ComplaintsforCentral Dentist

• Initial Complaint

  05/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On December 14th I walked into Central dentis. I told receptionist that we had 1pm appointment but we were early. Another patient came in and they started talking. I approached the front desk excused myself and asked if they knew I was there? The receptionist responded you're checkedin ! I didn't think anything of it but when I was escorted in the back rooms I was accused of being rude for interrupting a conversation. I was cornered into the last room with my son who has Down Syndrome, non verbal and is only 3 years old. Jill ******** Dentist, Jessica, and receptionist cornered me, 2 other staff watched while my son was left behind because they never gave me an opportunity to pick him up and walk into the room with him. Other clients did hear what was happening. The receptionist did engaged just to accuse me. I was yelled at the entire time, talked down to and humiliated. I was verbally attacked with statements like "look at me" and "I'm taking to you" and "don't talk to her" and "Your won't do this here, you won't treat my patients/staff like this." I was told if I wanted to leave to sign a release form all this by the main dentist lady. My husband called the next day and tried talking to the receptionist/billing to ask for a refund. She was very angry and told him that we broke the contract because we were only paying $50 per month. However, they accepted the pre-authorization and drafted the account every month. We know this is the reason why we were treaded so badly. The dentist never called us back and they ignored our certified letters. We don't want to call them anymore. My insurance payed them $1000 for Comprehensive ortho. We gave them $1000 downpayment for the 10 year + Super Health Program for kids like mine with Down Syndrome. We made monthly payments of $50 very month and never missed a payment. The business has not tried to resold the problem and might not intent to do so. No dental work was done (program lost) and we want a refund of $1918.54.

