Is my Dentist SCAMMING me(33m/disability/welfare) and my MOTHER (65/senior/disabled/welfare)?

[healthyteethlover]

It was an emergency.

I needed help.

I didn't know where to go for help.

And he took advantage of me when I was down bad.

My gums were swollen and red.

My gums were oozing white pus by the minute.

My gums were bleeding constantly.

My teeth felt like they were being eaten alive by plaque-rot.

It was an emergency.

I was DESPERATE for help.

And he took advantage of me.



The SCAMS all began 3 months ago in October on the 9th of Monday in the year of our Lord 2023 in Northern California, San Joaquin County.

I think me(33m/disabled/welfare) and my mother (65/senior/disabled/welfare) is being SCAMMED by our dentist (new dentist we just signed up with).

I recently signed up for a new Medi-Cal health plan and I had to choose a new dentist. I chose a dentist half way across town because this was only one I found that accepted my new health plan.

I went in for a visit and he seemed very friendly and helpful and he earned my trust immediately.

The dentist recommended the following work to be done:

• tooth removal
• deep cleaning
• dentures

The dental office called me 2 weeks later to set up an appointment. I asked to speak with the Dental Professional himself to ask more questions and he told me how much it would cost after insurance paid their share. He told me approximately $10,000.

He was very helpful and earned my trust more.

I told him I live in poverty and I only have $0.33 left at the end of the month to buy groceries so I have to purchase groceries on credit.

I also told him that I was able to scrounge up credit cards from family to pay for my care and if I could make payments to pay it off instead.

He told me that I need at least a $2,500 down payment if I wanted to make payments. I agreed to this down payment and he told me to come right this moment into his office to get it done.

I went into the office and I told the receptionist that I would like to make a down payment. The dental professional came into the office and told me I had to sign up for their store credit card. I was lost and confused but I trust him so I signed up for their store credit card.

(SCAM RED FLAG #1 AND #2)
I have a friend in sales and he told me that what the dental professional did was use a manipulative sales tactic called lowballing to get customers into the door to prime them to purchase a product.
I also have a friend that works at a department store who told me that stores get a commission for every person that signs up for the store credit card regardless if the customer gets approved or not and that the dentistry is using their customers as cash cow to get paid every time a patient signs up for their store credit card.

Now. I successfully signed up for a store card and he told me to come back after telling me that I could get the work done this day. (He just wanted me to sign up for a store credit card so his store could make $). But I demanded that he serviced me this same day as he said he would. I had to argue with him but I got it.

I asked him how many teeth am I going to get pulled out today. He said 7. I don't know much about dentistry but I assumed this to be normal.

(SCAM RED FLAG #3)
I have a friend who works in dentistry who told me normally patients would take out 1 or 2 max teeth at a time due to the pain involved and that he was just trying to fast track my procedure so he can farm other patients as cash cows.

Next he told me to come back to pull the other teeth out. I asked him about my mercury fillings because I read on a blog that mercury fillings are a health hazard. He replied that he would be happy to take them out as well (without even inspecting them). He also tried to SELL me on taking out my impacted wisdom teeth when I never even mentioned them.

(SCAM RED FLAG #3)
He was trying to use me as a cash cow to milk my medi-cal health insurance with extra procedures that I did not need. Needless to say, he never took out my mercury teeth as he promised.

After pulling out all the teeth that I was scheduled to remove. He made me make another appointment for a deep cleaning.

It was an absolute nightmare this experience.

He made his assistant come to help me after waiting for half an hour. His assistant asked me how I was doing and if I was ready for my dentures. I told her I did not receive my deep cleaning yet. She was confused because she was instructed by the dental professional to make a molding for my dentures. I had to argue with the dental assistant for up to an hour (why did I have to argue). I HAD to pull up my receipts to PROVE that I PAID for a deep cleaning which I NEVER received (why did I have to pull up my receipts)? Finally after much headache and arguing I was able to receive my deep cleaning from the dental professional and lets just say he wasn't happy because he was not gentle at all and I told him it was hurting and he replied, "I know," and pressed harder. Idiot.

(SCAM RED FLAG #4)
He tried to play me for a fool and tried to pull a quick one on me by skipping out on my deep cleaning. GOOD thing I KEPT my receipts or I would've never received my deep cleaning.

AFTER my deep cleaning was done, the dental professional told me to go make another appointment. I didn't ask what for because I trusted him and he seemed very cool so I went to the receptionist to make another appointment. The receptionist seemed VERY confused and asked me what it was for? I replied that I do not know and I was just following the health care dental professional instructions for making another appointment. They made me wait in the waiting room for an hour while they figured out what for. The dental professional finally replied that it was for another clean-up (after a deep clean though)?

(SCAM RED FLAG #5)
My friend who works in the dentist field told me that I DID NOT need another cleaning after a deep cleaning and that he was using me as a cash cow to milk my medi-cal government paid health insurance. SCAMMING IDIOT!

I then went in for my denture moldings and during the process I kept telling him that this is hurting me and he kept replying, "I know" as he pressed harder. I figured it was just part of the routine so I stomached it.

Not a scam but just a sign of evil, piss-poor character and loose piss-poor morality.

I was blinded by my own trust for health-care professionals. I thought all the bad guys are in hell and not on earth.

I trusted him and he seemed trustworthy so I brought my mother(65/senior/disabled/female) to the office.

They took her x-ray and told her that they would call back in 2 weeks after contacting her government paid, medi-cal health insurance for coverage. I asked them what procedures needed to be done and they answered several tooth removal, crown removal, and dentures.

4 weeks passed by and they never called back so I called back to follow up.

They told me that my mother(65/senior/disabled/female) needed to come back for another x-ray.

(SCAM RED FLAG #6)
Are they milking my mother(65/senior/disabled/female) as a cash cow to get paid by her health insurance by making her get extra procedures done that she doesn't need?

Also, the dentist has shown signs of abuse towards me and therefore his patients.

So in summary I would like to ask reddit's fine dental professionals after all things considered:

ARE ME(33M/DISABLED/WELFARE) AND MY MOTHER(65/F/DISABLED/WELFARE) BEING SCAMMED BY OUR DENTIST AND BEING TREATED UNFAIRLY BY A HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL WHOSE JOB IS TO CARE FOR HIS PATIENTS?

IF I AM BEING SCAMMED WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLETHAT I HAVE TO REPRIMAND HIM?

SO FAR I HAVE CONSIDERED TO LEAVING AN INTENSE NEGATIVE REVIEW ON THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS:

• BETTER BUSINES BEREAU.
• HIS DENTAL PRACTICE WEBSITE.
• GOOGLE BUSINESS REVIEWS.
• DBC CA GOV CONSUMER COMPLAINTS WEBSITE.
  • (https://www.dbc.ca.gov/consumers/complaints.shtml)
• MEDI-CAL WEBSITE COMPLAINT FORM.

IT IS NOW DECEMBER (CLOSE TO IT) AND I STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED MY DENTURES AFTER THE MOLD BEING DONE ON OCTOBER 30TH, 2023 2 MONTHS AGO.

WHAT PROTECTION WOULD I HAVE (LEGALLY OR OTHERWISE) IF THEY LOST IT?

 

[healthyteethlover]

hello mods

can you delete this

there has been a huge misunderstanding