Clintonville's family dentist, on North High Street since 1993
Dr. Shirin Amini has looked after families from this office for over thirty years. Cleanings, crowns, implants and whitening, in a paperless practice where the dentist still does the cleaning herself.
One dentist, one address, thirty-plus years of the same charts.
Dr. Shirin Amini graduated from The Ohio State University College of Dentistry in 1993 and went into private practice the same year. She has been at 4425 N High Street since. One reviewer has been a patient for roughly thirty of those years; another came in for a first cleaning and got a purple toothbrush to match her glasses.
Before dentistry she finished a biology degree in three years, cum laude, with a minor in mathematics. The office is paperless and about as green as a dental office gets, and she sees children as well as the adults who bring them.
Nothing here is a stock interior. This is the front office, the operatory, the tray and the quiet room, in the sequence a Clintonville patient actually meets them.
Scroll through the rooms
A
The front office
An oak counter, two chairs at the window, and North High Street going by outside. The office is paperless, so there is no wall of folders behind the desk. Dr. Amini's husband is an architect and helped design the room.
B
The operatory
Where the hygiene visit happens and where the digital x-rays are taken. Low radiation, and the image is on screen before you have sat back up.
C
The tray
Mirrors and explorers set out before a checkup. Oral cancer screening and periodontal charting happen off this tray, every visit, whether or not anything has been bothering you.
D
The quiet room
Whitening takes about an hour in this chair. A barrier goes over the gums, the gel is agitated every five to seven minutes, and it comes off and goes back on at fifteen.
What we handle
Four kinds of appointment, and what each one is for
Preventative work keeps the other three rare. When they are needed, they are all done here, in this office, by the same dentist.
Three things worth knowing before a first appointment
The forms can be done at home
The patient registration and medical history forms are on this site as PDFs. Filling them in before you arrive is the difference between sitting in the waiting room with a clipboard and going straight through.
Most dental plans are accepted. Delta, Cigna, MetLife, Aetna and Guardian are the preferred providers. If cost is the thing standing in the way, the Citi Health Care card lets treatment start before it is paid for in full.
Two separate patients have written that they came in with dental anxiety and left without it. Both said the same thing about why: everything was explained before it was done. Tell the office when you book and it will be on the chart.
The practice shares the building with a neighbouring tenant. The blue Clintonville Family Dentistry sign, with Dr. Amini’s name and the phone number under it, is the one to look for. Parking is off the street.
4.8out of 5 across 37 Google reviews
“My husband and I have been a patient of Dr. Shirin Amini for approximately 30 years. She is very caring and the best dentist that we've ever had. The staff at Clinonville Family Dentistry is warm, friendly and very pleasant. We have had a couple of emergencies that have come up and Dr. Amini has always taken care of us in a very timely manner. The office is very clean and inviting and we would definitely recommend this dentist to anyone looking for a good, reliable and caring team to take care of their dental needs. Absolutely the best!”
“Love Dr. Amini - she is top notch! Our family has been going here for a few years and she & her staff are always so friendly, professional, and quick to help w/ dental emergencies. Can't recommend them highly enough.”
“I had a great first visit for a cleaning. Dr. Amini did the cleaning herself and gave me a purple toothbrush to match my glasses 💜. Everyone was friendly and efficient.”
“Dr.Amini is one of the best dentists in Columbus. She is very thorough and explains everything to you before she does it. I struggle with dental anxiety and this helps a lot!!! I will always recommend her to everyone!!”
“Dr. Amini is the best dentist I have been to, period. Her excellent skills, calm professionalism, and kindness are much appreciated. I have had a number of bad tooth issues in the past couple of years and she has always gone the extra mile to make me healthy again. I highly recommend her. Dr. Amini is very, very good at what she does and her work is always first-rate.”
Asked often
The questions that come up at the desk
These are the practice’s own answers, not general advice. If yours is not here, the office will answer it on the phone.
A composite filling is tooth-coloured, so it blends with the tooth rather than showing as silver. It is every bit as durable as amalgam, and insurance often covers both the same way.
A crown is a cap placed over a tooth, and it is commonly recommended after a root canal. There are three options: porcelain fused to metal, which is tooth coloured; gold, which is the most durable and is usually used on molars; and all-ceramic or all-porcelain, which has no metal in it and suits the front smile zone.
Two. The first visit is the preparation and takes about an hour and a half, and an impression goes to the lab. You leave with a temporary crown on. The final crown is seated about ten days later.
An implant is a titanium post fused to the jaw bone that acts as an artificial tooth root. Unlike a three-unit bridge it does not require shaving down the healthy teeth on either side. Two or three implants can also be used to stabilise a lower denture.
Replace them at least every five years, and have them checked at least once a year. Some patients prefer twice a year. An in-office reline is softer and temporary; a lab reline is firmer and permanent.
Book a visit
A dentist who has been on the same corner for over thirty years is not hard to find.
New patients are welcome. Bring your insurance card and the forms if you have had a chance to fill them in, and if the dentist makes you nervous, say so when you book.
