Resources Health care and insurance
Dentists and eye doctors: our members' experience
Dentists, oral surgeons and eye doctors that people in our chats have spoken well of. Prices for dental work and glasses vary a lot: before the visit, ask what it costs and what your insurance covers.
Based on the experience of people in our chats, 2023–2026.
1Dentists
QARAVAN has not checked licenses or the accuracy of these reviews.
NYU College of Dentistry
Low cost
A teaching dental clinic: students treat patients under faculty supervision, it costs less than private offices, and it takes Medicaid. People from our chats mostly had a good experience here: same-day care for acute pain, the option to ask for a different student and keep booking with one you like, and lower prices than private clinics. But treatment is slow (a crown took about six visits), and two members were unhappy with the results. New patients request an appointment online at patientaccess.dental.nyu.edu/Request. Reviews from 2023–2026.
Montefiore, Department of Dentistry at Schiff (endodontics)
Paid
The dental department of Montefiore hospital in the Bronx: root canals, with implants next door. People from our chats had a good experience here: root canals and implants went well, at lower prices than small private clinics. The first consultation takes a long time to get even with a referral, but treatment is scheduled quickly after it; booking in person at the front desk works best. The clinic is on the City's Medicaid dental provider list. Reviews from 2025.
Yelena Gutman, DDS
Paid
A dentist in Brooklyn who speaks Russian, and staff who answer the phone in Russian. People from our chats had a good experience here: members and their families were her patients, prices are affordable, and she takes insurance as well as cash. Book by phone. Reviews from 2025.
Inna Goykman-Amir, DDS
Paid
A dentist in Brighton Beach. People from our chats had a good experience here, after a bad one with another dentist. Reviews from 2026.
Harlem Dental Care (Nazar Shcheglov, DDS)
Paid
A dental office in Harlem; according to directories, Dr. Shcheglov speaks Russian and Ukrainian. People from our chats had a good experience here: a good dentist who, a member says, definitely takes Fidelis. Reviews from 2026.
Albano Dental Group
Paid
A dental office in Brooklyn (Mill Basin), English only. People from our chats had a good experience here without insurance: a complex extraction with X-rays and anesthesia in one visit cost $500, treatment prices are fair, and the dentist is kind and professional. Reviews from 2025–2026.
Lumia Dental
Paid
A dental office in Lower Manhattan. People from our chats had a good experience here: long-time patients. They take private PPO plans (Aetna, Cigna, Guardian, MetLife); Medicaid and the Essential Plan are not listed. Reviews from 2026.
Aura Dental NYC
Paid
A dental office in Downtown Brooklyn for extractions and general care. People from our chats had a good experience here: 'really good people'. They seem to take only private insurance, not Medicaid or the Essential Plan. Reviews from 2026.
Gelfman and Birnbaum Oral Surgery
Paid
Oral surgeons in Brooklyn. People from our chats had a good experience here: two wisdom teeth out under general anesthesia on Fidelis, a quick appointment and no extra bills; the office itself looks worn. Reviews from 2026.
Forest Hills Oral Surgery (Dmitriy Tokar, DDS)
Paid
An oral surgeon in Queens. People from our chats had a good experience here: the office took on a complex wisdom tooth after other surgeons had turned it down. One of his profiles says he does not take insurance. Reviews from 2026.
2Eye exams and glasses
QARAVAN has not checked licenses or the accuracy of these reviews.
Cohen's Fashion Optical (Brooklyn)
Paid
An optical store with eye exams. People from our chats had a good experience here: an eye exam and glasses on Fidelis in about a week, and an optometrist who speaks Russian at the Flatbush Ave Ext store. Few frames are fully covered by insurance, so you can take just the prescription and order glasses elsewhere. Reviews from 2024–2025.
Warby Parker
Paid
A chain of optical stores with in-store eye exams, English only. People from our chats had a good experience here: decent staff, simple single-vision glasses from about $95–100, and an eye exam right before ordering (the exam is paid; the price depends on the store). Reviews from 2024–2026.
University Eye Center (SUNY College of Optometry)
Low cost
An eye clinic at the College of Optometry in Midtown that takes Medicaid and Fidelis. People from our chats had a good experience here: an eye exam and frame fitting in 2–3 hours and glasses on insurance in 1–2 weeks. But note: a member found the free screening is only an external check with no prescription, and a full exam without insurance cost about $300 in July 2025. Reviews from 2024–2025.
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