Here is a consolidated list of my points regarding my annual check-up and cleaning with Clareview…read moreAestiva Dental Center:
1. Appointment Scheduling.
I was asked to arrive fifteen minutes early for my 1400 appointment. I walked into the office and there was a staff meeting taking place in the waiting room comprised of every single member of the dental clinic. Why this picked the same time and place they receive patients to hold a meeting is beyond me. I return at 1355 and the meeting was still on going. I returned at 1400 and the members of Aestiva Dental Center finally returned to work.
So my big lesson learned here is that if you arrive at any kind of an appointment and the "professional" is not ready to receive you, turn around and walk right back out the door.
2. Formal Consent.
After arrival I began to fill out the formal consent form, the same form that I arrived early to fill out. At 1408 the dental hygienist came to get me to begin my cleaning and did not give sufficient time to fill out the laundry list of personal questions. I finally completed the form at the end of the appointment.
In speaking with the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta, they made a good point in that practicing medicine on someone without formal written consent, although a technicality, is both hyper illegal and unethical.
3. Time.
According to my receipt, I left the Aestiva Dental Center at exactly 1646. I arrived for my appointment at 1345, so the entire appointment took at total of three hours (yes, three hours).
In my mind and from my experience, three hours to perform a routine annual checkup and cleaning is insane. An annual checkup and cleaning is arguably the most routine procedure out of ANY medical practice available, and Aestiva Dental Center managed to turn it into a three hour fiasco.
I've had annual checkups that have taken a total of twenty minutes, and I would assess that an annual checkup and cleaning should take an average of one hour, maybe one hour and fifteen minutes for new customers, not three.
This year I filed a tax return declaring 160K+ of income. Why the Aestiva Dental Center assumes that their time is more important than mine... I don't know.
4. Cleaning / Scaling.
I've had my wisdom teeth removed while I was conscious, multiple fillings, and about 6x gum grafts, and all very painful procedures but important because I need to take care of my teeth.
The cleaning that I received at Aestiva Dental Center was one of the more memorably painful dental procedures that I've ever undergone. My gums bled for almost 24 hours afterward. On the plus side, my teeth are definitely clean.
5. Unnecessary X-Rays.
The day after my appointment I returned to Aestiva Dental Center and asked for a digital copy of all the X-Rays and pictures they took with the intent being to find another dentist and not have to repeat the same series of unnecessary X-Rays.
I have 8x digital X Ray photos. One of the X Rays was taken four times (due to incompetence and the staff not knowing how to use their own equipment). So in total Aestiva Dental Center took 11x X Rays during my initial visit.
In speaking to Alberta Blue Cross, a dentist should only need to take 2x Bitewing X-Rays in order to perform a standard checkup and cleaning. In speaking with my girlfriend who worked as a dental hygienist for 10 years and whose father was dentist, this number of X Rays taken during one visit is extremely unnecessary and verging on dangerous.
6. Professionalism.
During the entire visit, not one of the dental staff introduced themselves, told me what they were going to do, or how long it was going to take. It seemed to me as though every single person in the office just came along whenever they felt like it and stuck their hands in my mouth.
I don't think it is too much ask for a medical professional to identify themselves and specifying what they are going to do before applying any kind of medical treatment.
7. Cosmetic Photos.
If you go to Aestiva Dental Center as a new customer, they will take a complete set (8x photos total) of cosmetic dental photos. For those who've had this done, this is where you take a pair of forceps and basically tear your own mouth open.
This process is unnecessary, time consuming, and humiliating to new clients.
8. Cost.
Here is the cost break down of an annual checkup and cleaning at Aestiva Dental Center for new customers:
Three units of time - Scaling - $215.39
Half Unit of time - Scaling - $35.91
One unit of time - Polishing - $67.31
Topical Application - Fluoride Treatment - $33.23
Singe Film - Panoramic - $94.72
Permanent Dentition - Complete Oral - $109.44
Two Films - Interoral Periapical - $48.39
Four Films - Interoral Bitewings - $ 85.91
Total Cost: $690.30
Almost 700 dollars for an annual checkup and cleaning in my mind is completely insane. They maxed out my Blue Cross coverage for the entire year in one visit... thanks for that.