  Business response

  08/08/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2022/06/14) */ Contact Name and Title: Dr Jill ******** Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX Contact Email: ***********@centraldentist.com Due to HIPPA laws, I am unable to comment on the specific details of this patient and situation. Patient is a minor/child and parents did not sign HIPPA waiver in order for me to share details. As dentist and owner of this practice, I will state that our office policy is to never separate a child from their parent while in the office. We also try to exceed patients' expectations with how we treat them with kindness. We feel that mutual trust between patient and provider is critical. If that trust is lost, we offer an option to transition to another provider where patient will feel more comfortable. When patients are disruptive to other patients and our team in the office, we encourage productive conversations in an effort to resolve issues. We love working with parents of children who are involved and act as advocates and would not dismiss them as patients unless they requested it. Consumer Response /* (3000, 11, 2022/06/15) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) We do not agree with this response for the following reasons below. Please see comments for each statement we do not agree with. "I will state that our office policy is to never separate a child from their parent while in the office. " -This is not a detail we would be making up. We didn't even know this is "policy". we simply felt it was very unprofessional to have the parent cornered to a back room while our child was still following behind in the hall but not with mom. "We feel that mutual trust between patient and provider is critical. If that trust is lost, we offer an option to transition to another provider where patient will feel more comfortable." - We never got a call or were given any options regarding a transition to another provider. This was never attempted by the Dr. When I the father, called to try and resolved this and asked for a refund, I was met with further accusations regarding the money they said I owed for treatments and care that hasn't been provided. We have already provided the details of our agreement regarding what we could afford and the office accepted. What we really need now is a refund for our son with downsyndrom to continue to receave proper treatment for his dental care. "When patients are disruptive to other patients and our team in the office, we encourage productive conversations in an effort to resolve issues." - Again when the office was called and letters were sent we got no positive response. The assertion of us as patients "disrupting" other patient and team is absurd to say the least. This was really the Dr not even listening to our side of the story and simply hurling accusations towards my wife while my child was present. We have been nothing but kind and respectful as patients and paying customers and do not deserve to lose thousands of dollars that really belong to our child in need. We need this to be resolve with a refund and have the Dr collect for the 3 visits we had. "We love working with parents of children who are involved and act as advocates and would not dismiss them as patients unless they requested it." - We love our child and feel he is what matters here. We have made calls and were told the Dr would call us and she never did. We also sent letters and we never got a response. We feel this response is not accurate. We only care about our child health and wish to recoup the funds that are due to us so we can use this for his health and future. Business Response /* (4000, 15, 2022/06/28) */ As owner and doctor of this practice, I will confidently say that this is not an accurate portrayal of what actually happened. The father is filling out the details of the appointment and he was in the car on a phone call and was not present. We do not tolerate disruptive parents in our practice as a courtesy to other patients. We actively work for mutually agreeable resolutions if patients are interested and/or return our phone calls,etc. That did not happen in this situation. Payment has been made for treatment already rendered. There is no additional fee required by our office nor did we collect for future treatments. No refund is due. The parents can sign a HIPPA release and we will be happy to forward all dental records and images to the preferred provider of their choosing. Thank you, Dr ******** Consumer Response /* (4200, 17, 2022/07/05) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) This response does not provide an adequate response for a good business resolution. Please see below "As owner and doctor of this practice, I will confidently say that this is not an accurate portrayal of what actually happened. The father is filling out the details of the appointment and he was in the car on a phone call and was not present." -The same can be said the other way around as the Dr was not present either. This is the receptionist word against my wife. The fact I was not there does not matter when the Dr and the front office make false accusations of disruption. This has been grossly exaggerated at this point. "Payment has been made for treatment already rendered. There is no additional fee required by our office nor did we collect for future treatments. No refund is due" The Doctor is meaning to tell us that 4 visits total with the first being a consolation with only one oral appliance has cost $1918.54 from our pocket in addition to $1000 (lifetime ortho) taken from our insurance!! This is unheard of and quite frankly very disappointing the Dr is wanting to take this money away from our child knowing that the services provided are not equal to the money we had with much sacrifice paid up to this point. I agree we can pay for the services rendered but they must show how this equals $2918.54 total payment. "The parents can sign a HIPPA release and we will be happy to forward all dental records and images to the preferred provider of their choosing. Thank you, Dr ********" - There was no images ever taken, no cleaning, no flossing, nothing and really don't have need for any records since there was only 4 visits. What we require is fair fee for services rendered(oral appliance) and a refund so we can pursue other dental options for our son with downsyndrome. Again we have not had any calls after being told we would get a call from Doctor to discuss. If the Dr feels it's fair to keep our money of $1918.54 plus $1K insurance(lifetime ortho maximum) for an appliance that now its broken and 4 visits where nothing was done but only ask to open his mouth well it's a horrible disappointment. We are only asking for a fair charge of the 4 visits rendered. The money that was being paid was for a full service until our son was 12-13 years of age. That is what we were told by Dr He was only 2 yrs turning 3 yrs. Yes we were paying what we had agreed and had the ability to pay monthly and Dr accepted every single payment. Since our relationship cannot continue a refund should be issued and the Dr office should simply keep what is owed for the visits. We have attached the Super Health Program for reference.

• Initial Complaint

  04/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Orthodontic treatment for our daughter, **** *****, age 16. March, 2018 - paid $5950 for treatment with a promise that if the Healthy Start treatment did not work, she would be treated with invisilign - confirmed in an email by Dr. **** ********. March 17, 2020 - Recognition that the Healthy Start treatment would not work for **** and agreement to treat with Invisilign. For the first time in her life, **** presented with cavities, and we were told that she could not start invisilign until the cavities are resolved. Pandemic Closures began. August 2020 - Cavities filled 9/15/20 - More cavities identified, and reiteration that those must be resolved before invisilign is started. 9/21/20 - Saw biological dentist, put **** on alkaline diet. 12/13/20 - Sent email to Dr. ******** letting her know that ******* cavities are resolved and she is ready for further treatment. 4/6/21 - Asked about treatment and invisilign scans. Dr. ******** said she wants to start with a sleep test first. 5/9/21 - Completed sleep test 6/10/21 - Reviewed sleep test results. She was concerned about sleep apnea and I took **** to another doctor who treated her. 8/20/21 - Scans taken for ******* invisilign order. 12/10/21 - Sent email asking about ****** invisilign order. 12/17/21 - My husband followed up to ask for a response to my email on 12/10. 12/21/21 - I called the office to inquire. I was told by Amanda that my daughter's treatment was being discontinued due to lack of compliance. I texted Dr. ******** and she said we could discuss after the holiday break. 2/24/22 - Emailed Dr. ******** to inquire about ******* treatment. 2/28/22 - Received email from ***** saying that ******* treament has been forfeited due to non-compliance. 2/28 - Current - A series of emails demonstrating that we have been confused with another patient - accusations of things that never happened: missed appointments, noncompliance and that we were referred to another orthodontist.

