Bright Now Dental

I've just moved and wanted to establish myself with a new dentist. I contacted Bright Now, asked for cleaning and replacement of a tiny cosmetic filling on the very top of one of my front teeth. They scheduled me for a bank of 14 x-rays, followed by a second appointment for a cleaning, and a third for the filling. Before leaving the office after the consultation, I was given a sheet of paper with figures indicating the cost of these procedures. The x-ray appointment was fine, as was the cleaning, however, the filling appointment was re-scheduled. The actual time spent with the doctor during the filling appointment was three minutes and 45 seconds. (The doctor was efficient and I felt comfortable with his work.)

As I was leaving the office, assuming that I'd be billed for their services, I was told that payment was required upon completion of service; they did not send invoices. Originally, I had not been instructed that their work was cash only, and asked to be sent an invoice. I was told that they didn't do business that way, and didn't want to set up an account just for me. After some tense moments they agreed, however, I did not appreciate the tone of the conversation.

My total bill came to $252.00 for the filling and everything else was covered by my insurance. However, I don't believe that three minutes forty five seconds with a dentist is worth $252.00. Why did they have to take 14 X-rays? I would guess my insurance company paid for them, but I surely didn't need them. None of the documentation I filled out indicated cash only. There are no signs in their office indicating cash upon completion of procedures. I believe this scenario is a prime example of what is wrong with our medical system.

Today, I was scheduled for a 2:40 appointment. I was on time and had not been informed that the dentist had an emergency. My daughter with special needs was prepped to get her teeth filled. She was numbed and left in the chair for 30 minutes before I went to check on her. At that time, the assistant stated she was waiting on the sedation to take effect. I went back to the lobby and returned 15 minutes later. It was now 3:30 and the dentist still had not started service. I asked the receptionist if the doctor was running behind because my daughter had been waiting for 1 hour. I was then told the dentist had an emergency patient he was with. I would be next. Another 15 minutes went by. No one came to check on my daughter, so I stayed in the room.

It is now 3:55. After I started complaining and inquiring about whether the dentist was in or out of the building, he came out and apologized but asked if I could wait another 30 minutes. I said no, I couldn't and that I was putting in a complaint. I left totally upset and my daughter did not get her fillings. This was the most unprofessional/inconsiderate experience I ever had to deal with. I told the receptionist that I didn't appreciate not being given the option to decide whether I wanted to reschedule or not. I am appalled that my daughter was put in a situation like this when she needs much more gentle attention. I do not plan to return to this office and will be making a report to my insurance company.

Rip-off and up-selling - Like all other complaints here, it seems like they run a cleaning and fill scam. Everyone has gum problems that need a special cleaning and extra medication. Total scam.

I hate to go to the dentist. So my last visit was three years ago. I went to Bright Now Dental at xxxxx *** Pkwy after a friend's recommendation. Not only did they not clean anything but after two wasted hours of x-rays and examinations, they gave me a quotation of 'deep cleaning' sessions of over $4000. My out of pocket expense would be $600-$800. They tried to pressure me and say that there was a time limit on the offer and they can only waive the copay until the end of the year. I went the next day to my friend who was a dentist and did another examination there. Originally, I felt weird having a friend look into my mouth but I'm glad I did.

He said often times he gets patients with ridiculous quotations from dentists who are clearly trying to take advantage and prey on patients who would rather take their word than to visit another dentist. My friend dentist told me that I did need a couple of repeat sessions of cleaning and fix minor cavities but all of it would be covered by insurance and there was nothing extraordinary that had to be done. Most times he said the $4000 quotations should rarely happen for just cleaning and maintenance unless implants or braces are needed. Buyer beware folks!

My daughter was a patient of Bright Now Dental. We set up for a deep cleaning and replacement of a front tooth which was dead. After 3 appointments for the deep cleaning they performed on the front tooth crown once in place; my daughter complained that the new tooth was much too large and looked awkward. The staff assured her it was fine and she just wasn't used to it and ignored her complaints. After this unsatisfactory work I requested a change in insurance and took her to another dentist. According to them a cleaning had not been performed. Three fillings had been done over decay and the front tooth crown needed to be replaced. I had contacted the district manager for the Hemet location.

