Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  04/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My son *************************** received braces for Children's dental health. We were called a day before his appointment by *** and left a message stating we had been dismissed from the practice. There was no reason as to why, and they stated we were not allowed to come to our appointment the next day. I tried to call back but was told by the call center that *** does not have a direct line and they could send her a message to call me. After a couple weeks of phone tag, **** and I finally spoke. I was told that he'd been dismissed due to not having appointments or keeping up with his care. I stated that I had called to set up appointments multiple times and was told that they did not have an orthodontist on site at the time and they would call me back, they never did. When I would call back, they wouldn't schedule us for 2 months out. When I mentioned this and informed *** we hadn't been giving any warning or phone call that ******* was being considered for dismissal, *** stated they were not required to do so. I also explained that ******* has been in and out of the hospital for mental health issues since October. *** stated they weren't informed of that and if I had communicated, this may not have been an issue. If I had known he was being considered as a patient to dismiss, I would have communicated. Furthermore, I've paid for his braces in full. If they have decided to dismiss my son from their practice and not finish the service that I've paid for, I'd like my money back. I think the way they handled this situation was extremely unprofessional and they are trying to bully us.

  Business response

  05/03/2023

  This patient has not been seen in the office since August 18, 2022. Per our dismissal policy, patients in active treatment that have not been seen in 6 months are at-risk for dismissal. After over 20 attempts to reach parent since August 2022 via phone and text, we officially dismissed the patient from the practice on February 13, 2023.
  
  The claim that we did not have an orthodontist in the last six months is inaccurate. We were open in Springfield multiple days every month.
  
  This patient had 7 no-show appointments since starting treatment with us on September 10, 2020.
  July 8, 2021 (no-show)
  September 30, 2021 (no-show)
  January 27, 2022 (no-show)
  September 22, 2022 (no-show)
  November 3, 2022 (no-show)
  December 19, 2022 (no-show)
  January 13, 2023 (no-show)
  
  There is no refund due. The last payment we received from mom was December 20,2022 and that was for a past due balance from the insurance lapsing April-August 2022. We have not collected anything since. Please let ** know if you have any additional questions.

• Initial Complaint

  04/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My 3 year old had oral surgery in June of 2022. She was supposed to get 4 caps & 4 fillings. However, when under anestsia, I was told she needed 14 caps. I agreed. I had already paid roughly 2000 prior to surgery. I knew I would be billed more since more work was done. My first complaint is I was scheduled with the wrong provider, I still proceeded. The surgeon, *****, was extremely RUDE with no bedside manor. My second complaint is they messed up billing and instead of taking the agreed amount monthly, they took the entire $900. I was then refunded but this took 2 weeks and several calls. Third, my daughters teeth look HORRIBLE! They are separated, she complains that some hurt, and the porslin (I paid extra) are chipping already. Last month (almost a year later) I receive two more bills, one for $800 and one for $3600. I scheduled a follow up appointment to have her checked and to discuss this bill. I was called 20 minutes before her appointment to tell me the appointment was being cancelled unless I paid the $3600. I JUST received this bill about one month prior to this appointment. I had to leave my workplace 1.5 hours early to pick my daughter up from daycare to get them. So not only did I miss work, but I was denied an appointment. I have had nothing but issues with this place and it's very frustrating. I do not feel I should pay an additional roughly 4500$. For a total amount of about $6,000, my daughters teeth should be perfect. I cannot believe I can't get help for my daughter... she is three years old. I feel horrible for her. This companies customer service is absolutely horrible! When I expressed my concerns, I was told "I can transfer you to billing but the appointment will be cancelled". I work in healthcare as well and I know this is totally unacceptable. i would never treat a patient this way, especially a child. I am asking for my bill to be reduced so I can set a payment plan and move on with a different dentist.

  Business response

  05/10/2023

  We could not find this patient in our patient record system.  We need the patients information - all we have here is the parent.  On this compliant they just have parents information and we could not find her in our computer system.  Please provide the patient information and the office location where treatment was rendered so we can research. Thank you 

  Customer response

  05/15/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********. The patients name is ********************* and her DOB is **********.
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************** (formerly *****)
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Childrens Dental Health holds a huge monopoly on ******** patients. They triple book and neglect childrens teeth causing emergencies. These emergencies cause even more backups in the schedule. Emergencies are being scheduled SIX MONTHS out. Specially my Child now has a severe dental emergency that is life threatening and they refuse to do anything about it.

• Initial Complaint

  11/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  My 5 children are seen at this specific location. They were all seen on July 28,2022 for a routine visit. 4 of them required a return visit for some sealants, and fillings. The services were to be completed on 9/29/22. The morning of 9/29/22, after already arranging work and school schedule I received an email that the office was unexpectedly closed and that a staff member would reach out to reschedule. A week went by with no contact from CDHA. I called and was able to get them rescheduled for today 11/15/22 at 10am. This morning at 7:24 I received another email that the office is unexpectedly closed again after making arrangements with work and school. My childrens teeth health is important to maintain and this business has now forced me to look elsewhere that accepts 5 new patients and PA ********* A major inconvenience and lack of communication.

• Initial Complaint

  09/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In July 2021 my son (age 7) was referred to Children's Dental to have dental work done. On Feb 24th he was seen for a comprehensive oral evaluation. It was determined that my son needed extensive work done. I provided insurance information, and a date of April 11th was set for the surgery. A week prior I was called by an associate and told that my portion of the for the surgery was $621 and it needed to be paid prior to my visit. This was paid in full, and surgery was set. After surgery I was sent a statement showing a balance of $2018 with an insurance Est of $1318. About a month later I received a bill for $700. I called Childrens Dental and the associate told me not to worry that I was paid in full and this was just a reminder that the insurance still hasn't paid. Three months later I got the same bill saying I still owe $700. The associate now told me that this was owed by me. After a long discussion with the associate on Sep 13th I requested to speak to a supervisor and was told I would get a call that day or the next day. I never got a call. I contacted my insurance company and was told that Children's dental billed my insurance $4086 and they knew that my insurance cap was $2639 (found on the ***** ****** website). I feel I was not informed of the over charge from the initial estimate, and I should have been contacted well before the procedure of the addition out of pocket expense ($700) before surgery. When this was brought up on Sep 13th the associate agreed, looked in the notes and didn't see anything noted. My insurance company said no cost estimate was ever requested to the ******* ********* Dental Program which would have clearly noted the amount that could have been requested. The medical staff was great, but the insurance associates didn't do their part. If I have to pay, I will but I feel this should have been disclosed as we had over two months to process insurance payment and out of pocket cost.

  Business response

  10/13/2022

  Hello - We have spoken with the father and have come to an agreement regarding this manner.  

  Customer response

  10/14/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************
  
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