Keith R Frome DDS

I am responding to your letter of August 29, In that letter there is a response message from a patient (complainant) to which you request a response from me This letter is my response to that message The first item that she claims is: That she was never told that she would not get the [cash] discount for paying with a credit card My response is the same as in the previous letter, which is that she was told that the total fee was $9525, and that she could receive a senior discount because she was over years old, and that she could receive a cash discount if she paid IN CASH at the start of treatment Use of a credit card does NOT qualify for a cash discount Therefore, since she paid with a credit card, she DID NOT receive a cash discount PLEASE REFER TO THE PREVIOUS LETTER The second item is the timeline: She claims it took almost a year to make the dentures The fact is that she gave her final informed consent & acceptance to proceed with the fabrication of the dentures on July 1, and they were presented to her on August 20, Then on September 10, the permanent “fixtures” were placed on her implants with permanent attachments in the lower overdenture Therefore the timeline to actually make the dentures and place the “fixtures” was a little over two months The next item is that she claims I said “I quit” and did not come back in The fact is that I never said that I quit The last item that she complains about is that I stopped payment on a refund check to her That is correct AGAIN, PLEASE REFER TO MY PREVIOUS LETTER I sent her a refund check on December 31, Then on 2/23/I received a letter from Card Services regarding a chargeback against my account by her credit card company The patient had requested the entire $be credited back to her in full I then sent a letter back to the credit card company rebutting her complaints During this process I spoke with a credit card representative about what the end result might be The representative said that, if the credit card company should find in favor of the patient, they would keep the entire chargeback This would mean that the patient would receive all $back as a refund, and at the same time the patient could cash my refund check The representative wanted to know if the patient had already cashed the refund check I contacted my bank and found out that the check had not been cashed as of the early part of March of this year I was then advised to stop payment on the check so that the credit card chargeback issue could be resolved The “stop payment” occurred on 3/25/ The credit card company found in my favor and credited the chargeback to me, but since that time the patient has filed an appeal and the process is ongoing I am happy to reissue a refund check for the upper denture as soon as the patient drops the appeal Sincerely, RKeith Frome, D.D.S

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:
I more than once tried to prepay for the dental service, Sally at the front desk informed me that they were not ready to take payment yet as drF* did not have all of the information he needed to do the workI was never told that I would not get the discount for paying up front as I was paying with a credit cardI stopped at the front desk on three occasions to make payment but was told by Sally that Doctoe F* did not know if he could get the parts he needed to fit the existing hater bar.The doctor ask ME to research itI TOLD HIM THEY WERE MADE AT *** *** *** in Portland.by *** ***.
Finally Sally came in and told me I could pay the total amount nowMANY TIMES when having dentures made I have been ask to pay 1/up front and the balance upon receiving the final denturesI have ha,d at least six sets of dentures in my lifetimeI have never experienced having to go in for appointments or to have it take almost one year to get what turned out to be ill fitiing dentures that absolutely fall down when I open my mouth ALMOST ONE YEAR???? from start to finish
2/22/ first appointment
7/13/ try in denture
7/16/ Try in denture
8/6/ Try in denture
8/10/ Try in denture
/20/Present denture??????
That is when they ask for payment
11/30/reline denture?????
12/01/ once again PRESENT DENTURE
ENOUGH SAID??
12/17/ He quit!!!
When I last left their office, I ask Sally to grind down my old denture top so that I could have some teeth to use until I could get another set madeDoctor F* removed the apparatus on my lower denture so I was not able to use any of my old ones bottom denture the attachment apparatus had changed and would no longer fit on any other denture I have
I now have new dentures made in Sisters Oregon, by ***She did a wonderful job and in only four appointments (within one month), I left with my new Dentures with just one adjustmentI have had no problems whatsoever since thenI was referred to *** by *** * *** DMD ***, ***, general dentistry
I never ever requested the promised discount as he stated.He did not tell me , that because I used a credit card and even though paid the full amount, I would not get a discount.I did NOT pay at the end of treatment as he statesI paid when Sally ask me
AT MY LAST APPOINTMENT, DOCTOR FROME walked out of the room saying "I Quit" and did not come back inYET IN ONE OF HIS SYSTEMENTS HE SAID HE WOULD BE HAPPY TO CONTINUR TREATMENT ON MY DENTURES???
Sally told me he would give me a refund of only Dentures are made in a set, top and bottom at one timeBeside the bottom denture was still extremely painful and when I would bite down on a carrot or something hardThe top denture did not stay in and fell down when I open my mouthI feel the only way someone could understand what I went through is to have me come in and look at the Dentures them selfI have now been to three dentists and denturist that have written letters stating their opinion of the quality and fit the Dentures drF* made for meIt has now cost me $12,to get dentures that fit and work as they shouldI have never met Dr*** Over but would be more than happy for him to examine Doctor Fromes Dentures and give his expert opinion
I was a truly discusted when Dr F* put a stop payment on the $ check
Sincerely,*** ***

