Have you ever had something that happened to you that was so obviously wrong, so glaringly unjust,…read morethat you just couldn't forget it - a horrible experience "sticking in your craw?" Unfortunately, we all have.
By way of redress, I post this review of my dentistry courtesy of Dr. Trevisani.
Basics: I needed a molar extraction, and Dr. Trevisani was the only person I could find under my dental discount plan willing to do the job, ostensibly for the cost listed. What luck: an oral surgeon, no less, with an impressive resume - just the extra TLC that I needed as a former bisphosphate (osteoporosis treatment) patient, healthy with no additional teeth or jaw problems!
Initial consultation: ODD that Dr. T did not fully examine my mouth, specifically the tooth; plus, the panoramic film taken was not shared with me.
Extraction day: Right before the extraction, we were informed by the office assistant that I required an "oroantral communication closing" - they termed it a "nasal closing" - that was not covered as a dental procedure. We needed to sign waiver forms - and pay a hefty fee upfront. ODD. Clearly a pressure tactic, and not discussed beforehand. I had a slight infection due to the fractured molar and not some unrelated sinus problem. I repeatedly asked for the AMA medical code for the procedure: silence. Still, my husband urged me to continue towards resolution since alternative choices were nil. Dr. Trevisani knew that after years of profiling such situations.
The procedure -- god-awful, but mercifully short: not more than ten minutes from anesthesia to out the door with a therapeutic tea bag in hand. My stress was acute as twice he used my adjacent teeth as a leveraged fulcrum for his dental instruments: forceps, elevator, or cheek retractor, applying such force that I thought they were going to break. Those adjacent teeth continued to tremor in their sockets for over a week, and recovery was way more difficult than it should have been. This was much, much worse than when I had wisdom teeth removed by a true professional with such finesse that I wasn't aware of their removal until being informed by the surgeon.
Follow-up: As Tony Soprano said, "Forget about it!" - and the planned implant. Dr. Trevisani didn't like my legitimate questions. A supposedly skilled oral surgeon, he said simply, "I pull teeth."
Well, I thought it was my leg being pulled when we received the bill: almost ten times more than my dental discount plan of which they were participants, and had agreed to upon my consultation visit. They also charged for the more expensive procedures than what I received: a bi-sectioning of the tooth - not true, as he yanked it out completely whole; and an oroantral communication closing involving a fistula which I did not have, and which necessitated more time plus expertise than the actual ten minute session resulting in a couple basic sutures to close the wound. (They even tried to charge me additional on the back end for my first appointment which I had already paid.)
Curiously, the need for an oroantral communication closing is determined after an extraction -- not before -- with different tests that require procedures lasting usually a minimum of 1-2 hours, and not the ten minutes or less in my case; plus, these procedures involve a variety of therapies. I didn't receive any of this treatment which would naturally result from an oroantral communication closing with a supposed fistula. ODD how they knew that I would have to have one even before I sat in the chair.
Yes, Dr. Trevisani pulls teeth - apparently all gold to him in terms of profit. His practice is devoid of integrity, honesty, commitment, competence and caring.
Supposedly, the truth will set you free; but I decided to post this review primarily as a cautionary tale, for most people are novices when it comes to dentistry, generally having only cursory knowledge of what is involved. It was only after this total travesty went down that I became an "armchair researcher" by necessity to uncover what Dr. Trevisani had actually pulled with his questionable actions.
It is an indisputable fact that he billed me for costlier procedures that he did not do as evidenced by the wrong ADA procedural codes (although I was informed by his office that he could charge whatever for whatever he wanted). In addition, Dr. Trevisani charged me a fee excessive to the actual service he performed: fees intended to generate undue profit for him rather than being reasonable and fair in the best interests of the individual patient. Dr. Trevisani is solely focused on maximizing profits: the least he does for patients within a strict time frame (like a continual conveyor belt) equals more dollars for him. No doubt, I am not the first victim of Dr. Trevisani's business model of "giving the minimum for the maximum gain." Patient rights, considerations, and basic expectations within the parameters of a fair transaction are not part of his playbook.