I said I was very upset and I had contacted my insurance. I am now paying an additional $760 to repair the substandard work and still don't have the funds to replace the front tooth crown. Leeam the manager stated he would refund $300. I agreed since something is better than nothing. Since the phone call to the manger, he has been contacted by my insurance regarding my grievance and now has chosen to no longer give me the refund. I feel as a consumer I have the right to contact my insurance. I didn't know I was accepting hush money! I am currently out $760 for repairs of Bright Now Dental's work and can't even come up with the $1500 they want to repair the front tooth crown. I feel so ripped off by this company!

Since 2006, I am on my "fifth upper bridge" and this one does not fit right either. It is loose like the previous four upper bridges. I have a severe vertical dementia; spits food and the upper lip is tucking under the lower bottom lip affecting my speech. I went to another dentist for help and he had to send me to a prosthodontist. Please help, it will cost me out of my pocket at the least $25,000.00-$40,000.00. I have absolutely no complaint with Bright Now, just Dr. Crim who has literally ruined my mouth, my face and five years of lost work using an ancient "jig" for 45 minutes at a time to knock each loose bridge out. I lost teeth, infections, oral surgery (out of my pocket) all over an upper bridge that he has no idea how to correct. He was disciplined and fined in 2002. He also lost one of his eyes during the whole time that he worked on my teeth, which I am not aware if the company or Cigna knows about, due to a Bausch & Lomb Lawsuit.

I called Humana Dental, an insurance company, about finding a dentist in their plan. They gave me the number for Bright Now Dental. I saw them on March 1, 2011 and they gave me an estimate of $533.30 to replace a lost crown. I told them I did not have the money and would need to save up for it. They needed to make sure of what my insurance would pay. The office manager said they would. That was her job. According to the insurance company, Bright Now never called or requested a pre-estimate cost. Now, Bright Now wants $1,242

Dr. Jain is the most rude and unforgivable dentist I have met. I am on SSDI, and I told him that I couldn't afford his dental plan. I wanted dentures. I had an infected tooth, he wanted $1291 to fix it, or $45 to pull it. While I was getting my tooth pulled, Dr. Jain barged into the office where I was and was ranting that he would not approve me having dentures. He wanted me to sign a statement that he would not approve it and that I needed full dental treatment. I spoke about this with the office manager, and she suggested that we cancel all treatments, and I will owe nothing. She was the only one that had any compassion for patients. I changed dentists, and six months later, they started to hound me for collections of $575. It was for an impression that Dr. Jain had disapproved! As far as I'm concerned, he owes his own company for being rude, inconsiderate of people's needs, and financial ability. Because of him, I would never use Bright Now Dental ever again. I have a dentist now that has considered my wishes, and finances. I would never leave him, ever.

I have been receiving collection calls saying that I owe $347.00 additional.

I have received a statement from Bright Now for 2 yrs. Now collection agencies are harassing me.

I am writing to inform you of the horrific treatment my mother received while under the care of Dr. James ** who specializes in oral surgery with Bright Now! Dental, 3626 Highlands Ranch Parkway, Suite 107, Highlands Ranch, CO.

Marian **, my mother, was supposed to have three teeth pulled on the morning of July 13, 2011. Marian is 81 years of age, suffered two heart attacks, and underwent several joint replacements. According to staff members working in this office at the time, Dr. ** was 2 hours behind schedule, and therefore rushed Marian's procedure. After administering the anesthetic, which was painful for Marian (the needle was bent when Dr. ** withdrew it), I was told they needed to wait 15 minutes for the anesthetic to take effect. No more than five minutes later, Dr. Berwick began the surgery.

Throughout the procedure, Marian trembled and screamed from pain, yet Dr. ** did not stop. Instead, he ignored her cries and rushed forth to finish, clearly without thought of his patient's comfort and well-being. After leaving the room, Dr. ** told me, "Well, it's out!" showing only his haste to get through his agenda. Afterwards, he neglected to return to check up on Marian.

