Smilecare

I took my family in for cleaning, etc. I have full insurance and was assured all treatment was covered by the policy prior to the start of the treatment. They performed and I left. After a year later, I was checking my credit and got a bill for the service that was covered by insurance. I also got a bill for services not rendered. My credit is ruined from this. The insurance said they would have covered it but that too much time has lapsed. After talking with staff and supervisors, and reading the blogs, I saw the common thing was that smilecare has scammed others in this way. Take the business somewhere else.

When I had some teeth filled, I was told I needed a mouth guard to prevent grinding my teeth at night. I picked the guard up on June 12. Even before slipping the guard up over my upper teeth, I could see that it was formed lopsided, but I figured someone had to know what they were doing. I wore the guard a few times, even running it under warm water to soften it up to fit. But each time in the morning, my left front teeth were pushed in. In other words, the guard was misaligning my teeth.

I am a very busy woman and it took me a month to call the dentist's office to ask for an appointment to have the guard adjusted. The appointment was for July 23 at 10:30 am. I arrived early and waited until after 11:30 am. As I said, I am a very busy woman; I can not wait all day for them to correct something that should have been molded and adjusted properly the first time. Alter waiting over an hour, I realized that no one was going to correct the guard. I took it along with its case to the receptionist and told her that I had waited over an hour and no one made any effort to adjust the guard. I told her to credit my credit card with the cost of the guard ($98). I left a blank deposit slip with my information with the guard and case.

Since that visit, I have had two Visa bank statements arrive without a credit being applied to it. I called yesterday, 08/24/10, at around 11:45 am. I spoke with someone named Shawna (or close to that). I asked for the administrator. She said manager. I told the receptionist why I had called. I was told the manager was with someone else and would call me later. I provided three contact phone numbers.

Of course, no one called yesterday or today. This is not the first time I have experienced problems with this dental group. I would appreciate assistance in obtaining my $98 that I paid for the malformed guard. If I had continued to wear the guard, I would have to take them to court for the damage it would have caused my teeth. Front left teeth pushed in because of the misformed/molded dental mouth guard. I would rather have my money back and purchase another one (hopefully molded properly) elsewhere. Thank you for your help.

Here is my experience with SmileCare. My daughter needed to get her wisdom teeth removed surgically. The dentist at Star Dental practice on Lower Sacramento Road referred us to SmileCare because it was the only place that would take our insurance.

We went in and they said she had to first see their dentist to get referred to their oral surgeon. She saw the dentist who said she had one cavity and needed a fluoride treatment that would protect her teeth with a special coating for up to 6 months. We made the appointment and went in. She had a filling done. We had the varnish applied. We paid the 40 bucks copay for the varnish. We went home.

They called us right after. They said she had another cavity they needed to fill. Right next to the one that they just filled. I asked if they had filled the wrong tooth because they said that she only had one cavity. They denied that and said that it was mis-entered on her record as 1 cavity. There were two. So we made the appointment and went in.

This time I went back to the room with her. They asked me to leave and wait in the lobby. I asked to see the xrays so I could understand what was happening. Rather than the guy saying "sure, I would be happy to go over them with you" he said "do you know how to read an xray? " Hm. I said maybe he could show me how, so he pulled it out and showed me where the cavity was to be filled. He showed me the gray area where there was a cavity and then took it down. I said, okay so what got filled last visit? He looked through her record and said it was the tooth right next to this one.

So I asked him to show me on the xray. He put the film on the light panel again and showed me a tooth with no apparent difference than any others. He said sometimes there is decay that isn't picked up on an xray? He mumbled out some notes from the chart and said "so that's what happened." Then he said, I think the dentist told you that they found another cavity once she got in there and drilled. My daughter said "no, she didn't even talk to me. She talked to my mom afterward." And I said "well, she didn't tell me." And he pointed to my daughter and said "Well she just said she did!" WTH? My daughter didn't know what the dentist said to me afterward! Good lord.

So I was ready to let it go and move forward when my daughter had a question. She asked if they had applied the varnish to her teeth in the last visit. No he says, we'll be doing that today. They told me last time that it was done and I paid for it then! So I of course let him know that they had told us last time that it was done, and he blew it off by saying that whether it had been or not was no issue since they would do it again today so it will be done for sure. So now I have no idea if anyone knows what they're doing. Later, I would be assured that they don't.

We went ahead with the filling. My daughter complained afterward that the dentist was highly unprofessional with the assistant in front of her saying things along the line of "get this, no not that, why don't you listen? Why are you so nervous now?" When the dentist put a thing around her tooth, my daughter asked what was going on. She said "am I getting a cap?" The dentist said no, told her what the piece was called, and then said to her "didn't they do this last time?" My kid said No. The dentist said "That's impossible!" Later, she told my daughter that she re did the filling she got a few days earlier because it was already "half gone!"

