SoLa Dental of Austin
Thomas Gent, DDS:
Practice Profile Page

First of all, Gent stands for “gentle.” Dr. Gent is a gentle man of the highest order, respectful of his patients, and he’s also personable and interesting to talk to. But more important, he’s an excellent dentist. He replaced some of my old crowns and because he has the technology to do computer-aided restoration, he was able to do so in one visit. And later, he cheerfully tweaked one that needed tweaking. I loved my previous dentist (whom I left only because of insurance), but I have to say that Dr. Gent’s technological capabilities far surpass “old school” dentists. I rarely review on Yelp, but Dr. Gent deserves a shout out. I honestly think he is The Best.

SoLa Dental always keeps the patient’s experience in mind. They space out their appointments well. I’ve never waited more than 3-5 mnutes in the lobby when i arrive for my appointment. The technicians are thorough but gentle. There is never a wait for the dental consultation after the x-rays and cleaning. They use state of the art tools. And, when you’re finished, it they’ve already processed your insurance and are ready to accept payment (if insurance didn’t fully cover). They send appointment reminders and important notifications via text and email. SoLa Dental makes visiting the dentist quick and easy!

Before SoLa Dental, I had not been to a dentist in… well forever and it definatly took its toll on my teeth. The whole reason I called was because of wisdom tooth pain, along with pain that was coming from a tooth that should have been pulled years ago. Plus my teeth is one of my biggest insecurities and I felt like it was time to get that in gear! My first appointment was great, Ashley, the OG front desk girl was really nice and talked to me while I waited to be seen, calmed my nerves a bit. Everyone there was very aware of my high anxiety about the appointment and I was well taken care of. Everyone did their best to make sure I was doing okay. Next appointment it was explained to me what I would be needing to have done to have a healthy mouth again. At first I thought it was weird that we didnt go over anything like that during the first visit, but I ended up really liking how the appointments were set up. I wasnt at all stressed and Dr Gent went over everything with me and answered all of my questions and then Ashley helped me figure out the money issues. Setting up my appointment for my extraction of FIVE teeth was really easy, Molly got back with me right away to set up the date, and emailed me all of the paper work I needed to fill out that day. After it was all filled out, I dropped off the paper work, had a couple of questions and Dr. Gent came out and actually addressed them with me which was really great! So I has my teeth pulled almost a week ago, and every concern I had I knew that Dr. Gent and his staff were only an email or a phone call away. I have never met a doctor so concerned about pt care. (other then the dr. I work for). Im really happy I made the choice to go with Dr. Gent and his staff. (Oh and Ive never had any issues with Molly, I think shes sweet)

Corey and Dr. Gent are always very nice, detailed, and professional. They explain everything without a judgmental tone and make practical suggestions to improve your oral health that fit into your lifestyle. It’s important to me to go to a mercury-free office and they use the best technology to reduce their office environmental impact as well, even sourcing their electricity from renewable sources. I appreciate their office’s easy scheduling and text reminders, esp when I forgot to set an appointment and they send appointment openings texts so I can be reminded and easily informed of immediate openings that week. Sometimes it’s hard with my lifestyle to schedule appointments very far in advance, so it helps to have options that are only a few days away. Everything is always clean and efficient.

