Public Mediation

gentle dental marana arizona-Dispute-#3886277

R. K. vs. Gentle Dental Marana Arizona
5860 W ARIZONA PAVILIONS DR, STE 100, Tucson, Arizona, 85743, United States
Amount Involved: Other terms
    • Status: In Negotiation
      This claim has posted for public comment and negotiation. It will remain posted until resolved to the claimant's satisfaction. Suggest a resolution to help these parties reach a settlement.
       (seeking public comment)
    • Claimant Seeks: 1 non-monetary items.
    • Claim #: 3886277
    • Amount Involved: N/A
    • Filed On: Sep 16, 2012
    • Posted On: Sep 27, 2012
    • Complaint(s):
      • Bad business practices
      • Problem with a service
      • Contract / Agreement / Promise dispute
View less
Rate or Review on Gentle Dental...
Become an online mediator
  • Review this case.
  • Propose your solution.
  • Win the reward (1,000)
Statement of Claim
Complaints Involved (4) - View
Claimant says:
"I went in to Gentle Dental on September 12, 2012 with a broken tooth. I was seen by Leonard Gerken.
I was given three options:
Option A: Gingivectomy and filling - $202.00
Option B: Root Canal, with crown build up and crown, premium lab fee, surgery - $1425.00
Option C: Pull it - $60.00
With option A, there wasn't a guarantee, and I could still need option B. Gingivectomy implies gum disease.
I opted for option A.
I was told that this was a failure and here's what this failure entailed:
Limited oral exam: $20.00 (I'm an established patient of Gentle Dental, so per my insurance fee schedule - should be $15.00), Office Visit: $5.00 (mind numbing - a copay AND a charge for the exam), Pulp Debridement: $55.00 (implies dental pulp disease), Gingivectomy: $150.00 (again, implies gum disease) and the only VIABLE charge for my actual tooth - Sedative (temporary) Filling $25.00.

A 2nd opinion amounted to this (on Sept. 14) - No gum disease, no dental pulp disease, no root canal HAD BEEN needed (now one is), because of what Dr. Gerken did to my mouth. He cut bone and gum with a water laser. 4 days later I am still in mass amounts of pain. He prescribed nothing, not even fluoride toothpaste that he recommended, and when I asked for a prescription for it he told me that he didn't like the stuff that they had in pharmacies. I was given NO care instructions for my tooth / gums, etc.

The Sedative Filling isn't even flush with my tooth, it dips.

Oh, and the Option A plan of $202.00 somehow ended up costing me $255.00 out the door, not to mention the fact that I do actually NOW NEED THE ROOT CANAL.

If I needed a crown (of any type) it would have been $280.00 (unless it was a prefabricated stainless steel crown - $60.00) along with the cost of a temporary crown of $40.00, if all I needed was a resin based filling - $30.00, and if I had gotten a Amalgam filling - $13.00. An Inlay-metallic - $135.00. Of course, we can't forget to include the $15.00 Re-evaluation - limited, problem focused (established patient) and the $5.00 office visit.

This is a dentist who takes advantage of his patients. A person cannot possibly know if they have diseased dental pulp or that a gingivectomy means you have gum disease (which I know I don't). And if your dentist is telling you that your teeth have the need for special prescription toothpaste at the beginning of your visit, but when you ask for the prescription at the end of your visit and he won't write it - it leaves many unanswered questions.

Now, I have to spend more money for a root canal that I didn't need.

I put a stop payment on the check I wrote for 155.00, and I'm hoping I did it in time. I still have to dispute the charge on my credit card for the balance of 100.00.

If the transactions for $255.00 actually post, I want my money back. If I manage to stop them, I want Dr. Gerken to undo his mess at no charge."
...
Reply Have a similar problem?
Additional Communication Between Claimant and Gentle Dental Marana Arizona Hide
  • Sep 18, 2012, Claiming party added:

  • I now have an Abscess (infection) and have learned that it is common practice to prescribe antibiotics when doing this sort of work on a patient. The temporary filling has a hole in it towards the rear of my mouth, so essentially the dentist "missed a spot", and I was never given care instructions (which is also common practice).

