This dental practice USED TO BE known as Smith & Shepard. Both my husband and I were patients of Smith & Shepard from childhood into adulthood and have nothing but positive memories and experiences associated with the FORMER practice. However, we are both greatly disappointed with the way that the current practice--Family Dentistry--is being run, both in terms of patient care and billing practices. My husband got a tooth removed almost two months ago at Family Dentistry and is still dealing with pain from complications. The extraction itself was significantly more painful than when the same exact procedure--extraction of an infected wisdom tooth--was performed by a different dentists with the practice. After experiencing increasing pain in the month following his extraction, my husband went back to Family Dentistry to get it checked out. At the time, they removed a bone/tooth sliver from his mouth and pronounced that the exposed jawbone in that area (yes--VISIBLE jawbone, which they explained directly resulted from an infection around the bone/tooth sliver left after the tooth extraction) would "heal on its own." They also assured him that he would not be charged for the check-up visit, as it still pertained to the original extraction. Four days later, my husband was still in a considerable amount of pain, so he went to Family Dentistry again. He was seen by another dentist who admitted that no, the gum around his exposed jawbone would not heal on its own; he would need another appointment for the jawbone to be ground down and the gum to be sutured. When my husband asked why he'd been given such different information just four days earlier, he was not given an explanation. However, he was assured that both that day's visit and the upcoming procedure would be considered related to the initial procedure at no further charge to him, so he continued to give Family Dentistry the benefit of the doubt. At the following appointment, they ground down his jawbone, tugged up a flap of gum, stitched him up, and before he left, he double-checked that he had no outstanding balance. A few days later, my 32-year-old husband got a call from his father, explaining that he'd received a bill in HIS name from Family Dentistry. Apparently, despite the fact that my husband has had his own insurance for over 14 years and has updated his address, billing and insurance information with that office numerous times, and had his account separated from his father's YEARS AGO, the bill for charges that my husband was told WOULD NOT BE RENDERED was sent to HIS FATHER. Both men addressed this issue with the receptionist and a person who identified herself as the practice's owner. She insisted that the breaching of my husband's confidential billing and medical information was not a HIPPA violation because, in their records, the accounts were still linked. And although she admitted that part of the bill was rendered in error, the majority of it "can't be cleared," despite the fact that her dentist assured my husband that he would receive no further charges. Between hit or miss actual care in the chair, and poor management I'd say don't go to this place to go if you can avoid it. read more
