ComplaintsforGwinnett Family Dental Care

• Initial Complaint

  08/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I received a **** from Gwinnett Family Dental office stating I owe $118. I called and they stated it is from 2019 exrays. I do not owe a **** from 2019 especially for x rays. All bills have been paid by my insurance and my deductible was paid the day of service. If this was the case why did it take 3 years to ****. I asked the dentist office this same question only to be hung up on.

  Business response

  08/20/2022

  *******,

  In response to your complaint, we do acknowledge it has been a lengthy period of time between when you recently received the statement for services from us and your date of service at our practice. We do apologize, however we have experienced set backs and delays in our billing practices and systems due to chronic short-staffing over the past few years, but now with an experienced Billing Team in place we are in the process of actively balancing and addressing old account balances.  That being said, our records do indicate that the amount we billed you is correct, however as a one-time courtesy and as consideration for the length of time it took for us to submit your billing statement, we will write off the balance owed which would leave your account with a $0 balance.  Additionally, our recorded phone records indicate a member of our Team appeared to discuss your billing questions thoroughly and at length with you.  However, if this was not the case and you have any additional questions, do not hesitate to give our office a call at ************ and one of our Team will be happy to speak with you.  

  Customer response

  08/20/2022

   
  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. However, I would like a breakdown of what the charge was for because I paid $220 at the time of the visit for the exray and the consult was free. So please explain the additional charges. However I accept their solution to the issue.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On or about January 20,2021, I went to this dental office to receive dental care. During the course of my interaction and patient seating to receive dental treatment, Ebony-a black supervisor at the dental clinic placed me in a seating area where I was told that this dentist primarily saw male dental patients. I immediately requested being seen by a dentist that see a mixture of patients. As a heterosexual female, I did not want to be assimilated with any groups. I was moved and a white female dentist began a replacement crown. She left the crown unfinished and talked about "a dog". The black assistant that came to provide the cement started talking about her medical conditions and weird conversations that I didn't participate in;only be cordial. This (black)dental assistant left the instrument for cementing the crown and walked off. Moreover, Ebony didn't provide another licensed dental assistant to complete the dental work. I was left with gap in my mouth and cement. I requested a refund. the white female doctor didn't return to finalize treatment.

  Business response

  07/21/2022

  Our patient notes and records from the visit to our office by *************************** differ significantly from her accounting of the visit.  Due to HIPAA constraints we are not able to discuss details of her treatment that day, but would be happy to provide additional details in a HIPAA-compliant forum.
  
  According to our records, ************************* visited our office for the first and only time on January 12, 2021.  On that date, she walked into the office without an appointment asking to be seen that day.
  
  Despite the fact that ************************* did not have an appointment at the time she presented for treatment at our office, we were able to accommodate her request to be seen.  She was initially scheduled with one of our male dentists, but once she was seated in the dental chair in the operatory she informed our team she did not want to be treated by a male dentist, and requested to be seen by a female dentist.  Her appointment and subsequent treatment was then moved to another dentist in the practice who is female.  
  
  We want to stress that this request to change dentists based on gender was solely driven by *************************.  Our practice does not discriminate, nor differentiate in any way who our providers treat based on gender, race, creed, etc.  We do not have dentists, or other providers, who primarily see one gender of patients, as ************************* suggests in her BBB complaint. Furthermore, we fail to see the relevancy of *************************** repeated mention of the skin color of our Team members in her BBB complaint. 
  
  Our dentist did complete the work on ************************* that day, other than a required and routine follow-up appointment to finalize the treatment.  The dental issue which brought ************************* to our office was treated, and as such we strongly protest her assertion that she was left with a gap in her mouth, as this is inaccurate.  The dentist fully explained the treatment being done that day to *************************, as well as the diagnosis and prognosis regarding the dental issue she had presented to the office with that day.  In addition, the doctor discussed extra treatment recommendations and educated ************************* on home care and oral hygiene instruction.
  
  After the treatment was completed by the dentist, ************************* indicated she did not like an aspect of the treatment, even though it was explained to her by our Team members this aspect was temporary and typical, and would be resolved in the follow-up appointment.  ************************* then became very upset and demanding, so much so that no reasonable reconciliation seemed to be possible.  Ultimately, GFDC management and the treating dentist determined that it would be in the best interests of ************************* if she sought treatment at another dental office.  
  
  ************************* was informed by GFDC management while in the office that day of this determination, and a full refund in the amount of $926.00 was offered and provided to her the same day.
  

  We are puzzled why it has taken ************************* a year and a half to bring her complaint to our attention, and why she first filed a complaint with BBB, rather than contacting us directly to allow us the opportunity to provide a solution to her complaint.
  
  As the fact remains that her treatment was completed appropriately on the date of service, and a full refund was provided for those services, we believe our practice did all it could do, under the circumstances, for ************************* that day, and therefore we cannot recommend any further action at this time. 

  
  

*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. ↩