All Smiles Dentistry

Mr. [redacted] - Unfortunately we do not feel that the circumstance merit a change on our end.  Our records document the following series of events: ·         You had dental services performed at our practice in October and November of 2012, including a...

crown that was billed out on November 29, 2012.  The billing of the crown occurs when the tooth needing the crown is prepared and the impressions are sent to the lab to cover the labor and materials involved in creating the crown.  Once the crown is received back, a follow up appointment is scheduled to “seat” the crown, which is a no cost appointment.  Dental industry standard is to get the permanent crown seated within 10 days to avoid changes in the mouth which may render it unable to fit.  This billing and labor sequence is mandated by the insurance industry - to delay billing until seating of the crown is considered fraudulent behavior by insurance.·         As you concede, you did not return to the practice to have your crown seated.  You indicated that you did not return to the dentist for “about a year”, but our records indicate that you did not return to our office until April 29, 2016, nearly 3 ½ years after your last visit.  By this point the crown made would have been useless, and we do not hold on to inventory of this nature. ·         After insurance payments, your account had an outstanding balance of $68.00. ·         This balance remained on your account until September 2015, when the debt was written off by the prior owner of the practice as uncollectible. ·         In October 2015, the All Smiles was sold to a new owner. ·         As noted above, you returned to our office in April 2016, having an exam and x-rays taken.  A co-pay of $39.20 was collected, with the remainder being billed out to insurance. ·         In July 2016, after contacting United Concordia, we were informed that the policy you asked us to bill for the April 2016 visit was terminated in July 2014, nearly 2 years prior.  As such, the remaining balance of $159.15 was your responsibility. ·         In the following months, we sent multiple statements to you requesting payment.  We did receive a call from you on October 6, 2016 indicating that you would call with credit card information to make payment the following day, but never received that call. ·         On January 4, 2017, this remaining balance was turned over to a collections agency. ·         On March 9, 2017, you submitted your complaint to the Revdex.com, requesting that the crown you started well over 4 years earlier, while the practice was under different ownership, be given to you.  Unfortunately, it does not appear that this crown is currently available, and it is not reasonable to request it nearly 4 ½ years later.  In addition, your total unpaid balances of $227.15 for your time with the practice significantly exceed the $100 refund you are requesting for the crown that you never returned to have seated.  Because of this, we do not feel that any change in our handling of the matter warrants change.