May Conte Dentist Beautiful Office, great dentist, but YOU WILL PAY! Valencia California

I visited May Conte's office with a sore tooth.  She discovered that a crown that was done by another dentist was not done with the correct margins.  Her Front Office staff checked our insurance and I was given a proposed treatment plan stating that my insurance would pay $769.  My portion would be $718.  I was told that I would have to wait 3 weeks to have the work done as my insurance would cover the replacement crown after 5 years.  I waited the 3 weeks, had the work done and paid $718.  When the bill was submitted to the insurance company they declined payment stating that there is a 7 year waiting period for a crown replacement.  The front office staff admitted to Dr. Conte that they did not read the insurance contract requirements correctly.  I discussed the situation with Dr. Conte she offered a 10% discount.  If I had known that the insurance would not pay, I would have gone back to the original dentist to have them redo their work.  Since I was never given that chance I still didn't think it was appropriate for me to pay for an error made by Dr. Conte's front office staff.  Dr. Conte then said she would reduce the balance in half to $353.50.  I've paid the $353.50.  I am aware that these proposals are an estimate, but I have never experienced a complete decline of payment.  A similar incident occurred with a friend of ours who had dental work done by Dr. Conte and had to pay $2,000 out of pocket.  

Ironically enough, Dr. Conte now requires payment in full at the time of service and it is the patient's responsibility to submit the insurance claims for reimbursement.  Needless to say, I no longer go to Dr. Conte's office nor does my wife and our friends that had the same thing happen to them.