i cracked a tooth on the way from Atlanta to St. Augustine and asked if the front desk of our hotel could recommend a dentist. I was able to make an emergency appointment for the next day.
As I registered at the receptionist's, she asked me if i had dental insurance. I replied that, yes, i do, but i did not have the card with me. none of our dentists at home file insurance for us, so i didnt worry about not having a card.
I asked the receptionist if I could pay in full, bill my dental insurance AND my secondary travel medical (AMEX---it's AMAZING), and then work out the difference ( likely a refund to me,) since insurance usually pays contracted rates. She said this was no problem.
Turns out i needed a crown. Dr. Tawil was able to make it in his office the same day. they had told me it would be a 2 hour appointment. i was there for 5 hours. the first crown did not fit right, and they wanted to be sure the work was done properly.
with the new crown, however, my night guard (i grind my teeth) no longer fit.
Since he had the crown technology onsite, I asked if they could make night guards for grinding during sleep. they made me one the next day, at no cost, as a courtesy for my 5 HOURS in the "chair" the day prior.
they had a groupon offer out there, so i took advantage of that, for whitening.
three days later, at home in Atl, i had "chewed" through the new bite guard. So much for the "freebie" and courtesy. i had to spend hundreds to get a replacement, since, as i said, my old one did not fit after the crown work.
so, there i am, at home, using my husband's woodworking tools to get my OLD bite guard to work for a few days, while i waited for the one i had to order.
i have no qualms about the service i received. the technicians were great.
HOWEVER, now that my 2 insurances have paid their contractual amounts, Tawil will not refund me the $560 difference, as agreed before treatment.
This is not honorable, nor is it fair to me, since we had agreed BEFORE they did any work that the monies would be figured out later.
Oh, and when they did the "exam" part of the groupon-deal, they found 2 teeth that needed more $1200 crowns.
My dentist, at home, will be simply replacing the fillings in these teeth for $150 each. read more
