Biddeford Saco Dental Associates, P.A.

I went to see Dr. [redacted] in August as a new patient. At my first cleaning, Dr. [redacted] recommended that I consider [redacted] I told him that this was ideal for me, as I would never consider having [redacted] again. He suggested that I begin with teeth number 20 and 21, as this would give me a solid chewing surface. I said "they are about $2,000 or $2,500 a piece, right", to which he responded "the total including the surgery is more like $3,000 per tooth". I agreed, on the understanding that, by the time my insurance picks up about $500-$800, I would have a total bill of about $5,500, or less. As it turns out, the total of the oral surgery and anasthesia was approximately $4,500, plus the cost of the x-ray ($169). When I returned to Dr. [redacted] for follow up [redacted], his Office Manager proceeded to tell me that I had a total balance with them of over $3.000. I was a little taken back, but she proceeded to tell me that Dr. [redacted] should not be the one giving estimates. If this is the case, then why didn't the front office personnel offer an estimate? At this point, I made a payment of $840, with the agreement that the balance of $1600 (assuming my new insurance would pick up approximately $550) would be paid in full by January 2, 2012 when the crowns were placed. I called back in Mid December to make another payment of $800, and assumed that I would have a balance of $800 on January 2, 2012 when the crowns were placed. I was not comfortable with the ridiculous amount being asked for, but felt as though I had come this far in the process and I had to do what was necessary to complete the procedure. I had cashed out my 401K and was depending on savings to cover the balance. This was such a financial strain on my family that we had to put the balance on credit cards in order to make payments. I just returned from Dr. [redacted]s office and, after placing the crowns he mentioned that one of the crowns was too loose and if it becomes an issue, to let him know and he would replace the filling on the tooth in front of it. So, instead of giving me what I paid for, he was saying he would do something that is second best to cover himself. Was I not just charged nearly $4,000 for a crown that I was lead to believe would fit perfectly? I asked if this is something he would cover, and he said yes. I explained my dismay with the actual cost of the procedures vs. the quote I was given. He asked if it was more than I expected or if it was an insurance issue. I reminded him of our conversation in August, which he claims to remember. He simply said "sorry bout that", and "I guess I'll have to call [redacted] to get myself up to date on the cost of their services, I'm still glad you did this though", then he left the room without so much as a thank you. With the money he made, I'm sure he is glad I did this. After he left the room, his assistant (who did not identify herself at any point through my visit) said that this was a common complaint from their patients and "as of a couple of weeks ago we now have a practice manager who should get this stuff in line and everyone should be leaving with a proper estimate of the cost of services. I went to the desk to check out. [redacted] pulled up my account and said that I had a balance exceeding $1350. I told her I had a conversation with [redacted] and was told that I should have a balance of $800. She said that on 12/21 they received notice from [redacted] that my procedure was not covered by my insurance. Again, why was this not discovered and brought to my attention before the services were rendered? At this point, I told her I came prepared to pay $800 (so as to fill my commitment as previously agreed) and that they would just have to bill me for the balance. I mentioned to her that there seems to be a severe lack of communication and cohesion in the offce and that I should have been given a proper cost of their services before anything was done, if their billing amounts were going to be so far skewed from what Dr. [redacted] had quoted me. At this point, she was kind enough to tell me that Dr. [redacted] should NOT be discussing billing amounts with patients, that he was not familiar enough with their billing and that he would NEVER tell me a procedure would be $3,000....even after I just had this conversation with him AND it was witnessed by his assistant. Afte this, [redacted] told me that there are estimates and then there are pre-determinations and that they give a pre-determination and list out of pocket expenses to EVERY patient. This was not the case and I was duped into believing that Dr. [redacted]s number of $3,000 per tooth was right. I told her that maybe Dr. [redacted] was just telling me what I wanted to hear, and again she said he would never do this, that I am wrong and they run an ethical practice. She managed to turn my constructive criticism into an uncomfortable and confrontational conversation that left me feeling stupid because I did not understand the exact terminology used in the dental business. Waht this all boils down to is the price of their services was misrepresented, I was grossly over charged based on what Dr. [redacted] told me and, although I had to pay far more than I was quoted, I am left holding the short end of the stick.