I rarely leave negative reviews, but my experience with this dentist was so upsetting that I feel other patients--especially anyone considering veneers or cosmetic dental work--should know what happened.
I initially went to this practice to have an existing veneer replaced. I had had my veneers for approximately 15 years without any issues, so I was not new to having veneers or to what living with them should be like.
The replacement veneer had to be reattached three separate times because they repeatedly failed to secure it to my tooth. It kept coming off. What was particularly concerning was that it wasn't until the third attempt that the dentist decided to remove additional structure from my natural tooth. There was no discussion with me beforehand about why this was suddenly necessary after two previous attempts, what exactly he was going to do, or the possibility that it could result in increased sensitivity.
Following that procedure, I developed significant sensitivity in that tooth that I had never experienced before. About six weeks later, when I returned for the final placement of the veneer, I specifically told the dentist about the sensitivity. He acknowledged that it was most likely related to the additional shaving of my natural tooth. When I tried to discuss what had happened and what could be done about it, he became flustered and essentially told me there was nothing to do but wait. He said the sensitivity might resolve within weeks or months, but that it also might not. Unfortunately, it has persisted.
That was not the only problem. During this process, the veneer on the neighboring tooth was damaged while the dentist was working on me. The office repaired the damage they caused, but shortly afterward, that veneer chipped in the same area that had been repaired. Again, these were veneers I had lived with successfully for approximately 15 years before coming to this practice.
I later requested a copy of my dental records and was shocked to find no documentation of my complaint about the new tooth sensitivity and no documentation of the damage to the neighboring veneer or the repair they performed on it.
I subsequently spoke with the dentist (Harrington) by phone and specifically asked why events that I considered significant to my treatment weren't documented in my chart. His response was essentially that they couldn't document everything, adding something to the effect of, "We can't include everyone's vacations." I was stunned by the comparison. I wasn't asking why casual conversation hadn't been documented. I was asking why a new symptom following treatment and damage to another veneer during that treatment weren't reflected in the records I received.
The billing experience added another layer of frustration. I had been back to the office multiple times after our initial discussion about insurance, and no one mentioned that I had a substantial additional balance. More than six months later, as I was leaving the appointment where I had just discussed my ongoing sensitivity, I was suddenly told that I owed approximately $850. I was genuinely shocked.
Given everything that had happened, I disputed the remaining balance. The office ultimately sent that disputed balance to a collection agency. I have decided to pay it because I simply do not want to devote any more time or energy to dealing with this practice--not because I believe my concerns were appropriately addressed.
I understand that complications can happen with dental work. My negative review isn't based simply on the fact that something went wrong. It is based on the entire way this situation unfolded and was handled: replacing a veneer that had given me no trouble for approximately 15 years, repeatedly failing to secure the replacement, requiring three reattachments, removing additional natural tooth structure on the third attempt without discussing it with me beforehand, leaving me with ongoing sensitivity, damaging a neighboring veneer that subsequently chipped following their repair, failing to document significant aspects of what occurred in the records I received, responding dismissively when I questioned those omissions, poor communication about a substantial bill, and ultimately sending the disputed balance to collections.
After this experience, I completely lost confidence in this dentist's clinical judgment and in the way this practice handles problems when they occur. I will not return, and I would not personally trust this practice with cosmetic dental work again. read more