  • Sep 18, 2012, Claiming party added:

  • Also, 6 days later I'm in as much pain as the day the procedure was done.

  • Sep 19, 2012, Claiming party added:

  • Yes, I was starting to get a headache - I had taken 3 Aleve before the dentist arrived in the room. Partially because of the 45 minute wait in the lobby, and partially due to fluorescent lighting. I was diagnosed with cluster headaches in 2003, which is completely irrelevant to the reason why I was there.
    Dr. Gerken had asked if my pain was because of my tooth, at which point I informed him my pain was because of my head and had nothing to do with my tooth whatsoever. It hadn't caused me any pain at all, even the day I broke it. With the one exception being me accidentally hitting the exposed nerve.
    We did go over my oral history, he told me he could tell by the color of my teeth that he could tell I had lived in the locale for a long time (I told him my whole life), and that was when he mentioned prescription strength toothpaste because my teeth had a lot of soft spots and de-mineralization due to our water / ph levels / etc. I also explained that I had Scarlett Fever when I was younger, and he told me that played a big role in my cavities.

    Tooth "#18" is the tooth in question, not other teeth with silver fillings. This tooth has never had any work done on it until Dr. Gerken. All of my previous dental work was done my Dr. Migliazzo (including the silver that is being brought up by Dr. Gerken), and I've had no problem with those silver fillings, or even the resin based filling that we also discussed at this visit.

    You can like the personality of someone, which I did - very much. I found Dr. Gerken to be very pleasant, great sense of humor, and very good at putting a patient at ease. However, if you like your mechanic the first time you meet him, and he messes up your engine - are you going to take your car back? Just because someone sounds like they know what they're doing, doesn't mean they always do.

    7 days later, I am still in pain, I am now taking antibiotics, I've had 4 more x-rays taken of my mouth, my PCP is EXTREMELY concerned about sepsis, the Endodontist mentioned won't TOUCH my mouth (I was supposed to get the root canal done yesterday), until everything is cleared up and we know there's no bone issues (I go back next week so he can look at my mouth again).

    I NEVER stated or implied I was going to have Dr. Gerken finish anything (build up or crown) after I had the root canal done. The endodontist will do it all for a family discount.

    At this point, I am in the process of switching our dental insurance and will NEVER go back to Gentle Dental. I don't want them to fix my mouth, or touch any member of my families mouth.

    I have had 3 different professionals tell me that my mouth was butchered, and I have a serious infection.

    I have to take a prescription antibiotic 4 times a day, was prescribed a pain medication, and was told to IMMEDIATELY go to the Emergency Room if my fever gets worse or I start to feel dizzy, confused and do on. This can all be verified with Dr. McConnell at Marana Health - as he is the one with major concerns for sepsis, due to the very bad job done on my mouth and the exposed bone, lack of antibiotic given at the time of the procedure, the filling that has a gap and is leaving a nice exposed path straight for bacteria to travel through, etc.

    I expected pain Thursday and Friday. I expected some on Saturday. But the fact that it has continued to get worse and travel forward on my lower jaw, I did not expect. Of course I sought out other opinions.

    Again, if your mechanic screws up your car, are you going back to him - even if you liked him? Or are you going to get other estimates and opinions?

    This guy just keeps costing me more and more money, and I haven't stepped back into his office. Why would I go back in and spend even more?

    Dr. visits, prescriptions, x-rays, these are all going to add up. And I'm not healthy, yet.

  • Sep 29, 2012, Claiming party added:

  • Gentle Dental is no longer my dentist, and I don't want any of their dentists to touch my mouth.

    (Under original Non-cash settlement it should have read "fix my tooth") - That is not an option.

    I want the $7.95 for filing this claim, the $100.00 charged to my AMEX, the $29.00 for the stop payment fee for the check, and the $500.00 it will cost to have the tooth repaired through another dentist. Which is far less than the over $1400.00 that Gentle Dental would have charged. I am requesting a total of $636.95, from Gentle Dental, and then I will remove this claim from public view. I will also cancel remove the claim from the Better Business Bureau...

