Dental Depot on SW104TH

[rugbybrado]

Do yourself a favor and never visit there. I moved here about a yeah ago and the three times i’ve been in i’ve ran into numerous problems. I'll just give a quick run down.

-Never had a cavity, gum problem, or any other tooth related problem.
-First time I went in

-I had just graduated college and hadn’t seen a dentist in about a year
-they told me I had needed periodontal work. I agreed, the tech gave me a 'gum treatment' using no pain killer on the left side of my mouth. I didn’t need it or ask for it, it seemed like an ordinary cleaning to me.
-they take x-rays etc, standard stuff for first visit
-Received a bill for 500 dollars (I had co-pay of 10 percent, I paid and left). I thought the price was high for what seemed like a normal cleaning but I didn’t think much about it at the time.


Then the problems start

-The lost my entire chart, so I had to fill it out again.
-try to get me to take x-rays again (they later found mine, but none of my original paperwork)
-I go back for the right side of my mouth. Chit chat with the lady (different this time) and she gets out a needle. I ask what that was for because last time I didn’t need it. She looks amazed, asked who did my treatment. She has a look like she knew something wasn’t done right but doesn’t say anything.
-5 seconds into her treating the different side of my gum line imp in horrible pain. She tries to give me numbing spray but that doesn’t work. So then she has to give me the shot.
-the procedure for the right side of my mouth was nothing like it was for the left; I mentioned I wondered why it cost 500 dollars the first visit. She glances at the left side and says it looks fine, but if I would like to schedule another time to come in I can (and pay again for it)
-this time my fee is 600 dollars; they say they undercharged me last time.
-I pay and leave and tell myself imp never going back

6 months pass

-its may and call to set up a 6 month cleaning, the place is so close to my house I decided to say screw it and just go in there again. I figure it’s just a cleaning this time they can’t screw it up.
-I go in at 8a; I find out that they have lost all my paper work again!
-Imp already there, I fill it out and give them my new insurance (got a different job).
-I stand there while she calls and verifies, says we are good to go.
-I’m the only one there and I wait 45 minutes before I go up to her and talk to her again, she forgot to put my chart in the back for the dental assistants to take!
-My chart is filled out wrong; they have me on there to have the right periodontal work to be done again!
-Imp pretty mad, but imp back there. The lady apologizes for the girl at the front and gives me free movie tickets and does my 6 month cleaning.
-Two weeks later I get a denied letter from my old companies insurance because the lady still filled the cleaning with the old insurance, after I stood there while she called and wrote down my info for the new insurance. I have to call them to let them know.
-Two days ago I get a bill for 120 dollars. My new insurance is making me pay up to my deductible for the office visit. I don’t think about it much, new insurance you have to pay deductibles. Then I start thinking that my 6 month check ups should be free.
-I call my insurance, she explains the claim. I say shouldn’t my 6 month check up be free, she says yes…but this isn’t a 6 month check up, they have that you went in for Periodontal Maintenance

-I’m call and calmly once again try to explain to the billing person at the dentist office what happened. We are on the phone for 45 minutes, she can’t find my chart for the first 10, and then she tells me i've only been in twice!

-We go into more detail, she figures it out and finally starts seeing all the errors that have happened(wrong insurance, no pain killer on first periodontal work, undercharging me then having to overcharge me)…

-She says that the reason this MIGHT OF HAPPENED was because I was supposed to come in 2 months after my periodontal work for a check up and that’s what they did last month!
-I tell her yet again it’s my 6 month check up, show her how it’s exactly 6 months later. AND how if I have over 1000 dollars of periodontal work shouldn’t of them have notified me when I left the office or gave me a call if I’m supposed to have a 2 month check up!!!!!

-To top it all off….she tries to set me up a 6 month check up.


edit ignore the typos, i was pretty mad when i typed this and i dont feel like fixing it.

[Easy180]

Looks like someone needs to replace the office manager...Among other things of course

My dentist is downtown, which isn't exactly convenient since I no longer work there...But since I only go a couple times a year location is down on my list of importance

Seems like it will be going down on your list as well

[rugbybrado]

Its just a huge mess. I went on my lunch break today and picked up my charts(what they would give me of it) and said i would never be back. Dont worry I didnt make a scene or get mad at them in person because that rairly ever helps the situation.

