4/19/2016 10am...have consultation for treatment on a crown I had done about 8 years ago. Met with the "specialist" (who is only there Tuesdays) and he determines I need [another] root canal. At this point, I ask him if I need an implant seeing that I have a crown already. He says, "no", you don't need a new crown. I am relieved to hear this news (good news by any standard).
I walk up front and pay Renata my copay of $45 for the "consult" and she prints out the "TREATMENT PLAN" for my tooth. She hands me a copy and indicates that my ROOT CANAL will cost me $494 (as my insurance will pay the other portion of it *delta dental*).
I ask Renata, while signing the "treatment plan" if this includes a new crown. She says that the doctor will be able to drill through my crown and I won't need a new one. I schedule my return visit for the ROOT CANAL for the following Tuesday, April 26th at 3pm.
4/26/2016 2:53pm...I show up for the ROOT CANAL and the receptionist hands me a CONSENT FORM. I take a seat and begin reading the CONSENT FORM. I notice at the bottom there is a line that states that, "patient understands that this visit is for the ROOT CANAL ONLY and does not include restorative, filling, crown replacement, etc." This is cause for concern and I walk up to the receptionist to ask if this means that my tooth (crown) will be left with a hole in it. She says that I will have to ask the dentist but that anything beyond the ROOT CANAL is not part of the "treatment plan" for today.
WHAT?!? I remember being there only a week ago and asking this SPECIFIC question and having it answered that I won't need a 'new' crown.
Long story short...I go back. The dentist (endo) walks in and says he'll be numbing my gums in a moment. I ask him if I am going to need a new crown. Again, he says, "no, I will drill through your crown." I try to be more specific and ask what state my crown will be in as there is noted on the CONSENT FORM that "no restorative" procedure will be done at the ROOT CANAL appointment. He leaves to get the "office manager", who is really like their inside sales person.
She comes in and shows me a DIFFERENT piece of paper (than the one I received the previous week). This time the "treatment plan" shows the ROOT CANAL and the "follow up" restorative plan, which includes a NEW CROWN and a price tag of $1,298.
I explain that I was just at their office the week before, had the consultation with the exact same doctor for the exact same reason and was NOT TOLD at that time there was "more to it". And I specifically asked Renata about the crown and whether I needed a new one and if the *insurance* price they would collect at the time of the root canal included the new crown. I told the office manager that Renata told me that I would not need a new crown because he would drill through the one I had.
The office manager apologized for "my misunderstanding" and repeated that the $494 procedure was the "first" part of the treatment plan and the remaining portion would be another $804. I was stunned at their blatant lie about the treatment...I told her that having the "real consultation" at the time of my scheduled procedure was equivalent to a bait and switch scheme and that I felt deceived.
She offered her blank apology once again.
I asked for a copy of my patient file.
She said, "okay, well...there is a $20 fee and I'll need time to copy it all".
I said, "Fine. I'll be here tomorrow to pick it up and give you the $20".
I left. Furious. This is the most dishonest dental practice I have ever come across. And to think that I was THERE FOR A CONSULTATION only a week before. Why wasn't the ENTIRE TREATMENT PLAN listed? They only put "part" of the treatment on for a reason. They want to get you there, drill into your tooth (or crown)...they know you'll HAVE to come back for the "second part" and they have you in a vulnerable spot.
If they would have been honest and straight-forward about the treatment, I would have been able to plan financially for the treatment and not felt as if I was being taken advantage of...this is very bad business. NO ETHICS. WILL NEVER GO BACK. EVER. read more