I came into the downriver surgery center Friday, May 8th 2026 to have two molars extracted under anesthesia by Dr. Alejandro (Alec) Arango. I was referred to him specifically because I have a debilitating fear of the dentist after a traumatic experience. My sinus cavity was perforated in the event of the first procedure. I came back to the center Wednesday, May 13th 2026, after calling the emergency number because I couldn't hold air in my mouth, as there was a hole in my sinus cavity that the air was leaking through. I sat in the exam room for about 10 minutes with my mother, waiting, before Dr. Alec rushed into the room and began telling my mother and I how this was not his fault, and that it was absolutely something I did to cause this issue. For about 45 minutes to an hour I sat in the exam room and was laughed at for needing to be sedated for the procedure to have the issue fixed & told multiple times that I really don't need the sedation. I tried to explain to him that I wouldn't be able to get through the procedure awake, because I absolutely can't handle the sounds, the way it feels, any of it, while having a panic attack because I was humiliated by the entire conversation at this point, and because I was terrified of having a second procedure done. After this I was taken to the operating room, and put to sleep for the procedure while my mother waited in the waiting room. My mother reports that when I woke up, she could hear my screams from the waiting room. When I woke up from the anesthesia, I was in excruciating pain. I was begging for help, trying to tell the doctor and nurses how much I was hurting, but they were just talking over me, to my mother, tell her that this is normal when waking up from anesthesia. I began screaming that I was awake and I was in agony, to which it still took the doctor about 20 minutes before he came back with numbing medication. Then, without warning the nurses held my hands and legs down, and the doctor injected a needle into my sinus cavity with the numbing medication as I screamed. I was still very out of it from the anesthesia and was not expecting them to do that in the slightest, so I fully panicked when they held me down with no warning, and couldn't help but try to get away from the amount of pain that the injection had caused. Words cannot explain the amount of terror and pain I felt in that moment. I am writing this review 6 days after this experience, my face has still not regained full feeling and the whole side of my face is bruised. Dr. Alec called me at around 8pm the night of my second procedure, asking about my wellness, to which I told him exactly how I felt in those moments, how I don't believe he had numbed me before I woke up from the second procedure, and that I would never be back to his building again. He attempted to lie to me about my experience and tell me that what I experienced wasn't the way that things actually happened. Then asked that I please allow him to continue to be my doctor, to which I said absolutely not and I would never be back to his building, again. This phone call lasted 14 minutes. Dr. Alec then proceeded to schedule a follow up appointment for me, without my knowledge. I was called the morning of, and I had to explain how I told the doctor I would never be back 2 days prior. This entire process has been humiliating, traumatizing, and extremely, horrifically painful. This has taken a huge toll both on my mental and physical health. I would not recommend ANYONE to this facility. read more
