Steer clear of this clinic and its parent company, Catalyst Dental Allies…read more
While Dr. Carbone has always been kind in my interactions, the events surrounding my husband's treatment by another provider there have left us with serious concerns regarding patient safety, infection control, communication, and management oversight.
My husband underwent preparation for two crowns at this office approximately a year and a half ago. During that appointment, we witnessed a dental assistant place a bare, ungloved finger into his mouth. During the same procedure, a dental instrument was dropped onto the floor by the treating doctor. The instrument was then picked up by the dental assistant, wiped with a Cavicide disinfectant wipe, and immediately handed back to the doctor for use in my husband's mouth without proper dry time.
What makes this particularly concerning is that Cavicide labeling contains warnings regarding skin contact and proper use. The instrument was not sterilized through any process that we observed before being reintroduced into the oral cavity. Shortly thereafter, my husband developed painful sores, cuts, abrasions, and significant oral discomfort. To this day, he continues to experience complications from those crowns, and we have now been informed that they must be completely redone at our expense by another provider.
Equally concerning was the conduct and demeanor of the dental assistant during the incident. The assistant appeared extremely emotional and was crying during portions of the interaction. As his spouse , it raised serious concerns regarding whether she was in an appropriate condition to be assisting with patient care during an invasive dental procedure.
The Regional Manager, Lacey, was present during these events and interactions yet did not intervene or address the concerns that were being raised regarding patient safety and clinical conduct at the time it was happening.
When I later attempted to discuss reimbursement for treatment that now must be redone elsewhere, the office repeatedly refused to provide meaningful assistance. During multiple phone conversations with Gia, I was never asked to verify my husband's identity or date of birth before discussing aspects of his care and account. I found this troubling from a privacy and compliance standpoint.
I was told that the new management would not discuss the matter with me further and that I needed to contact Human Resources. I was given an email address to contact and that was it.
The office manager, Gabby, and other staff members were unable or unwilling to provide the information necessary to escalate the complaint. For a corporate-owned practice, I found the lack of transparency and accountability extremely frustrating.
Additionally, we experienced repeated billing issues throughout our time as patients and my insurance had to get involved to get us reimbursed. Whenever questions were raised regarding charges, communication became noticeably more difficult and retaliatory.
We trusted this practice with our family's dental care. Instead, we were left dealing with ongoing pain, additional dental expenses, unanswered questions, and a complete lack of accountability.
Patients deserve better.