When I returned to her room, my mother was extremely pale, crying and shaking uncontrollably. There were two assistants holding her and trying to comfort her. After some time, she was able to calm down and we left the building. Fortunately, Marian had just one tooth pulled rather than the three that were intended. I simply shudder to even think what the physical and psychological effects of pulling more than one tooth would have been.

After we returned home, my brother Mark, a licensed psychologist, called the office to complain about the treatment Marian received. He simply told that less medication is used on elderly patients and that the office was abnormally rushed due to time constraints.

My mother was restrained and calm in her response to pain. She had several teeth pulled in the past, but never reacted as she did that day with such immense pain.

In this day and age, a patient suffering this kind of pain and trauma—mentally and physically—is uncalled for. This was an outright abuse, especially considering Marian's age. That night she had nightmares about the visit and was still shaking a day after the ordeal. Neither Mark nor I can understand how a caregiver can operate with such limited empathy and lax standards, or how nothing was done to assist Marian with the pain she suffered.

I believe that while dental procedures can at times be uncomfortable, to force an 81-year-old woman to endure such outrageous pain and mistreatment is both cruel and unprofessional. I feel it is absolutely necessary to submit this letter to the governing board regulating dentistry in our area in the hopes of some form of corrective action. It is also my intent to present this issue to Bright Now! Dental, Dr. **, Secure Horizons (provider of AARP Medicare Complete), and the Better Business Bureau. Your time is greatly appreciated, and I hope to receive a response regarding this incident.

June 2011. Hesperia, Ca First bright now dental dont contact me about my daughter appt being cancel, then they dont reschedule the appointment. It takes them two months to give you a dental appointment. What made me very upset my 5 yr old complaining about tooth pain, crys all night. I call for appt next day, they call and informed me that she has no dental coverage I call insurance myself and insurance company informs me that my daughter has coverage there's no end date at this time. Well I believe they just did not want to see her for the visit.

Terrible experience. Appointments running 4 hours behind. Facility run down. Poor communication.

I went in for my regular 6 month cleaning and check up a couple of weeks ago. I was told that I was due for my "gum prodding." The technician poked around all of my gums with a sharp instrument, saying the numbers 3 or 4 when she poked. When she finished, I was told that I had gingivitis and that the infection was spreading in my mouth and I needed to have a deep cleaning done to clean out all of the bacteria. I have not had any problems with my teeth or gums, but I took her word for it and very reluctantly scheduled an appointment for 2 weeks out, today, to get a deep cleaning.

I was given an estimate ahead of time that this "special" cleaning would cost me almost $700 out of pocket (after insurance). A normal cleaning only costs me $18 after insurance. I was told they would do all of this "extra" stuff: numbing my gums and cleaning underneath them, flushing out all of the bacteria, etc. They insisted that I needed this treatment and that my "gum disease" would get worse and worse if I didn't do it.

Skip to today, I just returned home from having my "deep cleaning" done. They used a sharp metal instrument with antibacterial spray coming out of it to go around my gum line. I was not numbed up. After this, I expected more intensive, deep cleaning treatment. Not so. She then proceeded to scrape my teeth with the sharp metal instrument to remove plaque build-up like they always do at cleanings, followed by a very mediocre polishing job, and then a basic floss. I was done. I was led to the front desk where I was told my total was $812. (I also had a filling done, which accounted for $135).

I told her I was extremely disappointed with what I had just received for my treatment for that kind of money. The receptionist just looked at me. I told her that other than the anti-bacterial spray at the forefront of the cleaning, it was exactly like any other cleaning I had ever received. She balked at me, and she .tried to say that the hygienist had done more "extensive scaling under the gum line." I disagree. It felt exactly like every other cleaning I have ever had, with the exception of the antibacterial rinse. For $660. She just said, "Well, I wasn't in your mouth, so I don't know."