I received a complaint letter from you on August 9, with an assigned ID of ***Inorder to clarify the time line I tried to contact you by telephone but have not received a callbackI am responding to this complaint in as timely a manner as is reasonably and prudentlypossibleI assume
your day deadline is from the date I received the complaint letter and notfrom the date written on the letter.This letter is my response to the complaintI will address each issue individuallyNote that alsoenclosed with this response letter are four letters from dental professionals attesting to theexcellent quality of the work that I performed for this patient.1) The patient says she was quoted in writing a charge of $8096.25, and that she prepaidthe invoice on /1/2015.The fact is that she was quoted $for the work that was to be doneThis included$for the upper denture and an all inclusive price of $for the lower implantsupported prostheses (including the overdenture, special implant abutments, implantlocator attachments, all consultations, research & laboratory work)She was told thatwe also give a 10% senior discount for patients years old or olderAnd she was toldwe give a 5% cash discount if payment is made at the start of treatment and is paid incashUse of a credit card does NOT qualify for a cash discount
She paid for the work on August 20th of 2015, which was the date the dentures wereinserted (the end of treatment)And she paid using a credit card.So factoring in her age (over 65) we gave her a senior discount of $which wassubtracted from the quoted $priceSo the total amount due was $minus$which equals $8572.50, the amount she actually paid.She mistakenly is claiming that she should receive a cash discount, but she did notreceive a cash discount because she paid with a credit card and she paid at the end oftreatment.2) She states that "he still could not make the upper (denture) fit so they would not falldown or out".The upper denture was made to the standard of care in the State of Oregon and fit wellwhen it was presented to her on August 20th, She did not have any complaintsabout the upper denture until November 5th, at which time she called and said itwas loose and would fall out when eatingI worked to fix the problem on 11/10/2015.This helped but she returned on 11/30/and said it was still falling out when she bitdown on her front teethSo I did a reline of the upper denture and presented it thenext dayIt fit so well that it almost could not be removed from her mouth, but thepatient complained of sore spots.NOTE: All dentures can have sore spots when they are put in for the first timeIt maytake several adjustments before they fit comfortably.Adjustments were made to relieve the sore spots on 12/1/2015, 12/4/and12/8/Each time the patient said that the denture felt betterFinally, on12//she came back in complaining that the teeth in the denture were the wrongkind and that they were too sharp, etc., and that she was tired of coming back foradjustmentsA lengthy discussion was held about what she had originally asked forregarding the types of teeth to be placed in the denture and other things we haddiscussed back when we started in March, again in May, and finally in July when shegave her informed consent to make the upper denture and lower implant supportedprosthesesAfter the discussion on 12//2015, I offered to refund her money for theupper denture as a gesture of good willA refund check was sent to her on 12/31/2015.3) The patient says that my assistants told her they would not wear the dentures either.My assistants said they did NOT ever say such a thing to herThey think the dentureswere very well made.4) She states that "the lower plate has gaps at the bottom that continually collects foodunder the denture"
It is a known fact in dentistry that dentures can have food collect underneath them.Attached are letters from Dr*** ***, a Prosthodontist (a dentist with specialtytraining in dentures and other types of prostheses) who is the foremost expert indentures in the mid-valley region of Oregon, Dr*** ***, a General Dentist whoconcentrates his practice on implants, and *** ***, a Dental Technician andOwner of *** *** ***They all state that it is very common for food to packunder dentures.5) She states that "there is an area in the back lower denture that gives me a sharp painwhen I bite down".This is a sore spotIt can be easily fixed by adjusting the acrylic denture material.6) The patient says that the materials used on the back teeth were not as she requested.The patient asked for all porcelain teeth when she gave her informed consent to makethe dentures on /1/She again requested porcelain teeth at the first tof thedentures on /13/and was given the option of changing to plastic teeth at thattime, but she refusedThis is clearly noted in the patient chart notesThe dentalassistants also remember her wanting porcelain teethSo porcelain teeth were placedin the denturesThen, on December 17th, after all work was long since completed, shecame back and said she had wanted plastic teeth.7) She says she cannot use her old bottom denture because the fixture was changed.The "fixture", which is an attachment to the implants, was changed because that waswhat she gave her informed consent to have done as part of the treatmentThe finaltreatment plan, which was discussed with her on 5/18/and which she agreed to on/1/2015, included the replacement of her existing hader bar (the "fixture") with fourimplant locator abutments & locator attachmentsShe was fully informed of this on5/18/and again on /1/2015, and gave her informed consent on /1/Thenew lower overdenture prostheses has locator attachments embedded inside it thatconnect directly to the implant locator abutmentsThe connections meet or exceed theindustry standard of care.8) She claims that I stopped payment on her refund check.That is correctThe reason is that, after I refunded the money, she filed a claim on2/23/with the credit card company requesting a chargeback for the entire$that she paid on August 20, After I talked to the credit card companyrepresentative, this representative advised me to check with my bank to see if therefund check that had been issued to the patient had been cashedIt had not been as ofthe first part of March of this yearI was then advised to stop payment on the check so
that the credit card chargeback issue could be resolvedOtherwise, the patient couldhave potentially been paid twice for the upper denture.NOTE: The credit card company settled the claim in my favor, essentially saying that alltreatment rendered met or exceeded the standard of care.The patient then filed an appeal of the credit card company's decision on 4/19/2016.That case is still pendingTherefore, I have not issued another refund check.9) She says that two denturists say the dentures are not functional.Enclosed you will find four letters attesting to the quality of my work and to the fact thatit meets or exceeds all industry standardsOne is from a Prosthodontist, the dentalspecialty of prostheticsProsthodontists are THE MOST QUALIFIED of all dentalprofessionals in the art & science of denturesThey are far, far more qualified thandenturistsHe attests to the quality of my workAnother letter is from a dentist who isalso far more qualified than a denturist to evaluate the quality of denturesThe last twoare from Dental Technicians who are equally qualified to evaluate dentures comparedto denturistsPlease read them to get an independent analysis of my work.The only person fully qualified to analyze whether or not my work meets the standard ofcare is another dentist.Both dentists say my work exceeds industry standards.Thank you for your consideration of this matterI hope this addresses all the pertinent claimsof the individual who filed the complaint
Sincerely,
RKeith Frome, D.D.S

