Distinctive Dental Service, P.A.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/09/08) */
Mr*** didn't stop in according to my staff, but calledHe had never been seen by us before; According to my staff member Connie, she told him since he had never been seen by us before there would be a comprehensive examination, needed
x-rays taken, and a cleaning and a preliminary estimate for his treatmentAt no time did she commit to any definitive cost for initial services as that would be impossibleThis is standard procedures on a new patient exam in any dental office because we do not know anything about the patient (for example, how many teeth the patient has, what the bone health/support is, what restorations might be needed, what pathology which might be foundThis determines how many x-rays may be needed etcetcWe are required by State law to get adequate baseline data for the patient so a proper evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment plan can be formulatedThis is not a fast food restaurant where someone choses off a menu or calls about a brake job, this is a dental officeMr*** paid us in full for services rendered and then later stopped payment on his checkPayment is due for services rendered plus a returned check charge
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/09/14) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Since it appears the details are important, let's start from the beginningOn July I stopped at *** to purchase wedding cardsUpon returning to my car which was parked behind the Drug store I saw the sign for Distinctive Dental Services.I entered the office and talked to ConnieI told her it had been several years since I had seen a dentist and I needed a checkup and cleaningI asked her for what this would costAt no time was "comprehensive cleaning" or "x-rays" brought up or discussedShe said she couldn't give me an exact cost but it would be around $I said OK to that and an appointment was made for July @ 9:40AMWhen I arrived home I had a call from the Post Office, where I work part time, telling me that I was needed on July I called Connie at the dental office and rescheduled to August @ 2:00PMI arrived prior to my appointment and was shown into the room of the dental tech who then proceeded to take x-raysShe then looked at my teeth and told me I would need dental planing in quadrants at an additional $per quadrantI inquired as to what this procedure entailed and was told it was to remove plaque below the gum lineI told her that this had always been included in any cleaning I had ever had but she said it wasn't included at their officeI said no to the planing procedureThe dentist then came in and looked at the x-rays and looked in my mouthAfter a short conversation I decided to stop any further procedures and went to pay the billI was charged $for the exam plus an additional $for the bitewing x-rays and $for the panoramic x-raysHaving never been to any dentist prior to this that didn't include all x-rays with the exam and was not told they cost extra prior to being given them, I would have refused and gone back to my old dentist who does include the x-rays in the exam costAlso, since a dentist can't do a proper exam without x-rays I don't see how they can be considered extrasI then wrote a check for the amount presentedI certainly did let the office staff know that I was upset with the charges and Connie stated that they should have let me know that the x-rays were extraI then went homeOn Thursday August I realized I would need a copy of the statement for tax purposes and called Connie and asked her to send one in the mailShe did this and I received it the next day at which time I went to my bank and stopped payment on the check I had issuedI then called Connie and let her know that I had done a stop payment and was going to contest the chargesA returned check charge has since been added to my account which I also dispute as I let them know I had stopped paymentThe real problem here is a problem between the dentist and his staffConnie was not able to give me a proper estimate but if she was given a cost per procedure sheet she would have been able to give me a very close estimateThese costs are available since they were itemized on my billMore evidence to back up my statements about x-rays and cleaning: I have since made an appointment with my old dentist and asked for an estimate for an exam and cleaningThe estimate is $I then asked if the x-rays were included and was told yes they areI asked what the cleaning covered as was their an additional charge for dental planing and was told no they didn't add on extra fees they just cleaned all your teeth
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/09/18) */
When a new patient arrives at a dental office as a new patient we give a ball park estimate of costs and that was $200; the attending dentist makes the determination, with the hygienist, what further evaluations, including x-rays is necessary to determine his dental needsBecause the dentist and hygienist needed more baseline material, a panoramic x-ray was taken since the diagnosis was that he need periodontal treatment in specific areas of his mouthDespite his comments, this is a totally separate procedure which is NOT a routine cleaning
A routine cleaning is defined as removing the tarter (calculus) above the gum line and polishing the teethPeriodontal treatment is measuring the pockets around the teeth and then using ultrasonic and hand instruments to remove the calculus (hardened tarter and bacteria) under the gum lineHis old dentist can certainly explain this to him
I suggest that Mr*** read the information on this web page so as to better understand the differences between "routine cleaning" and periodontal treatment:
https://www.perio.org/consumer/patient-resources
Regardless, services were rendered and the charges are dueThe stop payment charge is a legitimate charge as well
He has left us with no alternative but to turn this over to collections