Garces Dental is an unscrupulous dental practice. Do not go here. There are much more affordable, and more professional, dentists in the Rittenhouse area or elsewhere in Philadelphia.
--I'd been having sleepless nights because of an infection in one of my molars. All weekend long, I'd been sucking up the severe pain and gargling hydrogen peroxide.
I decided to go into Garces out of desperation, since it was nearby and I'd read on their Web site that the "Garces Dental Group extends a courtesy for patients that do not have dental insurance and devotes 2-4 Fridays a month to provide treatment to the Hispanic community at reduced rates." I didn't have insurance and was therefore curious to see if I could get some relief for an affordable price.
When I walked in, I told the receptionist outright that I had a tooth infection, needed a root canal and, most important, that I was in a tight financial spot and couldn't afford much. She told me to "take a seat," and assured me that the dentist would "help me."
As I was sitting down in the waiting room, she reminded me again that the dentist would "work with me" and would take my financial situation into consideration. In fact, she reassured me several times and told me "not to worry." It all seemed too good to be true and, of course, it was.
As I was filling out the papers, I noticed another red flag: One of the documents said that all payments needed to be paid in full on-site; the practice also wanted me to write down my credit card number, social security number and some other personal information that no other dentist had ever asked of me before. The papers also stated that if I didn't pay on-site, I'd incur a 45% interest-rate penalty for the period of 30 days and that, on the 30th day, my credit card would be automatically charged, without my consent. Not in all my days as a patient had I seen something like that.
After reading through the documents, I thought about walking out, but I was desperate: I emphasized to the receptionist again that I was "not a rich man" and was just searching for some relief. She again reassured me that they'd help and told me how Garces "helps the uninsured and the down-trodden in the Hispanic community," but all of it started to seem like a front for marketing purposes. They're pretending to be a socially-conscious practice, but that's just a bunch of nonsense.
When the hygienist eventually called me in, I told her and the dentist about my financial situation and the severe pain of the infection. The dentist said that "she doesn't like to see people suffering," and then had the hygienist take an x-ray. This was all done without my informed consent and without her ever telling me about the price of the procedure (every good practice informs uninsured patients of procedural prices). She then told me that I "needed a root canal," (which I knew) and made me watch a YouTube video on root canals, even though I'd had several before and know the whole procedure just as well as she does. I just needed her to drain the tooth to relieve the pain, as other dentists had done for me before. When I requested that of her, she flatly refused.
As I was STILL SITTING in the dentist's chair, feeling like Alex in a Clockwork Orange, the receptionist came into the room and handed me my bill for watching the YouTube video: $125.000. She then gave me an estimate for the root canal: It was almost $3,000. And to add insult to injury, she handed me a brochure for a credit card, so that Garces Dental could receive the $3,000 up front and I'd be left with the bill and interest. How is this "helping the uninsured?"
Suffice it to say, I got up and let them know that it was a mistake having walked in there. The dentist eventually told me to go see the graduate students at Temple and have them do it for me. (The truth was, she didn't want to 'work with someone' who was uninsured.)
I naturally complained, since I had gone in there just looking for some options to relieve the severe pain of the infection, but was instead shown a YouTube video about tooth infections and, of course, slapped with a $125 bill. As a "courtesy" the dentist removed $25, but only after I'd complained about the unprofessionalism and lack of informed consent at their practice. The receptionist was smug and mocking. She then insisted that I pay the $100 immediately. (I might have paid for pain relief and services, but the dentist rendered no services, refused to relive the pain and just made me watch a YouTube video).
Later that day, I went to another dentist, who relieved me of my pain, quoted me at $1,200 for the root canal (on a payment plan) and was effective in his dentistry, without all of the lies and the YouTube videos. I called Garces to have the fees reversed; the receptionist admitted that there must have been "some miscommunication," and that she "understands" and would "pass off my request to the dentist." Naturally, I received no call back and was never refunded. read more
