Greater Washington Endodontics

Review: I have had an issue with one of my teeth so I went to the dental office of Drs. [redacted], [redacted], [redacted] and Assoc. Ltd [redacted]. I started seeing the specialty dentist here and he told me I needed a Root Canal. He conducted the Root Canal on 12/15/10. I paid $807.05 for the procedure and $56 for the appt. Since this procedure, I have been having proble** with the tooth.

I have had infections. I took medication and my infection went away. Within a matter of weeks the infection kept returning over and over again.

Doctor [redacted] told me I needed surgery. He conducted oral surgery on 4/9/13. I paid $1,482.65 for the procedure plus and additional charge for the appt. After the surgery I was not feeling well. I went to see my regular dentist, Dr. [redacted] on 22 Aug 13, he did an x-ray and informed me the other dentist had performed 2-root canals and had fractured the tooth.

I called to make an appt to see Doc [redacted] and he didn't have any appts at the time, I informed them I was in a lot of pain. I was told they had no appt available to see Doc [redacted] so they gave me an appt to see Doctor [redacted] (same office – partners).

My appt was made for 8/30/13. I called to tell them Dr [redacted] had taken x-rays and identified a fracture and they could request the x-ray from him. They told me they will only work with their own x-rays.

I also told them my other tooth worked on was very sensitive and Doc [redacted] told me I needed a root canal on that tooth as well. They made me an appt on 8/30/13 with Doc [redacted].

Once I saw the doctor I told him Doctor [redacted] had taken x-rays and completed an exam informing me I had a fracture. Dr [redacted] did an exam and told me I did not have a fracture but a gum infection, and that my other tooth did not require a root canal. He cleaned the tooth and his assistant using a cotton swab put some liquid rinse on the tooth. It has been hiper-sensitive since.

I ask the assistant what the liquid was and she told me it was going to take care of the sensitivity. I asked her if that was all that was going to be done for my issue and she said yes. I complained that it was hard for me to believe the answer was only putting a small amount of the liquid on my tooth was going to take care the problem; so, the doctor gave me a prescription for more of the liquid rinse for my tooth and he told me to floss it twice a day.

They then informed me I owed $328.40. They informed me $58 dollar was for the visit and $126.75 for the liquid that was placed on the tooth.

I told them I could have applied the rinse myself. The only thing they did it was grab a cotton swab and put the rinse on the tooth. I called Dr [redacted] and I told him what doctor [redacted] told me, that I don't have a fracture and I don’t have an infection of the tooth but in my gu**. He told me he was going to call Doc [redacted], and he told me the if I got a gum infection he can find me a specialist for that.

I called Dr. [redacted] again to fallow up and check if he got in touch with Dr [redacted], he said he had called twice leaving messages and Dr. [redacted] never return his phone calls.

The pain in my tooth continued. I went to the follow-up appt with Dr. [redacted], on 20 Sep 13 the receptionist called me and told me Dr [redacted] had a family emergency, and was not available. I asked if Dr [redacted] was available and she told me no but they had a doctor there who could see me. I went to my appt and I was saw Dr [redacted]. I explained the problem I have been having and she was very nice telling me she was sorry and took an x-ray. She told me that I did have a tooth fracture and that my tooth needed to come out and there was a severe infection.

I believe a refund for my out-of-pocket expenses as well as my pain and suffering is reasonable.

On 24 of Sep 13 I had to have my tooth extracted and I have a severe infection which requires ongoing antibiotics. the root canals were unnecessary and poorly conducted causing tooth fracture. Additionally, now all my teeth are extremely sensitive which is a result of the prior unnecessary work done (per the female doctor).

I’ve never had issues with my teeth and I believe I was miss diagnosed and had to undergo unnecessary tyreatments and proceedures. I also had to endure an unreasonable period of time in pain, unnecessary money being paid, and sensitive teeth that will take further treatment to bring under control as well as an ongoing infection. I am a kidney donor so going through these procedure and unnecessary medications is unecessry risks for my health.Desired Settlement: Refund of dental appt charges and proceedures.

This from DRS [redacted] & Associates Limited in [redacted], VA.

Business

Response:

October 17, 2013

Dear **. [redacted]:

Thank you for the opportunity to reply to your October 7th letter informing us of **. [redacted]'s complaint. We take such complaints seriously and in doing so we hope this letter responds to the comments stated by **. [redacted] about the care and treatment she received at Greater Washington Endodontics.

Our practice treated **. [redacted] in December of 2010. Her treatment was provided by Dr. [redacted], the endodontic treatment she had required two appointments with the doctor. Upon reviewing our files they indicate **. [redacted] never returned for her second appointment despite being reminded by our office staff.

In March of 2013 **. [redacted] made another appointment with our practice for a reevaluation of the treatment she had in December of 2010. Once again Dr. [redacted] provided the treatment which resulted in Apico surgery. His notes indicate a suspected fracture in the tooth. Her treatment required two visits; our records indicate she did not show for her second appointment, In August of 2013 **. [redacted] saw Dr. [redacted] for continued problems with the same tooth. She was to return for a follow-up appointment with Dr. [redacted] in September. On the date of her September appointment Dr. [redacted] was out of the office due to an unexpected personal matter. Our staff called **. [redacted] and left a message asking for her to call our office to reschedule. She claims she did not know of this message and came to the office for her appointment. She was able to be seen by Dr. [redacted] who performed testing on the tooth and suspected a fracture in the tooth. Dr. [redacted] recommended **. [redacted] follow up with Dr. [redacted] to decide about further treatment. This was never done; instead she sought to have the tooth extracted without recommendation from Greater Washington Endodontics.

Upon reading **. [redacted]'s complaint she claims she saw Dr. [redacted] for her treatment. Our files state otherwise, furthermore Dr. [redacted] retired from the practice in 2011. The suspected fracture of **. [redacted]'s tooth as identified by Drs. [redacted] and [redacted] was not caused by the root canal as root canals do not result in a fractured tooth. A tooth fracture is most likely to be caused by daily use, biting on a hard substance or grinding. Our Senior Partners, Dr. [redacted] and Dr. [redacted] both spoke to **. [redacted]'s general dentist, Dr. [redacted]. At no time did her general dentist comment about the fracture being caused by root canal therapy/treatment.

In summation, Greater Washington Endodontics provided the necessary clinical treatment needed for **. [redacted]. It would have been helpful for her to have completed her treatment and to have followed-up with Dr. [redacted]. I have reviewed **. [redacted]'s files in great detail and researched her treatment, in so doing I believe our practice provided the clinical care and treatment she needed in a consciences manner. Our practice deeply regrets she believes otherwise.

Sincerely

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response as outlined in the letter below.