My experiences with Cleveland Dental have been an absolute disaster involving questionable billing…read morepractices, unnecessary treatment recommendations, and some of the most unprofessional office behavior I have ever encountered.
On my second visit there, I was overcharged by roughly $400 and only received reimbursement after a check randomly showed up in the mail nearly a year later.
More recently, my wife went in for what should have been a routine cleaning after simply missing her 6-month appointment window. It had only been about a year since her last cleaning, and she has excellent oral hygiene. Instead of receiving a normal cleaning, a hygienist informed her she would need FOUR separate "quadrant" cleaning visits.
This immediately raised concerns because there was absolutely no indication she had severe dental issues requiring that level of treatment. To make matters worse, multiple employees within the office openly contradicted each other when my wife questioned it. We were told by staff that one hygienist "doesn't clean like she should" while another is "super picky." Hearing employees openly criticize each other's standards does not inspire confidence whatsoever.
My wife eventually went to one of the four appointments, which conveniently would no longer be fully covered by insurance because it exceeded standard cleaning limits for the year. After feeling uncomfortable with the situation, she sought a second opinion from another dentist and was told there was absolutely NO legitimate reason she should have been pushed into quadrant cleanings in the first place.
Then came the billing chaos.
She later received a $46 bill, called the office for clarification, and was told they would "resubmit it to insurance." After that, we heard nothing else.
Fast forward to my recent cleaning appointment, where I was suddenly informed I owed over $200 on an "outstanding balance." No explanation was provided whatsoever when I asked what the charges were for.
When I returned for fillings, I was sitting in an otherwise empty waiting room and overheard employees behind the desk discussing how "he'll have to pay it because he's getting services today." Whether they intended me to hear that or not, it was incredibly inappropriate and unprofessional.
After my procedure, I again asked for an explanation of the charges. At that point, the insurance employee, Callie, approached with an openly rude and confrontational attitude from the start. Instead of professionally explaining the situation, she immediately became defensive and dismissive while I calmly attempted to explain the history behind the billing dispute.
The moment I started speaking, she literally threw her hand in the air to cut me off, turned around, and walked away from me mid-conversation like a child having a tantrum. I then stated I would pay for TODAY'S services and they could bill the disputed amount separately. As she walked away, she turned back and yelled across the office, "I'VE SENT THE BILL FOUR TIMES!"
Not only was that completely unprofessional behavior from someone working in billing and customer service, it also was not true. We never received four bills, and more importantly, those charges should never have existed in the first place considering the unnecessary treatment recommendations and contradictory information we were given from the beginning.
Between the overcharging, questionable treatment plans, lack of transparency, internal staff contradictions, and unbelievably rude billing department behavior, I have completely lost trust in this office. There are too many good dental offices out there to deal with this kind of incompetence and disrespect.
What makes this more disappointing is that I actually liked Dr. Cleveland and had no issue with his work. Unfortunately, the billing department and front office staff completely ruined the experience with poor communication, unprofessional behavior, and constant confusion.