I proceeded to tell her I thought this was a huge racket, and I didn't understand what I was paying so much for. She said nothing. I then told her that I would tell everyone I know not to ever come to Bright Now Dental and certainly not to ever have this extensive cleaning done. She completely ignored me. I have never felt so ripped off and scammed in my entire life, and I feel physically sick to my stomach that I just paid almost $700 for a glorified cleaning. I will never go back to Bright Now Dental, and I will discourage everyone I know from going there either.

I should have known better. I received a flyer in the mail with discount coupons for exam, x-rays, and cleaning. I had recently moved to the area and my six month cleaning was due, so I set up an appointment.The first thing I thought was strange is that on the forms you fill out before being seen, they asked for personal references and also names of other friends or relatives who might need their services. Thankfully, I left these areas blank.

I had the x-rays done although the equipment was an antique and the lead apron was, I felt, too small. I tucked in as best I could. As she began taking x-ray after x-ray, I asked how many they needed. She replied 18! It seems she took even more than that. I told her I had never had so many taken before. I am 58 and have had them taken at least every two years or so for life.

Then, the x-ray person set me down in a dental chair (also very old) to wait on the dentist and told me that I would have an exam and then the office manager would call me about what treatments I would be needing(?) before they would be cleaning my teeth and that I would not get them cleaned that day. I said, "What? I just came for my regular cleaning."

I do take extremely good care of my teeth, get them cleaned at least twice a year, if not more, always brushing, floss at least once a day, also never have drank a drop of coffee in my life, very rarely tea, never smoked, don't drink, etc. I even still have two very firm baby teeth. I went out to talk to the receptionist and told her how I had made the appointment for cleaning and she had confirmed that on the phone a few days before. She said maybe it wasn't her, that she had been there only two weeks but I knew it was her voice.

She went to talk with the dentist who she said told her there would be no charge for the x-rays as long as I did not stay for the exam. I said I would stay if I could get the cleaning done then, as expected, but they could not get that because apparently, there are two (2) types of cleaning - regular and ??. I'm betting no matter how good of care you give your teeth, most people get the ?? one, so I declined and left.

That was yesterday afternoon. This afternoon, the office manager called me and exclaimed that I had run out without paying for my s-rays. She told me there was a "misunderstanding" about that, that the receptionist and dentist were wrong. I asked her if she had spoken with the dentist and she avoided answering the question by attacking me. I asked her how much the x-rays were going to cost and she kept talking over that. Finally, I told her that if I had to pay for them I owned them and she went into some spiel about how the originals by law had to stay there which is not true but they would have copies for me when I came to pay. I feel like getting a sheriff to go with me. I am going to check to see if I can find help anywhere.

I changed my insurance to a Dental HMO, so had limited choices of who I could go to. Bright Now Dental was near my office, so I figured what the heck. I have gone to the dentist every 6 months for 20 years and have never had a cavity or any other problem. I went to my appointment assuming I would get my cleaning and be on my way. The assistant did a "gum test" of some sort on me and determined that I needed a special deep cleaning. The dentist then came to examine me and said I had 6 cavities that need to be filled.

I was shocked. I had never had an issue with my teeth in my life. Additionally, all this work was going to cost me $1500 after insurance. I decided to pay out of pocket for a second opinion. I went to another dentist that came highly recommended to me from a friend. I received copies of my x-rays that were taken at Bright Now and brought them to the second dentist. He looked at my mouth, and the x-rays and couldn't find a cavity one and said he thought my teeth were easier to clean than his. I went ahead and paid for him to clean my teeth.

Like I said, if I had had any dental issues in my life, Bright Now Dental may have pulled one over on me. However, I knew my history and knew that the likelyhood of 6 cavities popping up out of nowhere was highly unlikely. With that, it was worth it for me to pay the money to have a second opinion.

I think this needs to be brought to everyone's attention as some people may not think or cannot afford to get a second opinion. If I had listened to them, I would have spent $1500 on unnecessary work. Because I got a second opinion, I was able to avoid that cost. I did, however, have to pay $200 out of pocket for the out of network dental visit and cleaning.