On December 16 I was examined by Dr. James D’Alise at A Center For Dental Implants. We agreed on a treatment plan and price of $5,475.00 for two implants and two crowns. I was advised that I could finance my entire implant process interest free. It had not occurred to me that this gave Dr. D’Alise access to my money before he performed the work. (I later found on the internet in reviews by his former patients, that he had allegedly taken nine thousand dollars of another patient’s money the same way).
When I received my first statement from A Center For Dental Implants, it showed the first monthly interest charge of fifty-six dollars yet my balance was supposed to be “interest free.” I called their office and was told to “just go ahead and pay it and the charges would be removed later”. I made three separate calls asking them to correct the file to no avail. Since this would amount to over an additional thirteen hundred dollars I refused to proceed with treatment until the extra charges were removed, which they then finally did.
Dr. D’Alise extracted two teeth and I was told to come back for a temporary bridge to be made that he described as a flipper. I came back and when the flipper was put in place it didn’t fit. His associate worked with it and finally forced it in but I couldn’t install it myself. He told me that it took practice and to work at it at home and that I would be able to do it. I never could, and had to just do without it. At my next visit the implant posts were installed and I was then told to wait six more months for the implants to bond—all this time with no temporary bridge. I returned after the six months and told Dr. D’Alise that one implant was painful and that I didn’t think it bonded. He told me to wait another six months more.
I waited the additional six months, totaling a year with ongoing pain, and when I then met again with Dr. D’Alise he x-rayed the tooth and told me it was fine. I told him I still had the pain I had been complaining about from the beginning. He said he checked it and everything was fine that I was just experiencing gum irritation. He was preparing to install the crowns and I noticed he had only one double crown rather than the two we agreed upon. I questioned him about that and he told me he had decided to do it in one piece for the added strength. I told him I didn’t think that was wise since I was still having pain and that it felt like the one implant didn’t bond. I was concerned about simply putting one crown over a good and bad implant. I was also wondering how I would be able to clean between the two implants. He told me not to worry about it and that it would be fine, and I was to be patient and give it time.
A month passed and I called his office and made an appointment to come in as I was still suffering the pain. When I arrived I was shown into a procedure room and another dentist came in to look at my teeth. I explained about the pain and he said I’d have to come back to see Dr. D’Alise. I explained that that was what I made the appointment for in the first place. He said he was sorry but he couldn’t do anything for me and I would have to see Dr. D’Alise. He did however, x-ray the implant and gave me a copy of it. He showed me that the implant didn’t take. I still have the copy of that x-ray.
Before I left I made another appointment with the receptionist to return yet again to see Dr. D’Alise. When I came back for that appointment he wasn’t there again. This is an hour and a half long trip each way, wasting a total of three hours each time. I complained that it was a long and costly drive for me each appointment, and the response simply was that there was a mistake again and I would have to come back. This disturbed me and I said I would call in to talk with Dr. D’Alise to set up a new appointment directly with him.
The next day I made a call and left a voicemail message. After several days with no response, I called again and left another message for Dr. D’Alise — again, no response. I made repeated phone calls almost daily for two weeks after that leaving a message each time. Finally I left a message that if I didn’t receive a call back I was going to contact State Senator Michael Nolan to assist me in getting my problem resolved.
I then received a return phone call but not from Dr. D’Alise. I told them I wanted to speak with him and they said he would call me.
After waiting several days without a call from Dr. D’Alise, I called the office again and the phone was disconnected with no voicemail, no information, and no other number to call. I was clearly abandoned. I tried other numbers on the, A Center for Dental Implants’ business card which were also disconnected. I then called a number I found in Orland Park, IL on the Internet, and reached Dr. D’Alise’s office. I explained my dilemma and was given an appointment in his Oakbrook office which is an hour or more away from my home. I waited until the appointed day and went to Oakbrook. When I arrived the receptionist asked why I was there. I said “for my appointment.” She told me I didn’t have an appointment and that Dr. D’Alise wasn’t there. I told her that it looked like he was trying to wear me down so I would just give up. She said she was sorry and that I had to make another appointment.
I made another appointment and this time went to Senator Nolan’s office and asked them if they could make a call for me in hopes that their influence would have him appear for my appointment. Dr. D’Alise’s office said they couldn’t discuss anything with anyone due to HEPPA regulations. The senator’s office requested that they send them release forms for me to sign so that they could discuss my situation and get my problem resolved.
In the meantime I googled Dr. D’Alise’s name and found that I was not his only victim. Others had experienced problems with his “Interest Free Financing” and there were complaints about his work and other complaints similar to mine. I also found there were disciplinary actions by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation and that he had just bankrupted his practice. I was never told that I was no longer a patient with A Center for Dental Implants as they were bankrupt.
After Senator Nolan’s office re-contacted them they said I already had an appointment and that my problems would be resolved then.
This time Dr. D’Alise was there and met with me. I explained that I was still in ongoing daily pain and that one implant obviously never adhered to the bone. I told him I was totally dissatisfied with his work, his practice, and abandonment of me, and my dental problem. I reminded him that I had repeatedly told him there was a problem and he refused to acknowledge my complaints. With that he began to read me from his notes.
His notes were incredible. They contained several lapses, statements of satisfaction that I never made, missed appointments omitted, and were obviously self-serving. He obviously did some “homework” on his files in preparation for what he knew could be an upcoming problem.
He then offered to cut through the double crown and redo the implant and do a separate crown as originally agreed. I explained that I didn’t want his hands in my mouth after all this trouble especially in light of what I found out about him. I further told him I was now going to have to have another periodontist do the work all over again at considerable time and expense. I also reminded him that I am still making payments to GE Credit as I have been for almost two years, even though the work is not complete and I will have to pay yet again to have his faulty work corrected. I had to make these payments to protect my credit even though I got nothing for my money.
I told him that in light of the fact that I would have to spend even more now to get a dentist to go in and correct his bad work, plus hour upon hour of wasted time that I couldn’t work, plus all the gas expense for nothing, I wanted a refund of my money.
With that he laughed, wished me good luck, and showed me the door.
I was originally referred to Dr. D’Alise by his recently, new at the time patient. She told me about this Resource One Dental Implant Benefit Program which claims that “ Resource 1 offers a selected network of trained, modern, independently owned and operated dental offices.” The plan supposedly entitled me to deeply discounted implants and that the coverage was nationwide as described in their brochure. It was this plan that caused me to do business with Dr. D’Alise.
Now, in looking for the “nationwide coverage, ” I can find no other members providing the promised services.in further checking, I discovered that Resource One Dental Implant Benefit Program is apparently operated from the same desk as A Center for Dental Implants since their correspondence is signed by the same Monika Lawrence for both entities.
The person that originally referred me, Ruth Weil, is also dissatisfied as she was just charged for another year of “coverage” and has been treated unprofessionally throughout her treatment and follow-up by the Center. Mrs. Weil would also like to become a party to my complaint about the Center and Dr. D’Alise.
I believe this is not just an issue of unprofessionalism but a definite fraud by leading people to provide the availability of funds before work is done, and giving them the impression that they have just bought a “plan” in a nationwide organization.
To save my credit I continued monthly payments for nothing and have now completely paid off my balance. Now I must repay to have my pain relieved and the needed work redone. I paid $250.00 a month from my Social Security check of barely $1,000 for nothing and now will have to go into debt all over again for the repairs.
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