I originally found out about SoLa Dental because of its location, I continuously noticed the sign as it is close to my downtown neighborhood. After a few months of noticing its location, the need for a dentist visit arose as one of my bridges (10 years old) came loose. I decided to try SoLa and Dr. Gent rather than driving 30 miles to the dentist I used in North Austin. I walked in to SoLa, explained that my bridge needed to be re-bonded and asked if they could please get me in asap as I did not want to walk around with a gap in my smile. Molly, Nicole and Dr. Gent were awesome! They got me in and had the bridge re-bonded in no time! On that first visit, I liked what I saw in regards to a younger Dentist establishing his ethic with his own practice and vision of office/equipment/facilities. A few weeks later I went in for a much needed clean. I have had my teeth worked on numerous times since childhood, I did not have all of my permanent teeth develop; hence the bridges. While there for the clean, I asked Dr. Gent if he could take a new look at my smile and give me an updated opinion on current options to the old bridges that I had sported forever. The old bridges served their purpose, but over the years they had worn and frequently came lose; they were by no means anything considered permanent. After a pano and a few discussions with Dr. Gent on solutions ranging from implants to replacing the bridges with new to combining bridges with porcelains, to braces (for the second time in life) etc., I decided to do a combination of options which would allow me to have the work done as I was able to afford the different enhancements. Because I was born without the permanent teeth and never had them to begin with, insurance claimed that it would not cover the procedures. I knew I wanted a smile that I enjoyed and would show, as a kid with a mouthful of missing teeth, I had always been aware of hiding my smile more than I wanted. We started the smile revamping process in June of 2012. Dr. Gent was great throughout the process. He was also very conservative as we made the changes, allowing for me to see in my teeth and smile how each step felt, functioned and looked. Each step I would monitor all of the previously mentioned and would report back to him with my thoughts and opinions. I asked each time what he thought about what I thought. As the dentist, he knew best about long term function and design etc. He never made a change that I disagreed with, each change/adjustment was one that we decided on together. He was extremely thorough throughout the entire process. A few times I was concerned that minimal changes that I wanted out of my “pickiness” would frustrate Dr. Gent and his staff, but they were always willing to go an extra step to make sure I was nothing less than pleased with my smile. Dr. Gent completed my smile restoration in early August 2012. 🙂 They are permanent! They are beautiful, my gums are healthy again after years of the metal bridges tearing them up, I am able to eat whatever I wish, and to top it off…. my smile is gorgeous! At the age of 29, I am letting my inner smile show through my outer smile…. all of the time! As a pre-med student in college now turned entrepreneur, I want to add that from a business standpoint I have to give Dr. Gent a high-five. With medicine and dentistry fields enduring insurance companies and healthcare times at present, it takes a lot of gall, moxie and skill for a person to get out of school and go at it business wise. I wish he and his crew all the best. I recommend SoLa on all angles. Brittany W

I found my new dentist 🙂 I had a thorough, gentle cleaning today at SoLa. They didn’t even make me feel guilty about my teeth. I didn’t realize my other dental experiences were less than until I visted here. Guilt free dentistry! Their offices are very clean, no dust gathering on the equipment, and everyone I met was nice and calm, and very patient with the whole dental process. If you’ve ever visited Castle Dental, you know what I mean… I was told about other treatments they offer for that could help my TMJ and migraine issues, but like other reviewers have written here, I wasn’t upsold on any unnecessary major dental work. I walked out of there feeling better about my dental health than I have for years. Turns out, I’m in pretty good shape. I’m coming back, and I’m switching my kiddo to this dentist as well

Dr. Gent and his team provide state of the art dentistry service in a very comfortable environment. I felt very at ease from the first moment of my arrival. I had done some fairly extensive damage to my smile over the past few years. It worried me and made me feel self conscious for the first time in my life. Dr. Gent and I discussed options and the best plan of affordable attack. Within two weeks of my initial appointment I now have a smile likely better than my younger years. I’m just waiting for the next time to use it. Admittedly, Dr. Gent is a bit OCD but in the very best of ways. He strives to be as please with his work as you desire to be please with his work. I could ask no more from my dentist. I am now his patient for as long as I live in Austin. Jeff L. Austin, TX

I developed a toothache on a Sunday, so went online and made an appointment the following day. The first time they had available was 8 days later. But the very next day, first thing in the morning, I received a text asking if I wanted to come in that day instead. I happily accepted, because my toothache was getting worse. Dr. Gent and staff got me right in, turned out I had a serious problem, and the tooth would have to come out right away. They were very gentle, quite in tune with my needs. I am always impressed with the staff at SoLa Dental, everyone obviously cares about the patient, and takes pride in their work. I highly recommend doctor Gent!