  • Sep 29, 2012, Claiming party added:

  • Better Business Bureau Complaint ID #98720618 has NOT been responded to by Gentle Dental.

What Claimant Wants Hide
Non-Cash
What By When How Much
1. Repair: Fox my tooth Oct 01, 2012 N/A
Cash
1. Monetary items with amounts to be determined: If I don't receive credit from my card, and check Oct 01, 2012 TBD*
2. Other – Pay for claim posting cost Oct 01, 2012 $7.95
Cash total : $7.95*
Non-cash: 1 items
*Amount shown is not final: total will increase when pending amount(s) are known and entered.
  • 0
Do you agree with the claimant’s demands?  (If you are a party to this claim, click here.)

Respondent's Counteroffer

There has been no response to this claim from Gentle Dental Marana Arizona. This claim will remain posted until resolved
Expand
Refresh
  • Show:
  • Sort by:
  • Comment: by honeyluvbabydove — Online mediator
    • On: 11-14-2012
    View more
  • Gentle Dental is one of the best and most considerate Dental Practices in Tucson. I have been going to their dentists for years. I have never had any negative experiences there. I have also been working in the Dental Field for 10 yrs and it is clear that the "claiming party" is just some sad excuse for a human, who does not understand her poor dental insurance coverage. Terrible that the destist and office in question could be attacked because of some person who does not even know how to care for her teeth , let alone anything else.
See how PeopleClaim Works
Get fast access to our Resolver community, for...
  • help with a PeopleClaim or any other complaint
  • assistance with a purchase or contract
  • expert advice
Other PeopleClaim resolvers
Want to see more? Search our directory of resolvers.
Get Free alerts when claims post in your area.
Get Alert
Cases seeking help
Pick a case. Help resolve it.
Need help resolving a dispute? Learn more.
Help resolve claims against businesses and people near you:
View more claims

Public Mediation

The shortest path from your problem to its resolution.
1
Peer to Peer

Engage the other party and use powerful tools to negotiate the best resolution.

Free
If Unresolved
2
Community Resolution

Post your case online and get help from legal professionals, industry experts, consumers & advocates competing to find the best resolution to your claim.

$14.99 + optional reward for best resolution
Full refund if not resolved to your satisfaction
If Unresolved
3
Private Mediation

Lets you mediate your case privately with the help of our professional mediators and industry experts.

Free to claimant. Mediator fees negotiable.
If Unresolved
4
Engage a Professional

Find the best community-reviewed professionals near you to resolve your issue in private online mediation or traditional court/mediation.

Resolution

A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart.

I am (not) alone, and I feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine...~ Goethe

Get a public verdict — create an online trial $50 public trial / $50 reward for successful resolution
Important: All information contained herein is the opinion of the posting parties, who are solely responsible for its content. PeopleClaim offers both free and paid services to help consumers, patients, employee, tenants, and others resolve disputes without lawyers or courts, through negotiated online settlement and public disclosure of wrongdoing or unfair treatment.
Claims against parties operating under bankruptcy protection, by law must be processed solely through the appropriate US bankruptcy court. Any claims against this party currently posted on PeopleClaim are available for purposes of public business review only and are not an attempt to collect money or recover assets subject to protections under the United States Bankruptcy Code.
*IMPORTANT: PeopleClaim is a public dispute resolution system, independent of the BBB, small claims court, or other dispute resolution services. PeopleClaim is not a law firm and does not provide legal services, opinions, or advice. PeopleClaim facilitates peer-to-peer negotiation and resolution and crowdsourced input on issues of fairness to help resolve complaints. Users should contact professional legal counsel on any matters of law or regulation regarding their claims. PeopleClaim does not review or evaluate the merits of claims submitted through its site, and users are solely responsible for all content filed in their claims.
© reserved by PeopleClaim