I'm really disappointed that I have to do this. I am not the type of person who would give this much of a negative review, but I feel, in good conscience I must.
Now I did read some other reviews and some discrepancies regarding price of treatment and must say that it is the insurance companies who are really running the scam. Never pay only $100 for a crown, and Never put the "silver" amalgam fillings in your mouth (many GOOD practices DO NOT offer them because studies have shown that the mercury in amalgam fillings are harmful, in fact in the near future they may become totally obsolete) . I'll just say, like many things in this world, you get what you pay for. Don't buy a Pacer and expect a BMW.
Yes, invest money into the care of your teeth. But make sure you feel comfortable with that office, and you have the right to seek a second opinion.
I went for a cleaning ($70 flyer in the mail). Of course it had the disclaimer that "in the absents of periodontal disease bla bla bla" It has been 9 months since my last cleaning and the only reason why I went there was because my last DDS is in San Diego and I can't seem to find the time to drive down there, and I was beginning to feel "dirty".
The assistant who did my x-rays, as well as Dr. Kline were both VERY nice. That is why this whole situation is very upsetting to me.
Yes I understand that I have not been super good with my home care, heck I just went through a divorce.....give me a break!
The hygienist took one look in my mouth and determined that I need a cleaning called Periodontal Maintenance. As soon as she said this I knew this place was 100% scam!!! She then took her explorer (pointy thing) and removed some soft interproximal (between teeth) plaque and told me that this was the bacteria that needed to have more focused attention, as well as additional medication. HOLY CROCK OF CRAP BATMAN! More focused attention?!?!? Fine I can remove that with a soft brush and a piece of floss.
For the record, I am a dental assistant, and the fact they still tried to scam ME, someone in the same profession, is not only unprofessional, but insulting. You see, the key word is MAINTENANCE. This is the procedure, which then replaces the basic dental cleaning, that follows something known as "deep cleaning" which I did not need nor never needed. I confirmed my suspicions with several friends and well as researching this through the American Academy of Periodontology and the ADA CDT codes. This procedure is ONLY used after the pt goes through "deep cleaning" (SRP or RDT D4910)
When I questioned this, they argued with me, and the "special" was only a polishing, no scaling. Well I'm here to tell you that just a polish really does very little except make the pt feel like they have sparkling teeth. Although I need to see what code they used but if it's a D1110- Adult "Prophy" then removal of soft plaque on the crown of the teeth is part of the procedure. This was not done.
The hygienist spent about 10 max cleaning and perio charting my teeth (which hurt). To me this was an unacceptable cleaning, but as a rule of thumb.....never argue with someone who has sharp instruments in your mouth.
Bottom line, unless they change their highly unethical procedures. Stay away. Remember this review is coming from someone who has more than just patient experience. I'll be calling them for a copy of my x-rays and records, and will be making the drive to my former office where I know I can trust them.
I'm not asking them for a refund, because I feel $70 for BWX (x-rays) and the exam done by (once again the very sweet) Dr. Kline is a fair price. I'm just more upset about the dishonest bait and switch conducted by the hygienist and office manager, Tx coordinator or whatever her title is. Think her name is Betty. read more