Beware.
Never, as I made my initial appt, did the ofc staff offer, unsolicited, that there was a fixed $97 fee just to be evaluated (that's without Xrays). Twice I also had to wait while the ofc attended to computer issues. First visit the computer operating the Xray machine was down, so no Xray. Second time, when I merely came to pay my unexpected $97 bill, had to wait 4-5 min while receptionist continued to attend to computer issue, as I stood right in front of her.
But what really made my experience unsatisfactory was that I thought I (and later was wrong, I discovered) needed a root canal in a molar. A dentist did not send me, I chose to go after the tooth had pained me for 10 days. I suggested the root canal to Dr. Palo. Since the Xray machine was unusable, he did not substantiate the problem, but was happy to give me a written estimate for the root canal. Because it was over $1000 I needed a couple days to fully consider. In that time, the pain began to subside, and within 10 days it had moved to another tooth! So a root canal on that tooth would have been profitable for the group, but a totally inappropriate procedure for me! The pain in all the molars has since just gone away.
Never was it verbally offered that the $97 would be rolled into the procedure, but if I did not go through with it, I would be charged $97. For what? The broken Xray prevented a full evaluation, so I was, in my opinion, charged $97 just to walk out of the ofc with an estimate. Way over what would be a reasonable charge for just listening to me. Four months later I received (the first) billing, saying I was 90 days overdue.
I had a friend call to say she was considering an appt. Again, it was not offered to her that there would be a $97 charge no matter what. She had to ask, "will there be a charge for the consultation?" She was, only then, told yes, $97.
Ask lots of questions. I will do more than that. I will never go back. read more