I am responding to your letter of August 29, 2016.  In that letter there is a response message from a patient (complainant) to which you request a response from me.  This letter is my response to that message.
 
The first item that she claims is:  That she was never told that she would not get the [cash] discount for paying with a credit card. 
 
My response is the same as in the previous letter, which is that she was told that the total fee was $9525, and that she could receive a senior discount because she was over 65 years old, and that she could receive a cash discount if she paid IN CASH at the start of treatment.  Use of a credit card does NOT qualify for a cash discount.  Therefore, since she paid with a credit card, she DID NOT receive a cash discount.  PLEASE REFER TO THE PREVIOUS LETTER.
 
The second item is the timeline:  She claims it took almost a year to make the dentures.  The fact is that she gave her final informed consent & acceptance to proceed with the fabrication of the dentures on July 1, 2015 and they were presented to her on August 20, 2016.  Then on September 10, 2015 the permanent “fixtures” were placed on her implants with permanent attachments in the lower overdenture.  Therefore the timeline to actually make the dentures and place the “fixtures” was a little over two months.
 
The next item is that she claims I said “I quit” and did not come back in.  The fact is that I never said that I quit. 
 
The last item that she complains about is that I stopped payment on a refund check to her.  That is correct.  AGAIN, PLEASE REFER TO MY PREVIOUS LETTER.  I sent her a refund check on December 31, 2015.  Then on 2/23/2016 I received a letter from Card Services regarding a chargeback against my account by her credit card company.   The patient had requested the entire $8752.50 be credited back to her in full.  I then sent a letter back to the credit card company rebutting her complaints.  During this process I spoke with a credit card representative about what the end result might be.  The representative said that, if the credit card company should find in favor of the patient, they would keep the entire chargeback.  This would mean that the patient would receive all $8572.50 back as a refund, and at the same time the patient could cash my refund check.  The representative wanted to know if the patient had already cashed the refund check.  I contacted my bank and found out that the check had not been cashed as of the early part of March of this year.  I was then advised to stop payment on the check so that the credit card chargeback issue could be resolved.  The “stop payment” occurred on 3/25/2016.
The credit card company found in my favor and credited the chargeback to me, but since that time the patient has filed an appeal and the process is ongoing. 
I am happy to reissue a refund check for the upper denture as soon as the patient drops the appeal.
 
Sincerely,
 
 
R. Keith Frome, D.D.S.