  Business response

  07/21/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/05/11) */ Due to HIPPA laws, I am unable to comment on this case specifically as the parents of the minor patient have not provided HIPPA release. As owner and sole provider of this business, I can clearly state the Central Dentist policy as relates to these types of issues. If a patient is non-compliant, comprehensive care may be compromised. Compliance includes, but is no limited to, attending appointments on a regular basis and following doctor's instructions regarding care. I am a general dentist so, if an orthodontic patient becomes too complex, I make appropriate referral to orthodontist specialist to complete. A refund for future treatment or treatment not rendered to patient due to a change in treatment needs of patient is offered from my office immediately. Payments towards dental services already rendered while under my care including radiographs, hygiene visits, in office exams, lab fees, etc will not be refunded. It is my uncompromising philosophy of care that each patient receives the appropriate treatment. Sometimes treatment plans can change unexpectedly, especially in a teenager, and require referral to a specialist. While I have the best intentions to treat every patient in my office, some patients require a referral to a specialist. I consistently refer patients to endodontists, oral surgeons, periodontists, and orthodontists when or if their treatment plans or patients' needs change. Those patients receive a refund for treatment planned in my office that is not completed as they will have additional fees at referring doctor's office. They do not receive refund for all services already completed in my office for the duration of their time in our dental family. Dr **** ******** Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/05/15) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Reasons for nonacceptance of response: 1. We were NEVER told that **** was non-compliant. Please see email dated Feb 22, 2022 stating for this for the very first time, after invisilign scans had already been taken. This was in response to my follow-up question about when **** would be receiving invisilign. 2. We were never referred to an orthodontist or told that that may be a possibility. Please see email written by Dr. ********, 3/14/18, point number 4. Please see email from 3/2/22 from ***** ********** stating that we had been referred to an orthodonist. Never happened. Again, invisilign scans were taken and we were told these were being ordered. Thus, my follow-up. 3. As you can see from the dates in my original complaint, **** was seen as recommended, on a regular basis. She was always told that she was doing a great job with her appliance. We are unsure of whether we have been confused with another patient. It's hard to believe that Dr. ******** would fabricate any aspect of the experience. Both my daughters have been together at our appointments and are also confused by why Dr. ******** is saying that **** was non-complaint and that we were referred out. None of this happened. In the meantime, sadly, **** has lost years in false hope that we were continually provided. Thanks, ***** Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2022/06/04) */ Due to HIPPA laws, I am unable to comment on the specifics of this patient as she is a minor and parents have not signed a HIPPA release in order for me to comment. Our office policy states that the fee for treatment not rendered will be refunded on a timely basis via check. Patient can pick up the check in person at our office or we can mail to address on file. Our financial coordinator follows up with the family regarding this check if it has not been cashed in a timely manner. As a general dentist, I refer all complex orthodontic cases to an orthodontist to treat. It is the sole discretion of the treating dentist whether a patient needs to be referred to a specialist. A patient can be referred to a specialist at any time when the case can no longer be managed at the general dentist office. This is typical practice for a general dentist to refer to orthodontists, endodontists, oral surgeons, periodontists, etc. This is standard practice in my office as well. All fees for treatment not completed are returned to patient without issue. Consumer Response /* (4200, 13, 2022/06/13) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) We have only received 50% of the payment. We await the rest.

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