I'm suposed to get a call sometime next week when the tech gets back from her vacation and then hopefully we can get it all solved. I did bring up today how come ive been charged the co-pay on my first two visits and i wasnt on the last visit and i could tell that caught her off gaurd(obviously because i had a 6 month check up). I just really wish they would do the right thing and charge my insurance properally instead of trying to denign that anything ever happened.

In my 25 years on this planet and having insurance for all except my last year in college, i know when i ask for and get a 6 month check up.

[rxis]

they have serious billing problems. rugbybrado is right. Its just a huge mess.
You could make a scene but won't do any good because they already know they are in a mess themselves.

[SouthsideSooner]

I love my dentist! I just had a lot of work done including two root canals and some cosmetic dentistry done on my front teeth and he and his staff did an outstanding job........and it was all as pain free as you could hope for.

His name is Dr. Pilgrim and his office is located just north of S. 104 on Penn.

I would highly recommend him.

[rugbybrado]

UPDATE - After 3 phone coversations and going into get my files(what they would give me of it), they relucantly agree to refile the claim with insurance for the 6 month check up that i recieved:rollseyes:

well im happy that its over but i really wish that this would've been taken care of last week when i first told them about the mistake, because it was very easy to see if they werent trying to just cover it up. it just took me finally getting mad and threatening to file a complaint with my insurance company then they quickly came around.


After i hear back from my insurance company im never going there again.

[linze]

I used to go there all the time for teeth cleaning. But once Dr. Shapiro left (well he retired and went to live on some private island somewhere). And all these new people took over. It really went downhill. I don't blame you. I would NEVER go back there again either!!!! There are far better and nicer dentists around town then the idiots at Dental Depot...

Best of Luck,

[Express Girl]

I went there for a cleaning when i first moved here. They insisted that i needed my wisdom teeth out- all 4. I had never had a problem with them and my previous dentist never mentioned it, but i figured they knew what they were doing.

The billing lady just seemed so shady when I first talked to her, but i didn't think anything of it. I just thought she was trying to help me out. She told me that I had really good insurance. She was going to up the prices she sent to them so that i wouldn't end up paying much, but i still ended up paying $279 for a $600 procedure! My insurance is supposed to cover 90%. They made me pay for the procedure the same day and it wasn't until later when i got the statement from my insurance showing they had paid about $500 after all the "contract prices". I still haven't been reimbursed and just gave up trying to deal with them :-/

They just want your money!

[rugbybrado]

-I went there for a cleaning when i first moved here.
-They insisted that i needed my wisdom teeth out- all 4.
-I had never had a problem with them and my previous dentist never mentioned it, but i figured they knew what they were doing.

I still haven't been reimbursed and just gave up trying to deal with them :-/

They just want your money!

Sorry if my first post is kinda jumbled, but it looks like you were able to pick up that they pulled the exact same stuff as they did with you. I was in same shoes - as i mentioned never had a cavity or any dental problem and set up my first appt. when i moveed here for a general cleaning.

Then the proceeded to talk me into needing 'periodontal' work to make sure i didnt have any calcium build up between my gums and teeth. I didnt know any better because i hadnt seen a dentist in a year because during my last year of college i was dropped from my parents insurance and had just moved here with the new job. Afterwards i was surprised to find out that it was $500 for each side of my mouth(had 90 percent coverage as well). I even commented that when i got my wisdom teeth pulled in stillwater a year and a half before how that was cheaper than this was.

They really take advantage of people and as ive mentioned before im never going back there.

[mikekrauss]

When a dentist or doctor is under contract with an insurance company, the patient is not supposed to have to pay anything until they recieve an Explaination of Benefits from te carrier. I've had a few offices pull that crap about paying at the time of the visit and I simply refuse to.

[rugbybrado]

When a dentist or doctor is under contract with an insurance company, the patient is not supposed to have to pay anything until they recieve an Explaination of Benefits from te carrier. I've had a few offices pull that crap about paying at the time of the visit and I simply refuse to.

each time i went in for the 'periodontal work' they made me pay my 10 percent right then and there, im really happy i made this thread - im learning alot in the process.

[rugbybrado]

UPDATE - I was headed to lunch today and dental depot called to try and said i was late for my 6 month check up, then asked if i wanted to set it up...

I went off on the poor girl.

That jogged my memory to check with my insurance company to see if they have actually gone back and corrected the problem that started this thread....well guess what, they havent! Honestly, im already so pissed off again i thought about just paying the entire bill over the phone just to be done with them.

DO NOT GO TO DENTAL DEPOT.