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Finger Lakes Family Dentistry - Edward J Ambis Jr As a comprehensive dental practice, we offer a full menu of general and restorative oral health services. Sedation dentistry provides a safe and comfortable experience for patients to get the care they need and want. Dental Implants are designed to help those individuals who are seeking the very best in artificial tooth replacement.

Dr. Ambis and his team have many years of experience dealing with TMJ, and can often prescribe an effective course of treatment. Cosmetic Dentistry covers a variety of dental procedures, such as veneers, dental bonding, invisalign, and teeth whitening.
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Dotti Ambis received her medical degree from SUNY at Buffalo in 1978 after receiving her B.A. in Chemistry from Ithaca College and her high school diploma from Pine Valley Central School in Western New York. She completed her residency in Family Practice at the University of Rochester Highland Hospital program in 1981.
Dr. Ambis grew up in Kenmore, New York. After graduating from Cornell University and completing the masters program in Speech Pathology and Audiology at Ithaca College, he received his DDS degree from SUNY Buffalo School of Dentistry in 1978. Following the completion of his General Practice Residency at Eastman Dental Center and the Genesee Hospital in Rochester, New York, Dr. Ambis established practice in Ithaca, New York. Since being in Ithaca, he has studied extensively at the L.D. Pankey Institute.
At Edward J. Ambis Center for Dental Medicine in Ithaca, NY, Dr. Ambis and staff are committed to ensuring a comfortable and worry-free experience for you and your entire family. One of the ways we cater to our patient's needs is by offering sedation dentistry in Ithaca, New York options. Depending on the type of treatment that you're getting and your past dental experiences, you can choose a lighter form of analgesic such as laughing gas (nitrous oxide) or something stronger, like conscious oral sedation.
At Edward J. Ambis Center for Dental Medicine in Ithaca, NY, we provide comprehensive dental implant therapy for single and multiple missing teeth. Our start-to-finish smile rehabilitation services in Ithaca, New York help you achieve a healthy, functional, and beautiful smile no matter how extensive your tooth loss is.
Reviews (10)
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Tam-Dan N.
Jan 09, 2022
I am a first year student at Cornell University. In November, I noticed my wisdom teeth growing in and was alarmed. On top of the stress of school, I was now concerned about the state of my teeth, wondering if I would need to have surgery in this new setting. My mother turned to the Cornell Parent's Facebook Group, where Dr. Ambis came recommended.

My mother then called the office to discuss insurance with the receptionist. She was told that our insurance was in network and that a regular x-ray would be $250 and a CAT scan would be $580. Then, my mother had me call the office to schedule an appointment. Upon arrival, Dr. Ambis did not explain to me what type of scans I would need and quickly ushered me towards the CAT scan after briefly examining my teeth.

As a first year student, 3000 miles away from home, already stressed by school, I simply followed without question. After my scans were taken, I was told to send the address of the office that would be removing my wisdom teeth. I was told that they would be sending the scans via CD, not digitally. Soon after giving the address of my dentist at home, I was notified by my dental office at home that the CD had broken in the mail.

In response to this, the dental office at home attempted to call Dr. Ambis' office multiple times and left messages. Additionally, my mother called multiple times and also left messages. It wasn't until nearly 2-3 weeks later when I personally texted the receptionist that we got any response. They agreed to send a new CD. This next CD arrived safely. However, this whole exchange had taken over a month. Then, my dental office at home was unable to open the CD.

They were unable to see the scans and had to send me to another office. This second office was also unable to open the CD and view the scans. I had to have CAT scans retaken here. At this office, my CAT scans were only $250, much cheaper than the $580 I was charged at Dr. Ambis' office. For reference, this office was in California, a state where cost of living is much higher than upstate New York.

I had my wisdom teeth removed here, and for the removal of all 4 teeth and the CAT scan, I only paid $594, much cheaper than the $680 ($580 for scan and $100 for consult) I was charged at Dr. Ambis' office. Overall, my visit with Dr. Ambis' office was a complete waste of time and money. While Dr. Ambis' office has modern technology like the CAT scanner, they lack modern standards of communication.

