William A. Kuhn, MD

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/10/20) */
Thank you for forwarding this issue to me. We strive to take great care of our patients, and obviously, we do everything we can to resolve any conflicts prior to them getting to this point. This is the first complaint that has ever been made...

against us in over twenty years of practice, so I am happy to address it immediately.
This gentleman called our office in 2013 because he needed advice on how to restore an implant in the area of #18. He mentioned that he had problems with all the other dentists he had seen, but he had heard good things about us and wanted to see if we could help.
He came in for a consultation on 6/4/13, and the implant had an awkward orientation. He had also had problems with a previous bone graft in this area. He also complained about the other dentists whom he had seen. I referred him to a prosthodontic specialist to restore #18 and to evaluate #20, which had a large cavity that was likely leading to pain.
After a dispute over his bill with the prosthodontist, he came back for another consultation two years later on 9/1/15. At this time, he wanted to have the implants placed for #s8 and 9 restored. After consulting with his oral surgeon, we agreed to do his work, completing it on 10/19/15.
On 11/2/15, we received a letter from his attorney asking for records related to the work we had done. This information was to be used in litigation he had undertaken against another dentist. We provided the requested documentation.
On 12/15/15, we completed a full new patient exam and cleaning for him. At this time, we found significant dental decay in multiple areas, but he wanted to have the implant in #20 position restored first. We sent in an insurance pre-estimate for him, and he came in to have the work done on 1/25/16. The money he paid was not only for the crown, but also for the custom implant abutment that was fabricated for him.
He sent an email on 1/28/16 with concerns about the thickness of the crown that was to be made. My assistant called the dental lab on 2/1/16 and told them exactly what the patient wanted. On 2/11/16, the technician emailed me to say that it was a difficult case due to the placement of the implant and the patient's expectations, but he said that he would make the crown as narrow as he possibly could.
This lab is one of the very best in the country, we have an excellent relationship, and we both take pride in the work that we do. The crown was made as narrow as it possibly could be, and it was not overly thick. Contrary to what was said by our patient, we DID talk to the lab about what he wanted, and I DID answer his question about this several times.
You can see the rest of our interaction after this point as is highlighted in the email below. This email was sent to this gentleman on 8/12/16, and it summarizes a series of emails that we exchanged over a six month period.
As can be seen, although we were very pleased with the work that we did for him, we offered to adjust the crown on 5/2/16. He didn't respond. On 7/1/16, we offered to replace the crown with a different material that we MIGHT be able to make a little bit more narrow. He didn't respond.
At the end of that 8/12/16 email, I even offered to pay another dentist to redo the work for him. He claims that no one will do the work without payment up front. I told him that I'd be happy to talk with any of the dentists he's met with to discuss his case and to assure them that I would pay for the work.
I hate to be cynical, and I always try to believe the best in people, but with his history of conflicts with other dentists and the constant harassment of my team and me over the past six months, I am disinclined to refund his money. If there was any2 problem with the work, I wouldn't hesitate to give the refund. Under the circumstances, out of principle, I will not give him money and allow him to keep the crown and custom abutment that we provided.
I've offered to adjust his crown, redo his crown, and even pay for his work to be redone, and he has not done so. I'm not sure what else we can do for him at this point.
I hope that you can understand my concerns related to this patient and case, and I hope that you decline to post the complaint on your website. That would be doing a disservice to my team, my other patients, my profession, and me. We have been and always will be a practice and dental team committed to providing the best care and service possible for our patients.
Thank you for your consideration of my response.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jim Arnold
From: [redacted]@smilesbyarnold.com
To: [redacted]@hotmail.com
Subject: #20
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 2016 16:35:49 +0000
Good morning, [redacted]. I've been out of town for a conference this week, but I have a few minutes between sessions to respond to your concerns.
I did receive your email on 1/28/16 with concerns related to fabrication of your crown. My assistant, Becki handles all lab communication for our office, so I forwarded your email to her so she could discuss it with our lab, which is one of the best in the entire country. On 2/1/16, Becki called the lab and relayed your concerns to them.
On 2/11/16, the ceramist making your crown sent me an email stating "I will try and make it as narrow as I possibly can and make it look as good as I can". I reiterated that it needed to be as narrow as possible bucco-lingually.
When I received the crown from the lab, I confirmed that it looked great on the stone model of your teeth. It also looked very good in your mouth, and the fit was perfect.
On 4/25/16, you emailed asking me to redo the crown. In 20 years of dental practice, treating thousands of patients, I've redone work or refunded money when there was a problem with the work. If I thought that the work could have been done better, I wouldn't have hesitated to redo it. In this case, I felt (and still feel) that it was done as well as it possibly could have been.
On 5/2/16, I sent you an email where I stated that the crown was as good as it could possibly be. I did, however offer to see you to adjust the corner so that it wouldn't feel as prominent to your tongue. I also noted that it might create an esthetic concern, or it might weaken the porcelain and lead to fracture. You didn't respond.
On 7/1/16, you emailed asking for a refund. I responded that I wouldn't refund your money for work that was very well done. I did, however offer to redo the crown in all-porcelain, instead of porcelain fused to metal. I also noted that it might not be strong enough, and it would be more vulnerable to fracture. You didn't respond.
You recently sent my office manager, Angie an email asking for a refund. After giving your situation further thought this week, I've decided that if you find another dentist to do a better job than we did on #20, I will cover the cost of that treatment. After you've seen this dentist, please have them give me a call. When it has been confirmed that he or she has completed your work, he or she can submit the bill to me, and I'll cover it.
Have a nice afternoon and enjoy your weekend.
Dr. Arnold
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 12, 2016/12/02) */
Dear Mrs. Anciani-Dutt:
This is to inform you that the business (Duneland Center for Advanced Dentistry) and I have amicably resolved this complaint. I am satisfied with the amicable resolution and you may withdraw this complaint. Thank you.
[redacted]