Hi everyone,
So my husband just got back from the dentist and his treatment plan is double of what it was last year AND most importantly it includes redoing some of the work he had done at this office. I am soooo over this dental office and will be looking for a new one that takes our insurance. However, what is the policy for work thats been done that fails? Is this generally something that they should refund? I have also had work fail at this office a year ago and they never refunded me any money. Someone I know said all dentists are supposed to refund the money if work fails, is this true? And I'm talking a lot of money :(
AND has anyone gone to Mexico to get their work done? Was the cost difference dramatic? Any dentists you'd recommend in Mexicali?
When mine failed I knew b/c it hurt and right away I went in and the tooth could not be saved :( For my husband he went last Sept for cleaning and the xrays were perfect for all work he had done. Now the xrays show his previous root canals failed and the crowns need replacing,(he has no pain or discomfort). I am ready to go batsip on this office b/c after reading the treatment plan from last year to now they prices have DOUBLED.. I know prices are going up, but by 100%, that seems outrageous. All the office tells me is to get care credit which the min bal is something like 300/mo? No way we could afford that.
*Omg i just found a website called Gentle Dental Sucks-thats the dental office, LOL!!!
**I didn't word this correctly, I meant to say not a refund, but have them do the redo work for no cost and they said no.
Ck: Thank you mucho for the information!!! :)
I doubt that it's true that "all dentists are supposed to refund money." I doubt there is any regulation regarding this and it's up to each individual office. However, it's bad business practice to leave patients unhappy so I would talk to the dentist and try to work something out.....and then look for a new dentist! Good luck.
Work failed means you better be right back in that chair within days of discovering it's failed-- not a year later.
AND, prices have gone up on EVERYthing in case you havent noticed.
I need a tooth worked on really bad right now and can't afford it-- not having dental insurance is a horrible place to be.
I'm going to say this and you aren't going to be happy but when I had my root canal I was told from the very beginning that there is a chance that the root canal may need to be redone or the tooth extracted or the crown replaced any time between 6 months to forever. That's the way it goes. A crown is just cemented in and can fall out, wear down, and generally dislodge from everyday chewing and eating. A root canal that "failed" to me would mean that something happened within a week or two of the crown placement which happened to me and they did repair at no cost. Unless you signed something that says it is something they will replace at no cost they are under absolutely no obligation to replace/repair it for free. Dental work is expensive. My last root canal was $700 and insurance only covered 50% of that and once I hit $1500 everything is out of pocket. I have 1 tooth that still needs to be repaired but I can't afford it because I don't have that kind of money. And I have CareCredit.
Cost of everything has gone up exponentially in the last year for everything. Is there a dental college nearby you can contact? A lot of times they will do the work a lot less. They are dental students in rotations but in my opinion everyone has to learn somehow. I don't think I would go to Mexico to have anything done medical-wise because their laws are just not as stringent as the US.
I don't know for sure, but I would think they wouldn't refund your money. Maybe do the repair/correction of the failed work at no cost, but I wouldn't expect a refund.
I also wouldn't go to Mexico for a dentist. There is no reason to cross the border right now; it's not safe.
Since you are in LA, look into the UCLA Dental School. You can get a lot of work done there at a greatly reduced cost. My mom went there for a couple of years to have a variety of work done (more than just standard cleanings) and she really liked it.
I haven't had dental insurance for the last year and needed a root canal. The dentist I went to said I had a tooth that needed a crown and had three roots (so three root canals), also 2 filings, and a deep cleaning. Total cost was $1800. I looked into both UCLA and USC schools of dentistry (I live in Los Angeles). The prices were only a few hundred dollars less plus it would have been a several month wait depending on when they needed to practice those particular procedures.
I finally considered going to Tijuana Mexico. I got a referral from a friend of my mother's who was very happy with her Mexican dentist. Long story short the Mexican dentist said I needed a crown but it only had two roots, didn't need any fillings, and did need a deep cleaning. Total cost (including antibiotics for the root canal) $500.
I had no problems. I drove to San Ysidro, parked on the U.S. side of the border, and walked across the bridge. At the gate I took a taxi (they are uniformed with decent vehicles) to the dental office. When I was done the dentist office called a taxi, paid the $5 fare (each way) and reimbursed me for the $9 parking fee on the border. I never walked around Tijuana. I did have to wait in line to cross back over the border and you do need a passport. Still, including the cost of a passport and gas I still paid less than half of what the U.S. dentist wanted. I had the work done two months ago and I'm happy with it.
The place I went to is called Washington Dental Clinic. It's clean and professional, just as nice as any dental clinic in the U.S. (and nicer than some). Most of the staff is bilingual and you don't need an appointment. A lo of their customers are American. This is the link:
http://www.washingtondentalclinics.com/tijuana/
Good luck. It's a tough situation. Message me if you want more info.
I would get another opinion and perhaps consider a dentist not affiliated with a chain or franchise. Ask all your friends especially those who have had a lot of dental work or who have a hereditary tendency toward dental problems and have had good preventive care. Doubling of prices sounds ridiculous and a lot of failures sounds questionable.
I would expect the only way to get any money back would be to get a 2nd opinion from another dentist. Then if that dentist is able to give you information stating that one or more of the procedures were done incorrectly, then you could take the old dentist to small claims court. Before you leave your current dentist request copies of all file notes and all xrays.
And frankly, there is no point if the work took a year to fail. Teeth have too many variables for dentists to offer long "warranties".
Find another dentist - contact your insurance and see who they recommend in your area...
Just go in as a new patient and say nothing. Let them tell you their treatment plan...
Then you can compare.
Years ago we had a dentist who doubled our fees when he found out we got a new car. I guess he thought we could afford more because we had a new car... LOL!
Hope it works out for you.
LBC
I'll be honest, I think that "work that failed" is going to be subjective. What does that mean to you? What were the procedures done? What were the expectations out of those procedures? What kind of paperwork did you sign before the procedures were done? Was damaged actually caused by what was done or were your expectations simply not met? Did you have realistic expectations? Were you on the same page as the dentist? Did you follow after care instructions the way you were supposed to following the procedures? Did you have conversations and follow up appointments with the dentist before and after the work was done?
Have you talked to other dentist offices to see if they think this was all kosher? How about a lawyer that deals with medical issues/disputes?
I don't need any of these questions answered, but YOU do.
