This was by far the worst experience I have had in any medical facility in my life. The practitioners make you feel comfortable with amenities lists, positive demeanors, and pleasant aesthetics, but I cannot express how strongly I believe that you need run -- not walk -- away from this unethical and profit motivated medical practice. I barely know where to begin with this review!
TLDR: This dentist pushed unnecessary treatment, was misleading about billing and costs, was unclear about procedure plans, and took way too long to do simple procedures. Additionally, I ended up with a severe lip infection following my appointment.
First of all, I believe they push unnecessary treatment to turn a profit. They told me I had 7 cavities. I only got a few of those filled here on the right side of my mouth. After an AWFUL experience that I will detail later in this review, I sought second and third opinions for the left side of my mouth. Both of those dentists were surprised that anyone had made that assessment and told me, definitively, that I had only one cavity on the left side of my mouth. Prior to getting these fillings, they pushed an expensive treatment for my gums, which I did pursue. I would put money on most other dentists claiming that this was unnecessary as well.
Second of all, I do not believe they were transparent about their procedure plans. The dentist mentioned "I would need a few fillings on the right side of my mouth." While an "onlay," which is a partial crown, was mentioned in my billing documentation, I, who had never experienced a filling before, assumed that an "onlay" referred to a type of basic filling. Not ONCE did someone say the term "partial crown" to me until I was already in the chair being numbed for the procedures. If someone had said the words "partial crown" to me before this day, I would have gotten a second opinion then and there, no question. While I recognize that I have a responsibility as a consumer to do my research, I also believe that medical practitioners have an ethical responsibility to be as clear as possible in their treatment plans that significantly impact their patients' lives.
Even when they did tell me that day, I asked if the dental hygienist could walk me through what a partial crown procedure entailed. She informed me that, "it's not much different than a filling." I was shocked when I moved my tongue to that tooth midway through the procedures and realized I barely had any tooth left!
Thirdly, I believe that I was there FAR too long to receive 2 fillings and a partial crown. I was there for over 3 and a hours and left alone for long spans of time with my mouth wide open (I have TMJ, which they were aware of, and this caused a lot of pain later on).
Following the procedure, I experienced a severe lip infection on the right side of my mouth that I ended up needing to take antibiotics for and that kept me out of work for two weeks. Unsure what happened there, but I was not about to return to their facility to find out after my previous experiences.
Lastly, I would like to address what I believe was a huge lack of transparency when it came to costs of treatment and billing. When I asked the billing receptionist, point-blank, "can you confirm that this will be my cost after insurance?" She said, point-blank, "yes." No disclaimer about potential discrepancies with lack of insurance coverage or information about full costs with no insurance coverage -- just a yes! I trusted her statement, and that was that. While I have a responsibility as a consumer to ask questions and read documentation in full, I believe that staff a medical facilities have an ethical responsibility to fully and transparently disclose that type of information when a patient asks about cost, especially when that could end up costing the patient thousands of dollars. read more