Even with their outdated methods of communication with the CDs, Dr. Ambis' office cannot even effectively communicate, as multiple offices were unable to open the CD. Did the office bother to check that the CD was readable before sending out? Calls and messages were not returned, which is inexcusable. Dr. Ambis takes advantage of vulnerable college students, charging them an exorbitant amount for unnecessary scans, and then sends CDs which were damaged and then not recorded properly.
Laura Fegely
Aug 20, 2021
The best dentist in Ithaca. After years of having dentists who took advantage of me and gave me unnecessary fillings, Dr. Ambis was a breath of fresh air. I scheduled my first appointment with Dr. Ambis about 7 years ago, after being told by my dentist at the time that I needed two fillings (something I was being told at almost every cleaning). During my first appointment, Dr. Ambis said that I didn't have any cavities that needed to be filled, and that I just had two weak spots that I should pay extra attention to when brushing and flossing.

My old dentist had been drilling what didn't need to be drilled in order to make a quick buck. Dr. Ambis will never try to sell you unnecessary procedures. He doesn't judge your for the state of your teeth, and he is incredibly accommodating to folks dealing with dental anxiety. I cannot recommend his office more highly.
Jessica C.
Dec 06, 2019
I am so disappointed for not checking these Yelp reviews earlier. I was led to believe I would be reimbursed for the fancy X-ray and $1400 dental splint. In one month, I spent over $2000 I'm this place, and I have excellent insurance, including dental, through Cornell. I was told by my insurance company that I was overcharged for everything (a quick Google search will give you a range for splint prices.$1400 is well above the range), and that the $550 x-ray was unnecessary.

I could have gotten similar results, covered by my insurance, with regular x-rays. Interesting to read that someone else here had a similar experience, and was told that dental insurance does not cover splints. If they knew this, why not be upfront? Very dishonest.
Leo Z.
Jun 30, 2017
I had my excellent experience there today. My ceramic crown was getting loose and fell out. I called in the morning and they responsively got my appointment set at noon in an irregular open hour. Dr. Dotti is very friendly with her heartwarming smile and she helped me with getting prepared for everything nicely. Dr. Ambis is rather knowledgeable and professional.

He in detail asked what my situation was and then did a precise evaluation. They surgery done by him was perfect. He explained patiently what was needed to be done and what the options were and then, boom, everything got fixed neatly. Besides the regular stuff, they also educated me about oral health and gave me useful information I wanted to know. It's the right place to go to get your dental issues fixed;
Helen B.
May 17, 2017
Dr. Ambis is the best dentist I've ever been to. Not only is he "painless", he cares about you and your health. I have had many procedures done by Dr. Ambis from cleaning, root canal and an implant and I have been totally satisfied with all the work performed. The office staff is exceptionally friendly as well. I would recommend Dr. Ambis to anyone.
Abbys Crafty Corner Teeter
May 06, 2017
Friendly staff.you pay for what you get.he has fixed several teath from previous work from other dentist. not pushy in any way to have work done. You go when you are ready and comfortable. great for fixing fillings crowns and ect. I highly recommend him over many dentist that are well known in the area.he has had to fix a lot of issues they did incorrectly.will never go anywere else.in addition you can call and ask them how much a cleaning will be or filing.like I said I would rather pay and have them done correctly than have a filling fall out several times in the past from previous dentist.he takes good pride in his work!
Peter L.
Jan 02, 2017
Looking back at the students who got mislead and end up spending hundreds of dollars on top of their expensive insurance, this awful dentist office should be condemned and nobody should ever go to this place. Shame on you!
Katie F.
Sep 12, 2016
Disappointed. They led me to believe that they take my insurance but they required that I pay up front and they would submit a reimbursement for me. However, it turns out that they are out of network on my insurance and I did not end up getting reimbursed for my cleaning. After inquiring with the dental office about it, it turns out that they don't take any insurance at all. I got scammed.
Karen G.
May 16, 2016
I contacted this office for a rush appointment as my daughter's front crown fell off on a day that she had lots of appointments. They were so kind to me and Dottie went so far as to give me her home cell number to reach her in case I had scheduling issues come up. They were helpful in answering questions for pricing and options which were important as my daughter is attending school at Cornell and your dental insurance was for California only and we were going to need to pay cash for the services. I really believe anyone would be in great hands coming to this office as they are extremely professional and trustworthy.
Reuben K.
Feb 11, 2014
I love Dr. Ambis! He's a great dentist, and takes the time to learn more about me and any issues behind what he sees in my teeth. He remembers things from visit to visit, even with 6 months in between. I've also been really impressed with the business side of things as well. Dr. Ambis has been really helpful working with my insurance and ensuring I don't pay for more than I need to. I can't recommend this practice enough!