Gentle Dental

Sorry this is so long but it is all so true. I want everyone to be careful.. especially in this economy. The one positive thing ill say is Dr. Hazaratti is awesome.. she truly is informative and gentle.. but whoever is doing the damn billing sucks! I WAS OVERCHARGED $1200..!! I hadnt been to the dentist in a few years and knew i needed some major work done.. so i went in and got x rays done and was told I had to pay around 4 grand and thats even after my insurance paid 2 grand (which is my yearly maximum). Dentists can charge whoever and whatever they want. I was already aware of that and very cautious of this especially considering the amount of work i needed done. Of course i had to go in to the dentist severalllllll times for all the work needed and each time i would pay what i could. every time i made a payment i would ask for a new print out of how much more work i needed and the costs of everything ( it irritated them they are probably just used to people paying whatever.. not me!).. thats when i started noticing the costs kept going up and up and up.. every new printout was the same description of work needed but with a higher price.. then i started seeing the same tooth on the financial printouts just in a different order! so i was being charged twice for the same tooth!!! I definitely said something about these ridiculous charges thinking maybe they just had a mishap and even compared all the different billing statements to the lady handling my billing and she just got sooooo frustrated with me and acted as if i was stupid and how could i not understand the billing. So i even started doubting myself and started actually believing her!! Then there was an issue because they couldnt keep taking small payments from me, apparently they needed it all in full. So i was forced to open up a credit card with them to pay for dental work. Of course i kept all my paperwork together and receipts and billing info and i also decided to print out my insurance claims to keep on file. Thats when i realized my insurance was paying gentle dental way more then they had claimed and the patient responsibility was wayyyy less then i was actually paying. Yea i wasnt crazy and i was about to rip the b**** who made feel like an idiot a new a******. I was right the whole time I knew i was being overcharged while it was happening to me. So i was ready to sue them if they weren't willing to immediately pay me back and my dental insurance was furious ( they were an in network office .. my insurance referred gentle dental to me and there is an in network contracted price that they had to charge me.. not less not more and they violated the contract) well i wanted to specifically talk to the lady handling my account just to hear her excuse and give her back her famous quote.. "what dont you understand?!?!" But after calling and letting them know i was aware of their little scheme i went in and as soon as she saw me and fled. never came back out. suprising right?!.. After a bunch of bitching and threats i finally got my $ back. im just so shocked they continued to overcharge me when they knew i was aware of them doing it?!?! it Just doesnt make any sense. Then i found out this is a very common problem.. Dentists do it all the time, so everyone needs to do their part and ASK QUESTIONS!! DONT LET THEM MAKE YOU FEEL STUPID LIKE THEY DID TO ME! MAKE SURE YOU REVIEW YOUR BENEFITS WITH YOUR INSURANCE SO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR OBLIGATED TO PAY, NEVER THROW ANY DOCUMENTS AWAY. NEVERRRRR PAY FOR ANYTHING YOU DONT UNDERSTAND! IF YOUR GOING TO MAKE A PAYMENT YOU CHECK AND MAKE SURE THATS WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO PAY AND THAT U UNDERSTAND THE CHARGES IN LAMEST TERMS.. REMIND THEM WE DONT SPEAK DENTAL SO BREAK IT DOWN IN ENGLISH! DONT GET TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF LIKE I WAS. ITS A HUGE HEADACHE.

Posted 10/07/09 | Report Abuse

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Great staff! Office girls are super nice and helpful and Dr Folico is the best! The waiting time can get to you (same as any Drs office!) but worth the wait if you end up in good hands. My entire family has been going to GD for 6-8 years... totally recomended.

Posted 10/01/09 | Report Abuse

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I don't know why everyone is so unhappy with this Dental office. I have been going there for over 8 years and have had 3 root canals and 4 crowns done over past few years. The place is clean and spacious. Everytime I have had an emergency, I called in the morning and they were always able to see me the same day. I am always treated with respect and receive prompt service. I see Dr. Hazrati and she is wonderful.

Posted 04/23/09 | Report Abuse

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I went in for a cleaning and it took 2 hours. I had a full set of x-rays done. I was told that I had gingivitis and needed a crown..they could have spotted this from the previous visit and somehow over looked the problem and never said anything about it. All I wanted was my teeth cleaned. I will be going else where as time and truth are overseen in their office and it is sad to have poor customer relations this way.

Posted 10/28/08 | Report Abuse

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I've been seeing Debbie for the last 4 years. She has been doing a fantastic job on my teeth and gums. I see her every 4 months due to the fact that I've had gum surgery in last year. Debbie has helped me maintain a healthy mouth by providing sound advice on how to take care of my teeth and gums.

Posted 10/21/08 | Report Abuse

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I got a crown done at Gentle Dental in Costa Mesa which I was told "may not last forever, but should be good for a pretty long time." I inquired as to why they didn't just pull it out and give me a fake one, but they insisted this should work for ten to fifteen years at least. A year or so later, the gums began to swell and leak pus and blood. I went to a Gentle Dental in Beaverton, OR where they explained that the work done in Costa Mesa had caused a severe infection and total bone loss in the area of the tooth. The total out of pocket expense for the extraction of the tooth, bone graft surgery, and implant? $6007. Seriously, avoid this place like the plague. (However, if you happen to be in Beaverton, OR., the Gentle Dental offices up here are FANTASTIC.)

