Background: I went to Smile Center Long Beach located on 5399 Orange Ave because I was having severe pain in my left anterior tooth. I had chipped my tooth a few months back, but never repaired it. Consequently, this caused my tooth to deteriorate away and a hole formed. The hole in my tooth caused excruciating pain.
9/4/2019 - I called Smile Center and was able to schedule an appointment with Maria for 9/5/2019 at 3:00pm.
9/5/2019 - I arrived at my appointment and had an exam completed. Dr. Flores informed me that I had an infection in my tooth, and I would need a root canal and a crown lengthening. Dr. Flores informed me that the crown wouldn't fit on my tooth because so much tooth was lost. At the time, I was having issues with Denti-cal so they couldn't give me an approximate cost for the repair of my tooth. Dr. Flores wrote me a prescription for Amoxicillin and Tylenol 350 mg (I think). I took the medicine as prescribed, however, I wasn't getting any better.
9/10/2019 - I called Smile Center Long Beach because I was in excruciating pain to where I couldn't sleep at night. I was advised by the front office clerk to come in and see Dr. Flores. I came in and Dr. Flores prescribed me Cephalin and Tylenol with codeine (because I am allergic to certain NSAIDS). Dr. Flores advised me to call her back on the next day to inform her about how I was feeling. Dr. Flores informed me that if I wasn't feeling better or it was getting worse then they can do an opened med (dental terminology).
9/11/2019 - I called Dr. Flores and informed her that it is somewhat getting better, but I was still in pain. We agreed to monitor the pain and if needed will do the opened med.
9/16/2019 - I called Smile Center Long Beach and spoke with Maria. I informed Maria that my Dental - Cal is okay now and I can schedule the appointment for the dental work. I asked Maria how much would my out of pocket cost be in conjunction with my dental insurance. Maria wouldn't give me an estimate. Maria informed me that they have different financing options and asked if needed would I be interested in seeing if I am approved. I informed Maria that I would like to see if I am approved, but I didn't want to sign up for any form of credit. I made this clear to Maria that I DON'T want to sign up for credit. Maria informed me that she wouldn't sign me up unless I was present and signed off on it. Maria informed me that I was eligible for $1,500.00. I again informed Maria due to my financial situation that I won't be able to finance. I asked if I could schedule the appointment for the tooth repair and see what my dental insurance covers. Maria agreed and scheduled me for 9/17/2019 at 3:00pm.
9/17/2019 - I received a call from Maria asking if I could come in earlier. I asked what time and Maria informed me that they had an appointment at 2:00pm. I left work EARLY and showed up to my appointment. When I arrived Dr. Flores stated that Maria tried to call me. Dr. Flores stated that Maria tried to call me because their compressor went out and she couldn't drill. I checked my voicemails and found 1 that was left by Smile Center. There was nothing stated on the voicemail, all you could hear is someone hanging up (I have the saved voicemail). Dr. Flores informed me that I can try contacting their sister location to see if they could see me. Dr. Flores gave me a referral. Maria was on her break and came back in the office. At that time, I again asked Maria what my insurance would cover. Maria didn't give me a definitive answer. At this point I was upset because I wasted time and money coming to a dental appointment only to be told that they must reschedule me. I sought out another dental office for assistance because what transpired with the possible fraud activity and because I was in so much pain.
9/21/2019 - I receive a notification from Credit Karma informing me that a new account was added to my credit. I was baffled because I haven't signed any documents. I haven't opened any accounts. I checked to see what the new account was, and it showed up as care credit. I NEVER signed any documentation; I have no information on the interest rate or anything. I immediately went to Smile Care Long Beach to discuss the situation with an office manager, but they were closed at 2:00 pm today. I will follow up on Monday morning.
The dentist is great! Dr. Flores is awesome, but the staff is conducting deceitful practices. I believe that Maria knew what the coverage would be but wanted me to finance so they could get paid right away. I am very disheartened by this situation. This not only affected my credit, but I was affected me emotionally. I don't recommend this office. If you made it this far, you're the true M.V.P. Thank you for your time. read more