I'll preface this review by stating that I have worked in the medical field my entire life including a university based dental school. I was the Director of Business Operations there from 1998 - 2012; I know quite a lot about dentistry and dental practice management.
I can honestly say that this is the worst-run dental practice I have ever dealt with. The entire staff is borderline incompetent, however, I am unable to assess the dentist's ability since the only interaction I had with him was during my treatment plan visit.
In May 2020, during the height of the pandemic, I was referred to Trailhead by an incredible Oral Surgeon. I hesitated making an appointment right away for personal reasons.
When I called to make an appointment in September, 2022, I was told that the doctor was on paternity leave and the first available appointment was October 18th.
Prior to my appointment I decided to complete my pre-registration paperwork on-line and was shocked that my SSN was not encrypted and was actually displayed on the confirmation email I received from Dr. Leong after my paperwork was received.
My first visit was decent, however, due to a glitch with their equipment additional radiographs had to be taken. Later on that day Dr. Leong told me that it appeared that 2 implants were failing and possibly a third which was blurred on the radiograph. My hybrid implant supported denture would need to be removed to further evaluate everything. The one positive thing about this visit was: I was impressed with the fact that Dr. Leong recalled the 2020 referral and claimed that he was anxious to meet me.
Before I left, I was scheduled for my treatment plan meeting with Dr. Leong on November 8th. Since they do not participate with my dental insurance, I had to submit the $150 claim for my office visit. My insurance carrier denied the claim requiring a narrative and radiographs. I contacted the office and left a voice message as well as a text message, neither were answered.
When I arrived for my 11/8 visit and asked about my request, the clueless front desk staff member claimed that they had not received either message and when I tried to explain what I needed, she claimed that she didn't understand what I was asking for. At this point, I told her to forget about it and almost walked out. Dr. Leong happened to be at the front desk and overheard my frustration, he claimed that he would email the documents I needed.
During the treatment plan meeting Dr. Leong presented his findings and suggested removing my implant supported hybrid mandibular denture, cleaning it and modifying it. I would then be referred to an oral surgeon (not the oral surgeon who referred me to him) to remove the failing implants. He then suggested that I meet with his office manager who happened to be at lunch. When she returned she handed me an estimate of $1,500 for removing and cleaning the denture and offered a couple of payment options. Furthermore she claimed that I could contact her if I had any questions.
On November 10th I tried contacting the office manager to discuss alternative treatment. The person who answered the phone asked several questions about why I wanted to speak with her and told me that Dr. Leong was out sick and had not done my narrative yet. It is clear that they have a screening system in place to avoid answering questions and providing documentation. As of today, November 14th, I have not received a return call from the office manager, the same person who claimed that I could contact her if I had any questions.
Later this day I received a voice message from someone in Dr. Leong's office claiming that they emailed the documents I requested and that I if could not open the attachments I would need to come to their office to pick up a "USB". I did not receive their email so now I will have to eat the $150 charge since I will not subject myself to further inconvenience and incompetence.
Furthermore, on November 11th I decided to contact the Prosthodontist who placed my implants and hybrid to get his opinion since I had begun to doubt the competence of this dentist and his practice. Not only is this implant specialist in private practice, he is the Director of the Dental Implant Center at the university based dental school I had retired from as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team official dentist. He thought that the $1,500 fee was "excessive" and told me that he charges $750 for that procedure and suggested that I look for another dentist. read more
