A+ Gentle Dental Incompetent Work & Outrageous Pricing Oceanside California

I had an appointment with the office manager of A+ Gentle Dental a couple weeks ago. It was the first time anyone treated me politely. She promised me she would get the money they had charged returned to my financing company and call my insurance to correct a wrong claim they made. I finally believed the situation would be resolved.

To my great disappointment on Tuesday Dec. 27 I learned that neither my insurance, nor the finance company had been contacted about these corrections and no notes or adjustments had been made to my case as promised. I asked the finance company for advice, they suggested that I review my bill and determine the amount that I would dispute and explained that I only have 60 days from the date the account was opened to do so.

Seeing as how originally I was shown a financing brochure by the treatment counselor that said I would be making monthly payments of $30 on a total bill of $1,300; and that was an amount I found to be manageable for my income and circumstances; but then was set up with a third option finance company and was never made aware that my payments would be higher and now I am getting a financing statement that requires I make monthly payments of $125 on $2,677 is completely outrageous and unacceptable. My husband and I put together don't make $2,677 in a month! The extra expense of $125 a month is a burden to our household, and is an amount I NEVER would have agreed on because I manage all our expenses and know that we can not afford that.

I was never properly informed about the financing. I was under the impression it was an open line of credit in case I had expensive work, like the proposed wisdom teeth extractions. I thought I would have control of when and if I wanted to use it.

I was given a total amount of $1,300 by the treatment counselor that doubled to $2,600 in the middle of having my teeth cleaned and I was never told the total amount would come out of the account that day. I was also not notified that the monthly payments would be so high. I was not given the option to not accept financing. I was not made aware of my insurance benefits, and what cost they would cover. I was not given the option to waive services that my insurance wouldn't cover.

Their staff made me feel pressured during the visit when they were whisking me back and forth between rooms and putting papers in front of my face to be signed at every turn. It is standard at medical offices to have to sign paperwork, and so I put my faith and trust in the documents that I signed believing I was dealing with a fair, honest and professional establishment. But, I have found that to be completely untrue about their office.

At no time throughout this experience have I been treated courteously or honestly by the staff.

A prime example of my complaint is what took place on Tuesday Dec. 28. The matter of getting my bill and getting things straightened out became even more urgent because the office manager had not contacted Unicorn Financial and my insurance had paid out on a quad that wasn't done, so until that was corrected I was going to be left with an unclean quad and a huge bill.

I called an hour ahead so a copy of the bill could be ready for me to pick up. An assistant spoke to me and was quite unhelpful and rude. She said she didn't know if she could get me the bill and that she'd have to talk to the office manager, but they were swamped. To date I have heard that phrase
"We're swamped" repeatedly as I have been attempting to get assistance from their office. No one wants to help they just say they're busy and put me off. I am the one being inconvenienced by this, I am the dissatisfied customer!

Anyway, I told her I really needed that and when I arrived the assistant gave me the copy of my x-rays but would not give me a copy of the bill. She hadn't handled it with the manager in the hour before I arrived. She refused to make me a copy or let me see the bill. She said it was the office manager's business and she doesn't get involved with her files. I asked to speak to the office manager. I was told she was busy with a patient and I'd have to wait to ask her about it. I decided to wait. This made the assistant upset and she started to tell me it'd be an hour before the office manager would be finished. I said that's ok, I'll wait.

The assistant got flustered and irritated and told me that they could mail it out to me; but the last time I had received a bill in the mail it was not itemized and not what I had requested, so I didn't want to do that. Plus, I knew the office manager had said I could have a copy and also, rightfully, I should have a copy. I'm the patient and the one responsible for paying the bill! Shouldn't I have a copy? Delta Dental, Unicorn and the CDA seem to think so.

The assistant then said that the office manager's a busy woman and I would have to schedule an appointment if I wanted to talk to her. I told her that I'm a busy woman and that I didn't have time to come back, I just needed a simple copy of my bill and I would wait for it. I reminded her that I'm the customer and she should be catering to me, and that I could never be so unhelpful to my customers. She said you're in banking, it's different.

Customer service is customer service. I asked to speak to someone else or a dentist, she said there was no one else who could help me, so I continued waiting.

Well, this conversation took place in front of a young woman who is perhaps an assistant, I'm not sure of her name. After 40 minutes of waiting a lady walked in and requested to see the office manager for an interview to be hired. The other assistant who was at the front desk then told her that the manager had left for the day!

What in the world was going on!? They had me waiting for almost an hour for someone who was not there! Plus, she had said "she's with a patient". I immediately asked that assistant if she had said the office manager was gone, which she did. She looked a bit dumbfounded and nervous. She didn't offer an explanation. The other assistant was very rude and uncaring about the situation. I asked her where the manager was, why no one said she wasn't there. She said maybe she left and I didn't notice. I asked where? She said out the front, and I said in front of me? I would have seen her! I then told them that they were both lying to me.

