ABQ Orthodontics
Russell Trapnell, DMD:
Practice Profile Page

Updated after first procedure: My experience for the consultation was nothing short of spectacular, and the bedside manner during procedure was equally pleasant. The reception staff are excellent first-impression ambassadors. The women who did our intake were very smiley, very sweet, and generally as pleasant as you could hope for. After Check-in, we never waited more than 5 minutes or so before we were called in. Nelly was the orthodontic assistant who gave us the initial inspection/x-rays, etc and an idea of what to expect. She was exhaustively explanatory regarding what we were doing and when and why, and peppered the tutorial with personal anecdotes and get-to-know-you questions. She was dedicated to finding all financial contributions from insurance and a satisfactory payment plan going forward. I’d compare her to the orthodontic version of a Trader Joe’s cashier… positively engaging. She introduced us to Dr. Rupp (sp?), who was equally charming and engaging, even in the disastrous face of my 14-year-old sullenly teen. He was gentle and thorough and soft-spoken, and again, deeply explanatory regarding our options and subsequent recommendations, taking plenty of time to fully answer my questions even about the non recommended course of action. Dr. Trapnell introduced himself later, during the “installation” procedure, and he was also very nice and engaging, obviously interested in setting us at ease with his presence and potential participation. The doctors hovered around the many assistants while they were doing the assistant stuff (as opposed to disappearing into the executive lounge or whatever docs do when assistants are busy with the grunt work), chatting and even hugging patients and parents during the assistants’ work. The continued engagement and unobtrusive oversight was refreshing and lent to the feeling of personal investment in the practice and the “family.” Quick note about the facility: they play teen-tunes ala Miley, Selena, and Taylor, which is a nod to their patient base, and they have electronic gadgets on the wall in the Kiddieland corners of the lobby for younger clientele or siblings who like to play on tablets and game consoles to pass the wait time (which seems to always be minimal). There’s also TV screens above the dental chairs that play movies for the folks reclining below. The place is immaculately clean, modern, and capacious. Regarding their tech: the X-ray machine was fantastically inoffensive. An absolute piece of cake compared to dental X-rays. Honestly, the single complaint I have about this place is that it’s a little like watching a 1950s film about PanAm flight staff. Rather than pilots and stewardesses though, it’s two handsome male doctors surrounded by a flock of gorgeous, young female nurses. Seriously, I saw one female over 40 in the whole place and no gender-role mixup at all. It’s a little too Hollywood around here; they really should explore a break from the patriarchal status quo. Still I won’t take off stars because a biz can’t necessarily control who applies for the position, and maybe it was a simple matter of circumstance.