to avoid this happening to someone else! I normally see Dr David Hong (who is great!), but I booked in with another doctor who was very young (maybe around 25?), she looked at my teeth and told me that I needed 4 fillings even though I had just been to the dentist less than a year ago and nothing had changed in my routine, so I asked for a second opinion with David Hong when he was free. He examined my teeth and said that my suspicions were right and she was possibly confusing decay for staining, thus I walked out of there $1400 richer. I will not be returning and I have been a customer for 8 years. David is a great experienced dentist and I am glad he did his due diligence and checked my teeth properly.

Always a pleasure coming here. The staff members are always friendly and professional. The booking process is a breeze, and they have the best after-care. As somebody who used to hate going to the dentist, I cannot recommend them enough. They will make you feel at ease and explain the processes in a very easy-to-understand manner. Thank you, Lumino Ponsonby. Keep up the excellent work!

Awful experience, they expect you to make expensive decisions on the spot without informing and educating you properly of all options available, seem grumpy and frustrated if you are unsure. It can be emotional to make a big and expensive decision if you’ve just been told you need a root canal. If you are unsure at the time they push you to rebook and come back again at a later date and try to rush you out the door instead of being patient and explaining options in depth to help ease your stress. I was booked with Aline and found her cold and unhelpful and she seemed like she would rather be anywhere else than at work.

I attended for a scale and polish, the same afternoon my underwire for my braces came loose. I went to my orthodontist and had to pay $150 for the refitting of the underwire. I contacted Lumino to let them know this had happened and was likely due to the scale and polish, they told me they would get back to me in a few days. Three weeks later and I have heard nothing back from them.This is a shame as I have attended in the past for 2x fillings and found the service, location, and professionalism to be of a very high standard. However, I found the commercialisation of dentistry to be somewhat off-putting, it felt entirely corporate and I understand that you usually don't see the same practitioners as they cycle through a lot (high turnover rate). It must be less rewarding as a practitioner as well to work in a business model where income is prioritised before patient experience and good dentistry outcomes.I think I will be looking for a small-practice family dentist in the future and regret foraying into this commercialised space. They have shown they do not care about valid concerns and complaints, and likely hoped I would just forget about the experience or that it would be swept under the rug. I think it is very much a numbers game to Lumino the Dentists.

*Visited July 2022*I was a regular visitor to the Auckland CBD branch, but I had an emergency issue with gum infection. That was the only branch that had the earliest slot, so I went. The overall experience with the branch and Dr. David Hong was not the best. I was examined by the dentist, and he decided to perform a periodontal treatment with a laser on the infected area. The problem was that he had to move me to a room with a deep scaler, but the room wasn't ready for the procedure. The nurse seemed lost, and many of the required items were missing. They made me wait for 5 to 10 minutes while they got ready. Once it was ready, the dentist performed the treatment and numbed my gum directly with needles. In my experience at other branches, dentists usually applied some numbing medicine to the gum area before injecting the needles, so that was unpleasant. The treatment was completed in 5 to 10 minutes, and it felt like the dentist was in a rush for the next patient. There were no clear instructions given to me on how to care for my wound, how to use the mouthwash, or how to take the antibiotic. I had to ask the receptionist myself for that information. The bill was expensive; it was almost $600 for a visit that lasted less than half an hour. When I went to pay the bill, I informed the receptionist that I had a Southern Cross Easy Claim, and they processed it right away. However, when I got home, I realized that any Southern Cross member was eligible for a 5% discount on the treatment, but they didn't mention that when I was paying the bill. I had to call them the next day so they could arrange that for me. Overall, it was not a pleasant experience visiting this branch. You could really tell the difference compared to the branch in Auckland CBD. The only good thing was that the receptionists were friendly. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll visit this branch again.

Had the worst experience I've ever experienced at a dentist here and this was a few years ago but I'm still traumatized to this day. Was only from the hygienist at the time but I walked out shaking and crying - never again. Save your money and find a better hygienist elsewhere.UPDATE: after reading Tyler's message this was almost the EXACT same experience as I had! I couldn't remember the lady's name however...worst customer experience ever

First time I had my teeth cleaned here the hygienist ran me through a very informative after care routine and eased my anxiety a lot. The staff are incredibly informative, helpful and ease the stress of going to the dentist!Big thank you to everyone at Lumino :-)

I had an exam with Daisy and it was amazing. Super efficient and actually really relaxing- I could have fallen asleep in the chair lol. She explained everything very thoroughly and opened up conversation for questions or queries. Would highly recommend!

I went to Lumino Ponsonby for a few years because my regular dentist shifted there when he closed his previous practice (he was great but has now retired). I decided to keep on with Lumino even though I had several problems in the past with their booking and communications. I have just had further problems with appointment booking and communications - being asked to change an appointment that had just been confirmed by text from Lumino a few hours earlier! I have given up on Lumino and have cancelled my appointment. I see I am not the only one who has had negative experiences here.

Had a check up and treatment with Dr Daisy, she was amazing! Gentle and super efficient. I am no longer nervous to visit the dentist.