No one apologized for the dishonesty, or the time I lost sitting there.

I still don't understand how that situation even took place. Either the manager was there, or they just wanted me to leave so they made me wait, or she wasn't there and they lied to me! Either way it made me feel more uncomfortable than ever and reaffirmed the belief that I am dealing with an office of liars and thieves!

I have since seen another dentist who has determined I do not have perio-disease. His gum testing numbers on my teeth are only 2's 3's and 4's, with mainly the big gaps around my wisdom teeth which is common. He tried to use the copy of your x-rays but they are unusable.

They are poor quality, crooked, have black dots and smudges and some sections do not even show the entire tooth from root to crown.

I am only allotted one x-ray or pano every 5 years! Not two, not both; as the office manager reassured me, only one. If she had contacted my insurance she would know that. I am so upset that the copy I have for the next 5 years is unusable and now I feel it necessary to dispute the x-rays since they are useless.

My new dentist was able to do bite wings and he is waving this cost out of sympathy for my situation, and he found that I have 9 cavities! I asked about cavities the day of my exam at their office and Dr. Kniter said I only had decay in my existing fillings which amount to about 3 or 4 teeth.

My new dentist also determined I did not need a deep root planing, but just a cleaning. He also examined the perio-maintenance kit I was given by their office. He is shocked, as well as other assistants and hygienists are that they would give me so many items to keep my teeth clean. So much of what I was given was unnecessary, and I could've purchased many of the items on my own, like the dietary supplements, which are just vitamins basically. The bottles of fluoride are a lifetime supply. Many items are duplicated.

Originally the treatment counselor told me that kit was $600 and she repeated that more than once because I was concerned about the cost and kept asking her about it, and now the office manager is telling me the kit is $1,400! This is another huge jump in price that I'm just supposed to accept? No one can conduct business this way, randomly changing prices and refusing to give receipts.

They expect me to honor the verbal quote from one lady and then honor the new quote which is more than double the amount from the other lady with no itemized bill and no receipt? They think I'm a sucker! It is obvious they are trying to get as much money out of that one visit as they can.

Out of good faith they should be offering to take back the items they gave me since I was only worked on once at their office and the experience was horrible. I was not satisfied and I notified their office the same day that I wanted to change Dentists. They could've suggested that I return the kit that day, knowing I had just left with it an hour before and none of the items were used.

But now they want to force their products on me even though they won't be overseeing my dental health. It makes no sense! Some of the boxes of the products say, 30 day money back guarantee. Since I notified them the same day that I was dissatisfied they should've offered to accept the items back. It was only an hour after I left their office that I called, and I was not given an apology, instead I was told to come in and pay $2,300, and that has been my entire experience with their office.

There is no courtesy, honesty, honor or tact within their staff. There is just greediness, disrespect and lies. They have dragged out a situation that have could've been very simple so they can get a thousand dollars out of me after only one visit!

I have researched their perio-maintenance kit and I know the retail value of each item now. I have itemized it for myself, which is something I kept asking their office to do, but of course I see now it is not to their benefit to tell me that everything put together in those two bags only totals up to $300! They are trying to charge me $900 more than the retail value! Shame on them!

How dare that office act so ruthlessly, taking money from a young woman who was trusting and naive. Marking up the price and opening the items so that they are able to deem them non-returnable and force payment.

My new appointment only cost me $26 out of pocket, which is what I expected when I went to A+ Gentle Dental. The new dentist had an itemized bill ready for me when I got there, they had already contacted my insurance so they were able to show me what they covered, and they gave me a copy without a fight and free of charge. Unlike A+ Gentle Dental which has been argumentative since day one, has withheld information and tried to charge me $27.50 for copies of paperwork that not only were marked to give a customer copy at time of signing, but that I was told by Unicorn, Delta Dental, many other Dental offices, and the California Dental Association that I am entitled to a copy.

How dare them! I am now working with Unicorn, Delta Dental, the Better Business Bureau and the California Dental Association to have this matter rectified, and I will pursue any means to seek justice in this case. I will not agree to pay the outrageous unwarranted amounts that they have randomly selected to charge me for their own gain.

As result of their actions I no longer trust that I will be told the truth by anyone in that office. I think the whole office is crooked and in cahoots!

When I spoke with a representative at the CDA she had just gotten off the phone with another woman who had been to A+ Gentle Dental and was complaining about the same thing. They are now preparing an investigation. Also, I have found negative reports about their office on various consumer websites. These are evidence of the history and reputation of their office practices which are unethical and abusive.

Delta Dental Insurance is also reviewing my case so as to determine if they will drop them as a participating member.

The CDA of course manages Dental practices and licenses, so this may become very serious for their establishment and their Dentist.

I have also been advised to contact the police and the news.

I will update the site when I can. I hope this matter gets resolved, but until then it's been a hard fight. My sympathy to anyone else who has lost sleep over their dealings with this corrupt office. Feel free to contact me for any information or help!