I want to share my factual experience with Dental FUSION, specifically DR. Luis Filipe Cataludo,…read morehis assistance, and the practice.
I live in Tavira and called to make an appointment at the Tavira practice on the week of Jan 29th 2024. I explained that I needed a second opinion as I was unhappy with my current provider, who had implanted posts in my mouth and hadn't followed our original plan.
I was told he could only see me at the Faro location on Monday, February 5th, 2024. It was also explained that follow-up visits could occur in Tavira, so I didn't need to drive to Faro after the initial consultation.
When I got the appointment in Faro on Jan 31st, all was good. After paying 250 Euros for new ex-rays, the doctor explained the options that weren't great, but it was the reality. I had four posts. One was OK - tooth 14. The other three needed six months to heal to see if they were salvageable. 2 were short posts, and he said, in reality, I would, at best, end up with two bridges and not four individual implants that I had paid the original provider for. He suggested a visit in 3 months to check the bone and see the state of healing. He said it was possible to do a temporary crown on the GOOD implant - tooth 14 and he could make it a little bigger so that when I smiled, it wouldn't be so bad.
I mentioned I had a wedding and had to leave on February 28th. He said no problem and to send him the make and model of tooth 14, and we would go from there. I will get the information the next day and send it to the dentist via the web form, requesting an appointment (as we had discussed). So far, so good.
But I hear nothing back for two days.
I arrive for another appointment on Monday Feb 5th, at the Dental Fusion Office in Tavira office for a separate treatment. To get my teeth whitened. At that time, I asked if I could make the appointment with Dr. Cataludo as I had heard nothing since the end of the day on the 2nd of February. The receptionist says she will contact Dr. Cataludo's assistant as she cannot make appointments. The Time now is 10 a.m. I leave at 11:30, and she has heard nothing. The receptionist in Tavira promised me she would call me at lunchtime.
This is where it now gets terrible. It's now 4 pm. I called back 10+ times and am still waiting for an answer. The phone message says it will call you back rather than wait. Eventually hitting redial, I got to talk to that same Tavira receptionist who said she'd call back at lunchtime. She finally relays the information that the "Doctor said he didn't agree with the plan we had agreed so that he couldn't treat me." I was flabbergasted and furious. I said that was false and needed to speak to the doctor or his assistant. At this point, I am losing patience. I have sat by the computer all afternoon waiting for a simple temp crown appointment.
I heard nothing, so I called the Faro office, where no one answered again. Eventually, poor Sandra answers closer to 6 p.m.. In short, she explains the dentist is going away, then with Mardi Gras, he won't be in the office, and basically, he doesn't want to treat me. I then asked if I could make an appointment for April. She says no.
How unprofessional is this? 305 Euros, and now he won't treat me because I aggressively followed up based on his recommendation and agreed action plan.
