FIVE YEARS OF PAIN. COUNTLESS APPOINTMENTS. INCOMPETENT STAFF. AND A DENTIST WITH A DISCIPLINARY…read moreHISTORY WHO GOES ONLY BY "DR. STEVEN" for a reason.
Before visiting Dr. Stephen Sidwell at Comfort Dental Longmont, I recommend researching his Colorado DORA disciplinary history. Case 2015-3637-B concerns reported findings involving an extraction without a diagnostic X-ray, a retained root fragment, and inadequate documentation. The Colorado Dental Board issued a formal reprimand and required additional education. I wish I'd known about this before spending FIVE YEARS trying to get help.
My latest nightmare started when I arrived 15 minutes late for an appointment. In the same dead, monotonous voice I'd come to expect, the front desk informed me that I had to reschedule.
I AM IN PAIN. I kept explaining that I was in pain, that I needed help, and that this had been going on for YEARS. Nothing. No empathy. No attempt to find a solution. Just the same robotic response.
Later, Dr. Steven told me I could have come in and waited to be seen.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? YOUR OWN STAFF TOLD ME I HAD TO RESCHEDULE! Patients pay the price for this office's administrative failures with their time, money, health, and quality of life.
For FIVE YEARS, I complained about persistent tooth pain. FIVE YEARS of appointments, runarounds, unanswered questions, and staff who couldn't seem to comprehend the most basic information.
"I AM IN PAIN. I AM BEGGING YOU FOR HELP."
How many times does a patient have to say that before someone actually does something?
During my last conversation, I asked an incredibly simple question. The front desk couldn't figure it out, so they finally brought in a dentist who understood what I was asking within approximately 60 seconds.
ONE MINUTE. That's all it took.
When your front desk cannot understand or communicate basic medical information, patients can be denied or delayed access to care. That's what happened to me. I was in pain, begging for help, and repeatedly getting nowhere.
When I described the staff as "incompetent," another dentist, whom I remember being introduced to as Dr. Bob, actually objected: "That's too far!"
LOL. THAT'S TOO FAR? Not FIVE YEARS OF PAIN? Not the endless runaround? Not the inability to answer basic questions or coordinate medical records?
Apparently, criticizing the staff was more offensive than a patient begging for help.
And then there was the outrageous situation involving another dentist in Arvada. Dr. Sidwell's staff told me they would only disclose what that dentist had said about my condition if I first provided the name or manufacturer of my implants.
EXCUSE ME? YOU'RE WITHHOLDING INFORMATION ABOUT MY OWN DENTAL CARE? They claim he left me a message, it was a click of hanging up
They repeatedly pressured me for information I didn't have. I eventually tracked down the original dentist myself, yet the records-transfer nightmare continued. Despite my repeated requests and a dentist promising that my records would be sent by the end of the day, THEY NEVER ARRIVED.
I BEGGED THEM TO SEND MY RECORDS. THEY PROMISED. THEY DIDN'T.How difficult is it to send a patient's records to another dental practice? Why should a patient in chronic pain have to spend so much time chasing down information that should be readily available?
The lack of empathy was as appalling as the administrative incompetence. I felt like I was explaining the same elementary information over and over to people who simply weren't listening.
Meanwhile, I was told Dr. Sidwell could replace my crown for another $1,500.
WHY? After FIVE YEARS of unresolved pain, why was the proposed solution another $1,500 procedure? What evidence supported replacing the crown when the underlying cause of my pain hadn't been adequately explained?
Eventually, I went elsewhere. That practice already had my records. The dentist reviewed the evidence and told me, "It's very clear what is going on."
MY BODY WAS REJECTING THE IMPLANT.
He showed me the evidence, explained the problem, and recommended removing the back implant. No $1,500 replacement crown. No endless runaround. No illiterate staff with zero empathy. A clear explanation and a treatment plan.
FIVE YEARS. FIVE YEARS OF PAIN, AND THE PROBLEM WAS THE IMPLANT.
What makes this experience so horrifying isn't just the pain. It's the combination of administrative chaos, poor communication, unfulfilled promises to transfer records, repeated frustration, and a shocking lack of compassion for someone begging for medical help.
If this office is saving money by operating without adequate administrative support, patients are the ones paying the price with their time, money, health, and quality of life.
FIVE YEARS OF BEGGING FOR HELP. FIVE YEARS OF GETTING THE RUNAROUND. AND THE AUDACITY TO TELL ME THAT CALLING THE EXPERIENCE "INCOMPETENT" WAS TOO FAR.
RUN, DON'T WALK, AWAY. Bye, Dr. "Steven"!
