Dr. Neker Bernuy upon reviews and initial visit seemed like an experienced and amazing orthodontist. However, my first red flag was an issue with the financial / billing staff. The representative did not verify proper insurance benefits, protocols, and procedures - prior to my initial consultation. When a doctor is in network with an insurance company they are bound by the laws of that carrier and cannot charge whatever they feel the treatment cost should be. Dr. Bernuy was trying to charge a certain amount to conduct my orthodontic treatment. However, the insurance company stated there were maximums and limits for treatment care cost for traditional metal braces. We worked through this issue after I made the call to the insurance company in their presence. I continued with care in spite of this issue of trying to overcharge for treatment, this is a lesson learned.
As treatment went on the quality of care seemed very poor. The Orthodontic Assistants did not seem trained and proficient at their jobs, some barely spoke English, the staff seemed ever changing and limited at times. When I brought this issue to the doctor's attention and requested that only he conduct my adjustments. He whispered in a low voice, "I am not about to do all this work." I am not sure if he knew his voice was audible to me as I was laid back in the chair with my ear next to his mouth. This was disrespectful and unprofessional. In shock and surprise, I thought to myself well hire properly trained and diverse staff. I did not allow him push off his untrained staff on my complicated case. I waited patiently for his personal adjustment, no matter the wait time. The final straw was after a year of treatment my crossbite issue had not improved and there a space that was taking over 6 months to close. Typically, space is the easiest thing to change during orthodontic care. When I asked for changes earlier in treatment he said no without explanation. Thus, I was left feeling like I had no say so in my own care and treatment.
Furthermore, normal adjustment timeline for orthodontic treatment is every 6 weeks. However, I was seeing Dr. Bernuy every 4 weeks whereby he could bill and milk my insurance on a monthly basis while dragging out care. With this more aggressive treatment schedule, movements and changes should have been more visible. But there was limited or no changes in oral care.
Dr. Bernuy seemed like he was flying by the seat of his pants and did not have a real timeline and plan of action. Managing 2 offices and poorly trained staff, he did not invest in the special care and needs of his patient, just doing the same basic drills on patients no matter the difficulty of the case. I wrote a lengthy email explaining to the doctor, I wanted to go with another plan of action such as adding buttons, elastics, or stronger wires due to the fact the current care and treatment plan was not working. During my next visit he suggested trying an Expander. He stated that there would be an additional cost for the Expander and that I needed to see the financial specialist. When the representative pulled up my contract, this appliance was already included in my contract. Thus, again this doctor trying to overcharge for care. I continued with care because the appliance was not an additional fee and I had paid the patient responsibility portion in advance. I did not know much about this appliance so when doing my research I found that it would open my upper arch within a 3-6 week period of time, which sounded great since we have been working this issue for over a year. I was ready for a change and would try anything different than the current plan of action which was not working. The Expander did not move my upper arch and the appliance burrowed into the skin on the roof of my mouth causing inflammation, swollen tissue, and a sore the size of a quarter. When this happened, I immediately began searching for a new orthodontist to finalize my care. Based on guidance from my new orthodontist, he never utilizes Expanders on Adult patients as the window for expansion is lost around puberty with an Expander. However, when getting the appliance removed Dr. Bernuy assured me this happens to a lot of his children patients. When getting the opinion of my new orthodontist he stated he has never had the issue of inflammation, swelling of tissue, and sores with the Expanders he utilizes on any of his patients. My new orthodontist utilizes a more modern Expander. For this reason, harming children with outdated equipment I wanted to warn other potential patients to be leery of Dr. Bernuy and his practice.
Currently, I am under the care of a new orthodontist he added a heavy double traction wire and an additional set of power chains. The space between my upper molar and incisors has closed after 2 weeks and my upper jaw crossbite has begun to open. read more
