Please let this letter serve as notice of my dissatisfaction with services performed and my decision to take my business elsewhere. I am requesting a copy of my chart and x-rays as well as any monies paid by myself or on my behalf from my Insurance Company for services that have not yet been rendered.
My lists of grievances are as follows:
- Upon initial consultation Dr. Colon remarked that he would like to take on the challenge of an 8-unit porcelain bridge, in retrospect leads me to believe he had not dealt with an 8-unit bridge before.
- Upon Second appointment molds were taken of my existing bridge to send to the lab for my temporary teeth.
- During my third appointment my permanent bridge, of 10 years, was drilled down and virtually destroyed and then removed. Before fitting my temporary teeth, it seemed as if Dr. Colons fingers were crossed hoping that the bridge would fit. When Dr. Cologne attempted to place my temporary bridge on my teeth it was obvious that they did not fit.
- When this discovery was made, his dental assistant (whom I understand typically works with Dr. Boers) was quick to question who did the fitting for the bridge. When she discovered it was the Lab who had done it, and not Dr. Colon, per his own omission, it became apparent that that was not the proper protocol. The two of them began to discuss it rather heatedly over my chair.
- My confidence continued to diminish as Dr. Colon and the Dental assistant went to work trying to patch-work my original bridge together, in an attempt to hopefully create a make-shift acrylic bridge so that I would not have to go home missing front teeth. They even held up a mirror to show me my destroyed bridge and comment, Look you could wear these for Halloween. (Apparently, had a mold been taken prior to removing my existing bridge this could have been avoided).
- During my appointment a high school student was observing the procedure, (which I was never asked if it was okay). According to her, the chaos in the room was very interesting, as she happened to remark, This is better than the emergency room.
- After three molds/impressions were taken of my teeth and the acrylic was poured (for the temporary temporaries) there was difficulty removing the acrylic from the mold.in fact it seemed to take several people to remove it. It was almost comical and somewhat reminiscent of a three stooges episode. At one point there were three technicians in the room attempting to remove it and consequently it broke into two pieces (in between teeth 7-8.) These plastic concocted teeth were then placed in my mouth with the crack and all.
- The dental hygienist assured me that they could have the lab do a rush order on the corrected fitting and I could have it by the following Monday. There was just one issue Dr. Colon was going to be out of town on vacation. I would have been satisfied having another dentist put the bridge in, but Dr. Colon insisted that he do it. Since he knew how much anesthetic I needed and he wanted to see the final product.
- 3.5 hours later and with my broken plastic teeth, I had to schedule another appointment to come back and get another temporary bridge that I was supposed to have gotten that day. As a result of this mistake I had to take an additional 2.5 hours off of work and go through the pain and anxiety of having more anesthetic and my plastic teeth pried off.
- After my appointment was scheduled for 12 days later, I was asked to pay $2,400.00 towards my final bridge. Per Dr, Colon I would not be receiving my final bridge for 3-6 months, so needless to say I was shocked that I was being asked to pay for of it prior to even taking the final molds to order it. It was especially adding insult to injury considering the battery of errors I had been exposed to that day.
- A compromise was reached and I paid one third of the final estimate up front ($1,217.19). When I made my way to the parking lot I sat in my car and sobbed for 10 minutes (The high school student who left at the same time can testify to that she caught me crying in the car). My husband was horrified when I explained the comedy of errors that had occurred, all of which could have been avoided. I was in pain, I was frustrated, I was embarrassed, I was scared of what to expect next, and I was angry.
- When I went back for my second attempt at getting my temporary teeth I was hopeful after all anything had to be better than the broken, rough, plastic teeth I had been wearing for the last 12 days. Well the good news was that the temporary bridge actually fit my teeth. The bad news was it looked awful! I was so upset I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, not to mention Dr. Colon was supposed to be single booked during that time but in fact had at least two other patients he was called away for during my appointment. (Also, due to a power outage earlier that day my appointment started about 45 minutes late.)
With all of this said. I think Dr. Colon has a tremendous bedside manner and is a very personable person, however, if he is not equipped to do cosmetic dentistry he should not mislead patients to believe that he is. I do not appreciate being a guinea pig for a doctor to take on the challenge with.
After seeking a second opinion, it has become increasingly obvious that several mistakes were made that could have been avoided and therefore I will not be purchasing my final bridgework through your dental office.in addition, I have contacted my insurance company and understand that they disbursed money to your office (1,489.60) over a month ago for work that has not and WILL not be taking place at your office, therefore, I do expect a refund of the insurance money as well as the money I had paid in advance of service ($1,217.19).
I have estimated the total cost incurred as a result of my experience with Dr. Colon to be well over $625
- Missed work due to extra appointment $100 (40/hour x 2.5 hours)
- Temporary Bridge $524.60 (Which I will need to have replaced by a New Cosmetic dentist)
- Emotional Distress - $ Priceless
I will not be requesting compensation for these monies. However, I do request that any and all monies paid by me or on my behalf for the final bridgework be refunded in full.
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