Posted 10/20/08 | Report Abuse

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My daughter and I have both gone here for 2 years ans I was astounded to find this site with such negative reviews. The staff has always been courteous and concerned, if occassionally a bit unorganized. They've gone out of the way to check our insurance coverage to save us money. The dentist himself always makes my daughter laugh to bring down her anxiety.

Posted 06/16/08 | Report Abuse

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I had four of my wisdoms teeth pulled here, and the surgeon and staff were very professional. It felt as if I was in good hands. The end result was great, and my gums healed up well.

I've also had a root canal done, and whereas the process was horrible in itself, my doctor was very professional and skillful, and took great care that I was not in too much pain, and that I knew what was going on.

One thing I dislike about the place, is that it feels a little dingy, almost like stepping into a 3rd world country dentist. But, I feel my doctor is too good to make me want to switch dentists.

Posted 10/29/07 | Report Abuse

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Having my wisdom teeth pulled by these butchers was the absolute worst experience of my life. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. When I told the staff how nervous I was it was obvious that they could care less. I was in extreme pain for weeks afterwards and after three weeks, I am still waiting to see if the damage to my nerve is permanent or not...one side of my face is STILL numb. After going back to "gentle" dental 3 times to ask what the HELL was going on in my mouth, their only solution was to give me more drugs....Upon my third visit, the oral surgeon asked me if I had been using the syringe to clean my wounds, and I informed him that they had neglected to give me one in the first place!!! I would be shocked to learn that anyone who works at this office has ever received ANY medical training whatsoever. Run, don't walk.

Posted 09/29/07 | Report Abuse

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This is the worst dentist's office I have ever gone to. No one knows what is going or what the last person said or did. They send a person from the financial office in to talk to you every time they see you, sometimes more than once a visit. I got a different story from every person I ever spoke to there. I made a payment they did not record. One hygienist, who didn't even speak enough English to tell me what she was doing, put me in more dental pain then I have ever felt in my life, and I have had 2 root canals. They never did the service I was scheduled for and everything they chose to do was more expensive then what I had scheduled. They charged me an arm and a leg for a crown and after the fact they claimed the reason was that it was voluntary. No one ever told me I had a choice when they told me I _HAD_ to get it. Then they had the audacity to call me up and tell me they _undercharged_ me. I would have never needed the root canal if I had not gotten the crown I didn't need, nor would I have needed an emergency procedure between the work done on my tooth to place a temporary crown - which I also didn't need - and placing the permanent crown. They called 3 times when I was on vacation trying to get me to come in to have the permanent crown placed even though I already had an appointment to have the permanent crown placed after my vacation. Then when I went back to get the permanent crown placed, they had forgotten it was there and apparently lost it and had to find it. The main reason they said I had to get the crown was to correct a large space between my teeth that a lot of food was getting stuck in, guess what, $760 later that I never needed to spend, the gap is still there and food is still getting stuck. I would knock my own teeth out with a hammer and do without before I would return to this office.

Posted 06/28/07 | Report Abuse

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I had an accident where my tooth was cracked vertically. I called the office, and they got me in that day with an hour. I thought for sure I was going to loose my tooth. They were very helpful in explaining my situation, but said that I may loose the tooth due to the trauma. I was going to need a root canal and a crown. The dentist who did the root canal was the best I had ever experienced. It was absolutely pain free, and was completed within 15-20 minutes. The crown prep was done wonderfully as well. The dentist was able to fix the crack and saved my tooth. I had a temp crown put on and within a week had the permanent crown put on. The entire staff during my visit was nothing but nice and cordial. I highly recommend this office of highly trained professionals.

PROS: Staff freindlyness, professionalism, quickness of service
CONS: none

Posted 10/16/06 | Report Abuse

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My husband had the misfortune of having a tooth extraction done at this location. This was the worst dental experience ever and the way everyone at this clinic treated both my husband and me was diplorable. While he was having the extraction, the dentist snapped his tooth in half. He actually heard the dentist say, "Oh s**t", then she walked out of the room. He was left there for about 5 minutes until a dental assistant came in and started packing his mouth with gauze and explained what happened. When he asked where the dentist went, he was told that she went "out to lunch". We tried to submit claims of negligence and malpractice but no one would hear our claims. We were told, "the dentist acted in a professional manner" - even though we had excellent documentation of everything that happened. We had to go to an oral surgeon the next day to have the rest of the tooth removed and we had to pay for that ourselves ($400). The insurance did not cover any of the extraction either. We were totally shocked at the way we were treated. At one point, one of the staff at the location actually told me, "you don't know what you're talking about." While I was in the waiting room, a woman who was in the middle of having a root canal done was sitting in the office with me. I asked her what was going on and she said, "the doctor said he needed a break". What is that?? I'm no dentist, but you don't stop midway through a root cancel and send your patient out to the waiting room. Diplorable. I have since found out this office changed their name. I wonder if they're horrible practices had anything to do with that?

PROS: none
CONS: too many to list

Posted 09/27/05 | Report Abuse

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