A dental assistant at this practice dropped a heavy dental instrument on my face while I was getting 2 fillings. It got worse from there.
The dentist doing my fillings, Dr. Anita Purohit, told me that nothing was broken and asked if I was okay. I let her know I was, even though I was in some pain. She finished the fillings.
My bite needed some adjustment, which she did, then assured me I could come back in and have it touched up if needed. I had just had a bad experience, so I was quick to get out of the office. Unfortunately, the more I felt the filling, the more I realized a lot more was wrong than my bite.
A filling is supposed to be flush with your tooth. These fillings were not flush at all, bigger than my tooth on the sides and uncomfortable. Worse, when I flossed, I had an overhang between the teeth (look up "dental overhang" if you aren't sure what this is, but it is not an ideal outcome for a filling and many dentists would re-do the filling after discovering they had created one). I was frustrated, because Dr. Purohit had done a very sloppy job.
The next day I wrote an email detailing everything that happened and my concerns about the filling. I received a voicemail (VM) from the office manager, asking what I wanted to happen. So I emailed again, saying these needed to be fixed or I needed a refund to myself and my insurance for the fillings. I received another VM, letting me know I needed to call, an appointment can't be made over email.
So I called, but let the office manager know I was recording the call. She was incredibly defensive and argumentative. I still have that call saved because it was so aggressive and inappropriate on her side. I did finally tell her that she wasn't being helpful, and can she make the appointment for me to see Dr. Haynes. I didn't want Dr. Purohit to do it. I don't trust her work, and she isn't listed (as of the posting of this yelp review) on the website as a dentist at this office, which seems sketchy. They made me an appointment to see Dr. Haynes.
Dr. Haynes is nice. He fixed the bite and shaved down the filling material on the cheek side of my fillings so they were flush with my teeth. When I asked him about the overhang, he told me I could just change how I floss my teeth, so the floss doesn't get shredded. Again, not an ideal solution, I care about my teeth and overhangs are perfect places for plaque to build up. It will probably have to be redone soon. But, he had fixed one side of the fillings, so it was better than it had been. I asked if the tongue side of the fillings could be improved and he said he didn't want to do anymore work on the teeth that day.
I called later that day to schedule another appointment. I needed the tongue side of the fillings flush with my teeth. The office manager called me and I told her that I needed the fillings adjusted and I still had an overhang. She didn't understand what I meant by "overhang", but made the appointment. This entire time I have been made to feel bad and wrong for trying to fix what was not great work.
I went to the appointment and Dr. Haynes did grind down the lingual side until it was smooth with the tooth, but the overhang between the teeth is still there. I asked Dr. Haynes, "Is this a normal outcome for this dental office?" He assured me that it wasn't the normal outcome for a filling at this location. He agreed that maybe Dr. Purohit was flustered after I had a dental instrument dropped on my face, but that he couldn't do all the work, he needed other dentists at the practice.
I understood and appreciated him acknowledging that this wasn't an ideal outcome. No offer of a refund, but at least acknowledgement of less than great work. I was then fitted for a night guard. When checking out at the front desk, they told me it would be done Monday.
Monday comes and I can't get to the office, so I go Tuesday morning. I'm informed that my appointment was for Monday morning, but they can still fit me in. I thought I was just picking it up. If I had an appointment, did they send me an email confirmation? "No, because we talked about it Thursday and then we were closed on Friday."
When I checked out after the fitting, they told me it looked like my co-pay was 60%, so I needed to pay $75 for the night guard, which is way too much for a night guard.
If I could talk to Dr. Haynes whenever I had a problem, I wouldn't be leaving the practice, but I have to go through the front office to get to him and I refuse to talk to disrespectful and inept staff anymore.
This ordeal is partially my fault. I should have recognized the red flags and left the practice before I had an issue. This is your red flag. If you can get an appointment specifically with Dr Santos for cleanings and Dr. Haynes for fillings, you might not have any real issues. Don't settle for someone not listed on the website. If something does go wrong, the front office staff will blame you and make it incredibly difficult and frustrating to fix the issue. read more