WARNING! GENTLE DENTAL - LACEY, WA. DO NOT GO HERE!…read more
UNETHICAL PRACTICES, TERRIBLE DENTAL WORK, QUESTIONABLE CASH PAYMENTS, NO TREATMENT PLAN, AND OVER 90 DAYS WAITING FOR A PROMISED REFUND!
I cannot warn people strongly enough about my experience with Gentle Dental in Lacey. What I have experienced at this office is absolutely unacceptable, and I would NEVER recommend trusting them with your dental care.
QUESTIONABLE CASH PAYMENTS AND MISSING RECEIPTS
The previous office manager repeatedly scheduled my appointments toward the end of the day. When it came time to pay my copay, she would tell me she couldn't accept my debit card and that I needed to pay CASH. I would go next door, withdraw cash, and return to pay her.
EVERY TIME I asked for a receipt, I was told the payment would be credited to my account and I would receive an email. I NEVER received those receipts!
Then, at another appointment, after I had already checked in, I was called back to the counter and told I had an outstanding balance! I was SHOCKED! I explained that I NEVER left an appointment without paying and asked them to speak with the previous manager. I was told she no longer worked there.
I requested a complete printout showing the charges and payments so I could verify that ALL my cash payments had been properly credited. I NEVER received that printout, and strangely, the outstanding balance was NEVER mentioned again!
I have serious concerns about how my payments were handled and accounted for.
NEVER ONCE PROVIDED A TREATMENT PLAN!
Despite repeatedly asking, I was NEVER provided a written treatment plan! Anyone who has had extensive dental work knows how important it is to have documentation explaining the proposed procedures, costs, and treatment expectations. I should not have had to repeatedly ask for something so basic!
TERRIBLE DENTAL WORK AND THE WRONG PARTIAL DENTURE
I was supposed to receive a flipper, but instead I was given a partial denture containing metal. This was NOT what I understood I was getting!
I also had a bridge break, adding to an already horrible experience. Now I am facing an oral surgery estimate of OVER $3,000!
Patients should be able to trust that the dental work being performed is what they agreed to and that the work will be done properly.
CHANGING DENTISTS, UNPROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR, AND THREATS
Throughout this ordeal, I dealt with changing dentists and extremely upsetting interactions. At one point, a dentist YELLED at me, refused to address my concerns, and the situation escalated to the point that police were threatened!
Imagine being a patient trying to get answers about your dental care and being treated this way!
OVER 90 DAYS WAITING FOR A PROMISED REFUND!
After everything I have experienced, I was promised a refund. More than 90 DAYS later, I was STILL waiting!
How is that acceptable? Patients are expected to pay immediately, yet when the office owes a patient money, apparently waiting months is considered acceptable.
MY WARNING TO ANYONE CONSIDERING THIS OFFICE:
PLEASE protect yourself! Get EVERYTHING in writing. Demand an itemized treatment plan BEFORE agreeing to any procedures. Get receipts for EVERY payment, especially cash. Verify what dental work you are actually receiving, and do not rely on verbal promises.
This experience has cost me money, time, unnecessary stress, and confidence in the dental care I received.
I would NEVER recommend Gentle Dental in Lacey, Washington. Patients deserve honesty, transparency, professional treatment, and accountability. Based on my experience, I received NONE of those things!
BEWARE!