After the deed was done, we went to check out and they told us that she needed to meet with an Orthodontist next. I asked some questions about it and the guy just kept saying, "Don't worry, it's free." That is not my concern at all. Nor did I express that as a concern at any time. My concern was that since she is getting her wisdom teeth pulled, wouldn't it be better to get the orthodontist to look at the placement of her teeth after the impacted wisdom teeth were removed? They will surely adjust after they are removed. Well of course they blew it off and said to do it now, sometimes they don't move.

This was our one and only experience with these people. There is one really nice black lady that works there (Diana I think is her name) and I feel sorry for her that her sunny attitude and talents with customer service are being wasted in this black hole of a bad business.

well this tooth never had no problems before the dentist worked on it and never told my wife the in case of this happening to her she would need to pay for the root canal out of her pocket. my wife told me the Dr was very rough on her during the prep of the teeth. so why do we have to pay for some thing that the Dr is responsable for this damage!

Since June of 2009, smilecare has been overcharging for so-called extended treatment when the office was the one rescheduling treatments due to their own unavailability to treat me. Due to my recent pregnancy and my condition of low blood sugar and anemia, they are fully aware that waiting for extended periods of time would be of danger to my health. Numerous times the office would reschedule my appointments due to the orthodontist taking extended lunch breaks or simply not showing up on time causing her to be behind schedule.

On occasion they would call my house to inform me that the orthodontist would not be there a certain times I was scheduled for an appointment. The office would simply reschedule me for another appointment leaving out that they would charge me later for the rescheduled appointment. When I received the first bill in june, I expressed my desire to discontinue treatment and they scheduled me for their only opening on august 19th of 2009. They reassured me that i should not be charged due to their unavailability.

I have contacted their office on numerous occasions regarding this issue and they promised that they would contact corporate to dispute the matter and upon contacting them today they told me that I am responsible for the bill. Just this past August 19th i was schedualed for a treatment for my retainers at 9am. I spoke to the head of the front desk department for ortho about the bill. He told me first thing before I signed in for my appointment that he took care of the complaint that I had and he arraged for the billing to make the adjustment so I wouldnt have to pay for the bill. Then they made me wait 45 min. and then informed me that the orthodontist was running late. They asked me to come back after 10 am. Upon arriving at 10:15 am they then had me sit and wait until 1pm!

I went in for a treatment and was recommended that i get a nightguard for my teeth. The dentist told me it would be $100, which I paid. Two years later, I get a bill for $300 saying that my insurance will not cover the remainder. The dentist initially told me that the $100 is all that I would be responsible for. Upon talking to the people at SmileCare, they all have the same response for me, that it's my fault for listening to the dentist, and that I should've waited to see what my insurance would cover before listening to the dentist and agreeing.

My son went in for teeth cleaning and check up on 7/19/08 (Saturday) to a contacted HMO dental office and i presented them with my insurance card. I was told that he had 3 cavites and that his wisdom teeth needed to be removed. i was told that the price for the filings and cleaning would be $460.00 and that this is the amount with insuarnce. Then they drilled for the 1st filing and i was told needs to be crown insted and the new price was $756.00. Then they drilled the next one was told the same thing needs to be crown and the price is now $1357.00. I had also told them that i would be giving this info to the insurance on the next business day. They said ok as this is correct pricing.

They offered no choices in the type of service for either the filling or crowns. They just give you what they want. I was told each time that this was what my insurance says is allowed. I had no choice in these since they drilled had aleady his teeth. Then when we went back for the permant crowns to be put in they didnt fit. So now we have to do this again for the molding of the crowns and wait 3 more weeks for them to be made. I called my insurance on 7/21 (next business day)to verfy the amount that i was being charged.

At this time i was told that this was overpriced and not correct. I was told to get the lab slip from dental office for the crowns and to have this faxed to the insuarnce. This was finally done and i was called back by insurance and was told that this would be sent to the regional network mananger to contact the dental office. I was called back by my insurance and was told that they spoke with my dental office manager Georgette and that my bill would be adjusted to the correct allowed amounts ( i was also told that they office didnt even have my insurances fee plan schedule so how could they have known what my insuarnce allows then to charge me).

When i contacted the dental office i was told that they did not speak with my insurance and bill would not be adjusted and that i owed the $1357.00. I then called my insuarnce back and was told who they spoke with and that they have requested for the insurance to send them all of the fee schedule for this HMO insuarnce. I have had to file a complaint with my HMO dental insurance against this office. They did offer me payment plan on this with more then i can afford as down payment and monthly payments. I am a single mother with teenage son who lives on a very tight budget. This is very large amount for me to pay. As i have problem meeting by financial bills already.