Complaint Review: Perfect Teeth

I now feel compelled to write this report after my experiences with Perfect Teeth. My 1st bad experience was in September of 2007. I had just got laid off but my insurance was still good. I had recently had a tooth that cracked and went in to have it taken care of. They decided not to do a root canal, but instead put a crown on it. But since the crack went down a very small amount into the root I was experiencing a lot of pain. They put some kind of medicine into it and I was told that it would probably calm down after a while. Then the woman that had worked on me said that she didn't want to prescribe me any "narcotics"...in all the years I've gone to dentisits they have never used that term...but she told me to take double dosages of ibuprofen 3 times a day for as long as I could take it.

As I still was experiencing pain I did what she told me. About 10 days later it happened. One moment I was fine and then the next I thought I was having a heart attack. My heart was beating very fast, my stomache felt bad, I was very dizzy, my legs were weak and I thought I was going to pass out. Neadless to say I drove immediately to Penrose ER telling them that I thought I was having heart problems.

I have never had any issues with my heart before. So they check me out for about 3 or 4 hours and then tell me that they thought it was my stomache because of the high doses of ibuprofen I had been taking. But because of the way I presented they had to keep me overnight for observation. So I was transported to the main hospital by ambulance and didn't leave until the next day.

So 30 hours and $10,000 later with $1100 out of pocket I went home now knowing that I had stomache problems from the bad advice from someone at Perfect Teeth. And I've had problems with my stomache every now and then up until last Spring.

Now today I think I've had enough. I have been to Perfect Teeth for check ups after that and had to replace the crown that came off after less then one year...and now they decided to do a root canal. I'm okay with the RC. I needed it. So a couple of years go by and all of sudden now I have some kind of disease and need root planing and scaling. So I do it because I want to take care of my teeth and I always have. Then I came back for a cleaning today and when I left to check out I am told that I need to pay $70. The money is not the issue I can easily afford it. I ask why because I know that cleanings are covered in my plan...2 times a year. They tell me that I have this disease and that I always will and will always need this scaling and root planing treatment. And they want to see me every 3 months.

I also want to point out that they have always tried to sell me something. They wanted to sell me an electric toothbrush for $150. I have one. It was $40. When I went in for the scaling treatment in December they told me I needed some rinse treatment and that visit was about $300. Okay I did it. Today while I'm in the chair this lady comes up with a clipboard with a sheet on it that had a header of "Finacial Agreement". They now wanted to sell me another rinse treatment...I haven't finished the 1st...and it would cost me another $200 or so. I denied it.

They use sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle tactics to scare you into thinking that what they are trying to sell you will "save you". From the dentist spending less than 30 seconds looking in your mouth and then abruptly saying "negative for mouth cancer" and walking out, to telling you that it's great that this stuff is available today because before it wasn't and people would just lose their teeth.

When I got the planing done a few months ago the receptionist had me sign an agreement form and she told me that it was not manditory. But I did it because I want to take care of my teeth. Yet today when I asked if I could just have a regular cleaning in the future they told me no that I couldn't and my reply was..."So I am going to have to pay $70 every visit from now on". And they said yes.

When they measured my numbers they had got a lot better and really what they did was a regular cleaning except she used a water pick thing for just a bit and she called off my numbers to the lady that later wanted me to sign the finacial agreement.

This place seems more interested in selling products or services that aren't necessarily needed just to create revenue and in my case back in 2007 they gave advice that landed me in the hospital with a very expensive bill.

I have never experienced this sort of thing at any other dentist before and I've had a lot of work done before. And I am starting to understand that Perfect Teeth has such a reputation. They are less conerned with your best interest and more in their finacial bottom line. Today when the receptionist said see you next visit I replied "We'll see".