ComplaintsforKell Dental Arts

• Initial Complaint

  02/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In 2016, ************ put on a crown. In 2020, this crown broke off. The insurance *** denied the claim because the crown broke in less than 5 yrs. In 2022, I had yet another crown break from ************ on a different tooth. Again, the insurance *** denied the claim since the crown was initially put on in 2019 and broke in 2022. The insurance *** sets a minimum standard of 5 yrs. a crown should last before it needs replacing. Most crowns, in my experience, last many yrs. past 5 yrs. I have a crown from a different dentist that is 29 yrs. old and still never broke. I paid ************ approximately $1200 in 2020 to replace the original crown he put on in 2016. When another crown broke in 2022, I went to a different dentist to get it replaced. This dentist gave me a 10% discount since the crown broke before the insurance *** would pay the claim. When the first crown broke in 2020, I contacted ************ through email and having phone conversations with the office manager, but he did not take any responsibility and wouldnt even give me a discount to replace the crown. When the second crown broke, I placed a ****** and Yelp review. They responded to my ****** review indicating this is not typical when compared to all their other reviews on ******. They posted they truly care about their patients and were eager to fix this. I reposted they were not eager or willing to fix this when I contacted them to replace the crown free of charge or at least a discount. I filed a grievance with my insurance *** in 2020 to see if they would possibly pay for my replacement crown. They denied the claim stating the crown has to last at least 5 years. When the second crown broke in 2022, I contacted ************ to get information to file another grievance to the insurance *** in attempt to recoup some money to replace this crown. ************ didnt respond to any of my requests for this information; therefore, I was unable to file a grievance. Again, not eager to help me.

  Business response

  02/14/2022

   I am sending this initial email response to inform you that we have finally received the complaint and are in the process of writing our response to BBB.   However I am requesting that the 10 days be extended  to allow us 10 working days to respond.   Our first working day since receiving the complaint would be Mon Feb 14, 2022.   It should / will be done and in the mail by the end of that week .    However it is unknown when it will arrive to your office due to speed of mail.    I can also send a copy by email, but the original/signed will have to arrive by U.S. Mail

   

  Your letter indicates a link, which I do not have as this was originally sent by US Mail.

   

  Thank you for your understanding regarding allowing our office some time to respond correctly.   This has become an unfortunate situation that has been handled poorly by the complaining patient doing the majority of her communication through social media and web reviews and texts to our office answering system.

   

  Business response

  02/22/2022

  see attached

  Customer response

  02/22/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  I was satisfied with the billing adjustment from Kell Dental Arts, which refunds me for both crowns in question. However, I do not accept ************** reasoning for why these issues arose in the first place. There were numerous points in ************** response that were untrue; I will address the main ones. There was never a discussion of my bite, only a discussion regarding my grinding at night. I do have a top and bottom retainer from when I had my braces that I have to wear once a week to prevent my teeth from moving. When I first went to ************, I had braces on my lower front teeth to fix a small gap. The orthodontist told me my bite was fine, so if I wanted to fix the gap, I could wear braces on those lower front teeth. The braces were not put on to correct a bite. Also, I was not informed my insurance company wouldnt pay for my last crown from ************ until the crown was already on. The secretary came into the exam room after my crown was on to tell me she was very busy that day and did not have time to check on my insurance. Regarding the candy, one crown broke while I was eating a sucker. However, the second crown broke eating a piece of bread. As I previously stated, Ive had a crown in my mouth from a different dentist that is 29 years old. Im certain Ive eaten candy on that tooth in the last 29 years, plus my bite is the same.  When I had to pay for the crown ************ put on, I emailed him and talked to the secretary about getting a discount. ************ did not personally respond to me. The secretary simply told me there is no guarantee on how long a crown will last. Since they didnt offer me any help on this crown, I wouldnt  have any reason to contact them when the second crown broke because of how ************ treated me the last time my crown broke before insurance would pay. Regarding the reviews, I did not remove my ****** review; it was removed by ******. Since ****** removed the review, I reworded a review to put on ******** and Yelp. ************ insists these reviews contained slander; however, all reviews must be approved by these sites. Any review deemed unacceptable is removed. My reviews on ******** and Yelp were not removed because the sites determined them to be acceptable. ************ blames all issues on my mental health. This is not an acceptable defensive. Mental illness is a disease just like cancer. Would ************ blame a cancer patient for those same issues? This would not coincide with his comment that he has compassion. ************ continues to accept zero responsibility for the broken crowns. This is unacceptable.  
  
  Regards,

  
  

  ****** Blaha 
  
  
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