I am torn between writing a glowing review and suing Vitacare for malpractice…read more
Last December, I broke one of my molars. Stress, moving, and other factors likely contributed to the fracture, but that is a story for another time. I searched for "dentist near me" because my regular dentist, the perpetually unavailable and in-demand Dr. Gee in Yaletown, was booked solid. I found Vitacare, with 5-star reviews on Yelp and Google; what could possibly go wrong?
I booked the earliest available appointment and went in. A dentist named Dr. Oh saw me. After a brief consultation and some X-rays, he recommended a root canal and crown not only for the fractured tooth, but also for the neighboring one. Both procedures are expensive--around $4,000 per tooth in 2026--and my Canada Life dental coverage caps annual benefits at $2,100. In other words, roughly $8,000 of work was unlikely to be fully covered. The whole situation reminded me of a time I took my brand-new Audi to a brake shop and was told I needed not only new pads, but also rotors--conveniently "refurbished and on discount."
Unsure whether a root canal was truly necessary, I tried to book an appointment with Dr. Gee, but of course he was unavailable. After doing some research (including consulting AI), it was still unclear whether a root canal was absolutely indicated. However, the exposed nerve and persistent pain were not relenting. Canada Life approved coverage for only one root canal--about $2,000--so I decided to bite the bullet and proceed with that single root canal.
Sometimes imagining the worst-case scenario makes reality feel less intimidating. As I sat in the chair while the nurse prepped for the procedure, I jokingly asked whether she and Dr. Oh had done this before. She said yes, and I thought to myself, "Good, maybe I won't die today."
After hours of drilling and grinding, I was getting exhausted. The appointment was booked for two hours, but it felt much longer. Eventually, the overhead monitor that had been playing Netflix timed out, and the screensaver appeared: 3:12 p.m. The procedure had been going on for over three hours. At that point, Dr. Oh sighed and said, "I'm going to refer you to a specialist. I can't get this done. I can't reach the full depth of the tooth to remove what needs to be extracted." He then placed a temporary filling.
When the nurse removed the rubber dam and other equipment, I asked how much this session would cost. Dr. Oh said around $500 and mentioned that the specialist he was referring me to was "very good, but also his rate is much higher." My immediate thought was, "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" To make matters worse, the nurse added, "We're only GPs" (general practitioners). It was a lot of crucial information delivered at a very poor time.
The plan was for the temporary filling to last a few weeks to a few months until I could see the specialist. I explained to Dr. Oh that Canada Life was unlikely to approve more work this year beyond the $2,100 already used, especially since this visit alone cost about $500. I asked if he could place a permanent filling instead, as I probably wouldn't be able to afford a specialist this calendar year. He replied that they did not have enough time that day. I did not argue, because I honestly felt both Dr. Oh and the nurse, Natalie, had worked extremely hard.
During the procedure, Dr. Oh often hesitated over which instruments or tools to use, but he drilled tirelessly at the tooth even when the anesthetics began to wear off. His hands were very steady, and he did not seem careless or incompetent. My impression was that he might be an ultra-perfectionist who refuses to stop at 90%.
Based on the post-op X-rays, I could not see any remaining decay, though I am not an expert. I reiterated to Dr. Oh that it was unlikely I would see the specialist this year due to insurance limits and asked how much a permanent filling would cost. He said $500. I decided to book another appointment to have the temporary filling drilled out and replaced with a permanent one--for now.
Hindsight is 20/20. If Vitacare was not confident about performing the root canal, they should have referred me immediately to a specialist, instead of putting me through a difficult, incomplete procedure that consumed nearly half of my Canada Life annual dental maximum. Alternatively, I should not have been charged for a procedure that Vitacare "failed" to complete.
Initially, I was genuinely impressed by the effort and care shown by Dr. Oh and Nurse Natalie, but this experience has left a bitter taste in my mouth. Now I have to see a specialist and possibly redo the root canal all over again.
