After months of frustration dealing with this dental office, I feel other parents should be aware…read moreof my experience.
My dental insurance has a $2,000 yearly maximum, so I am very careful about treatment costs and insurance usage. When I scheduled my son's appointment on March 5, I clearly stated that I did NOT want a cleaning. Despite that, the office still performed one. Since everything had already been started, I did not stop them. I was also told to wait for insurance pre-approval before proceeding with treatment.
Later, I was shocked to see my insurance paid $620 for a check-up, child cleaning, fluoride, and 5 X-rays. The claim was processed on March 10. I followed up several times on 3/13, 3/16, and 3/18 requesting the treatment plan and pre-estimate because I had already confirmed with my insurance that the claim had processed. I finally received a response on 3/27.
The office manager, Jenny, presented two treatment options with large upfront deposits because pre estimated come back $0. However, I only wanted my son's two front baby teeth extracted. Jenny told me I needed to pay a $300 deposit for extracting teeth O and P. I specifically asked twice whether the deposit would be refunded if insurance paid more than expected, and she confirmed it would. At no point was a deductible mentioned.
I scheduled the extraction for April 2 and paid the $300 deposit. Insurance later paid the office $412.80 for that visit. On April 20, I called to follow up and informed them the insurance claim had already been paid and that I had resolved the previous pre-estimate issue. The front desk told me the $300 would be refunded once they received the insurance payment and that they would resubmit the pre-estimate.
I called again on May 7 and was told the pre-estimate had finally been approved and Jenny would call me back the next day. After waiting two more weekends without a response, I called again on May 18.
During that call, Jenny first said they would refund the $300 deposit but keep $100 for a deductible that had never previously been explained. She then discussed another treatment plan involving teeth L, S, K, and T and demanded a $1,430 deposit upfront without clearly explaining:
* how much insurance would cover
* which charges applied to which teeth
I specifically asked about tooth #S because the dentist had previously recommended extraction due to my child's discomfort. Jenny shifted the discussion toward fillings and said the treatment depended on the dentist's preference to complete multiple teeth in one visit so my child would not need anesthesia twice. However, the explanation was confusing because the teeth L and S she mentioned were on opposite sides of the mouth.
I then asked a simple question: if tooth #S was extracted and there was bleeding, could the dentist still perform a filling on adjacent tooth #T? She could not answer. Instead, she said extracting tooth #S would require a $150 deposit.
I asked:
"If insurance pays more than $150, will I get refunded?"
Her response was:
"It depends on how insurance pays."
I then asked:
"How much does insurance need to pay for me to receive a refund?"
Again, she could not answer.
What concerned me most was that she said she had worked there for 39 years, yet still could not explain the cost of a simple extraction or how refunds were determined.
At that point, she said they would only refund $200 from my original $300 deposit because they were keeping $100 for the deductible, then told me to "go to another dentist because they couldn't answer my questions" before hanging up on me.
I later went to the office to pick up my $200 refund check and copies of the X-rays. I attempted to speak directly with the doctor to clarify the treatment plan and costs, but another dentist, possibly the owner, instructed the office manager to simply hand me a treatment plan dated March 5.
After months of follow-up calls, insurance delays, confusion regarding deposits and refunds, and constantly changing explanations, I was ultimately handed the same treatment plan created on the first visit -- without any updated cost breakdown or finalized insurance estimate.
Insurance covered $1,032.38 and I paid $100 out of pocket, making the total $1,132.38 for a child's cleaning, check-up, fluoride, 5 X-rays, and extraction of two baby teeth. Others can decide for themselves whether that seems reasonable.
As a parent, I understand dental work can be expensive and insurance can be complicated. However, patients deserve clear communication, transparency about costs, honest explanations regarding deposits and insurance payments, and respectful treatment when asking reasonable questions. Unfortunately, that was not my experience here.