West Coast Dental Services
Reviews and Complaints

16120 S Highland Ave #300, Fontana, CA 92336

Dr. Never completed my root canal still causing pain, they completed my root canal without having proper product to complete it. Never prescribed me medication for infection or pain. After going to another dr for a 2nd opinion i still had piece of root left and it was poorly temporary filled still causing pain. I kept calling the office to finish it and they kept telling me they still did not have the product to complete it. A month passed by and I called again and they scheduled me a appt. The day before my appt I called to confirm since they did not call me and they told me my appt was canceled, saying the dr. Was on a emergency. I went by the office the next day and they working full duty. Since it was over a month i asked for a refund and they charged my insurance for procedures i did not receive.

My name Michael my son name is Marvin Mavin was has appointment November 15 at 9 o’clock and he was absent from school and we went to the appointment and they said we don’t have doctor and he didn’t do nothing. We go home make another appointment was today, November 20 at 10 o’clock and my son went there and he waiting for one hour and 30 minute and tell him only surgeon doctor is available second time went to appointment and will go home for nothing. Very bad when you went 2 appointment time and he didn’t do nothing in my son

My phone number is [protected] thank you

the office in gage is failing to answer any of my calls. Im still getting billed for a procedure i never got. i have tried to call, email, even personally going to the office itself but the lack of information they provide me is insane. I have also reached out to the CEO and she has not even contact me. The customer service number somehow is "never working". I need answers and my reimbursements on payments i have made so my credit won't be affected.

Hoping by doing this someone can help me out.

To whom it may concern, every time there is an appoint with my kids time wait is ridiculous! If I have an appointment at 11am and I arrive at 10:30am and my kids are still waiting and it’s 12:20pm this is not acceptable! Stop over scheduling patients! If my appointment is at 11:00am I expect to be seen at 11:00am! My time is just at valuable is yours! It’s an inconvenience to have a patient late to his or appointment and or to even show up and give you guys a courtesy notice! If you guys are not okay with that then are time should be respected aswell! This time wait is crazy! I am not happy about this situation

On April 22, 2022 at the office location in Menifee, CA., my front tooth was scheduled for a dental bone graft and implant procedure at the same time. I was asked to pay $450 for the bone graft and $2000 for the implant procedure, which I readily paid. However, the tool needed for the implant procedure was misplaced and I ended up just getting the bone graft.

Since I was asked to come back in 3 months for the implant, I let them keep the $2000 I paid.

On July 22, 2022, I came in to the office and the graft has not integrated with the existing bone so no procedure was done. My company is closing and I just took a job to relocate so I won't be around to get the implant done. I told them that I need my money back. The lady or office manager that is in charge of this told me that it will take a month to get my money back because it has to go through the corporate office. I waited 2 months with no complaints and no money arrived or transaction reversed.

On Sept 16, 2022, I went in the dental office to see the office manager but she was replaced by another person who checked the status for me. She found out that the request for refund was sent to the wrong department so of course I will never get my money. So then she sent another request to the right department and gave me the corporate number to inquire later, which I'm constantly been calling but getting the operator's answering machine. I left the message.

I went to West Coast Dental Services on Oct-3-2022 because of broken dentures, they requested authorization from my insurance co. after 6 weeks went by I began calling the office asking about the authorization but they keep telling me that they have not received it, tired of waiting I called the insurance co. and they told me that they requested X-Rays, and the Justification form on 9-5-2022 but has not received the documents in order to approve my services, so I've been calling and calling West Coast Dental Services and telling them that my insurance has not received the requested documents, they keep telling me that they will have someone work on it. My insurance co. said once they get that it will just take a few days for approval. This is affecting my well-being because I am walking around with broken front teeth. My husband went to see them this month on Sept-3rd and today just less than 3 weeks his services were approved, but now on hold until we see what happens with mine, we may cancel his appt. My insurance carrier has suggested that I switch dental services and has already walked me through how to cancel out all other authorizations, I am prepared to do this if I don't get the services and results I need very very soon.

Hello my name is Jasmin Rizo. I had issues going on with Lynwood CA West Coast location and requested they stop charging my card for treatment I declined and I just received and alert today stating that I missed a payment and will be charged a $35 late . I already spoke to the manager Maritza at the location and she said that she spoke to accounts receivable department to stop the charges and issue will be resolved.

I did ask for some sort of letter stating that payment has been canceled but Maritza stated she could not provide any documentation.

I have had so many run arounds from this team in Lynwood and have not liked this service at all.

They never answer my call or simply do not help out in any matters.

What can I do in this aspect?

Thank you,

Jasmin Rizo

I went to West Coast Dental regarding a chipped tooth in the upper left side of my mouth. I saw a Hispanic male dentist who stated I would required a root canal and a crown. I made an appointment to do the work. On that day, I met with a Chinese male dentist who stated that I did not require that work and that I needed to get the tooth pulled and he recommended for $550 that I should have a bone put in the hole to even it out. I then scheduled another appointment to have the extraction and bone graph. On that visit, I met with a female dentist (Amer Nevein according to the Office Manager, Erika Ramirez). During the extraction, the dentist slipped with the tool and stabbed the upper right cheek causing it to bleed. She apologized repeatedly and I chalked it up to an accident. However, after proceeding further, she was hovered over me when she slipped again and hit my upper left back tooth. She immediatley apologized saying," Oh I'm sorry. I broke your tooth in the back." The assistant oddly reassured the doctor by saying, "It's okay doctor. That tooth was bad and was going to break anyway. You can do this." I couldn't feel anything, but the doctor stated that she had cracked the top of the tooth off and that she would take care of it. After the extraction, the dentist and the assistant left the room. I remained in the seat and then another dental assistant from the front desk stated I could get up and they would make another appointment (which I assumed would repair the tooth). They did not prescribe me antibiotics for the extraction,which was odd to me. When I went to the next appointment, the dentist only removed my stitches. When I asked about repairing the cracked tooth, the dentist stated she didn't remember cracking the tooth. Then she looked at the chart and said I needed a crown on that tooth. I stated that I didn't need a crown until you cracked the tooth. I recommended she ask the assistant who was there. The dentist stated that she remembered but that I would have to come back the following week. She explained, "Come back next week and IF your attitude improves, I will help you. You have a bad attitude." She walked away. The dental assistant then took me to the Office Manager to try and resolve the issue. Erika L. Ramirez gave me her card and assured me she would talk to the dentist and call corporate on what should be done. I waited a couple of weeks. I went to see Ms. Ramirez and she said as soon as she heard from corporate she would contact me. I called her and she said she was still waiting. I called corporate myself who stated there was no open complaint and no record of my broken tooth in their file. I feel I have done all I could with this dentist to resolve the situation and I am suffering with pain and discomfort. So I was advised to file a complaint here.

I’m filing this complaint against West Coast Dental in Artesia California. In 2017 and 2018, I had dental work with 2 crowns placed before getting my braces placed in 2018. I was told that my teeth were in good condition with no issue soon before my braces were placed. After my braces were removed around the end of 2020. I was then told by one of the West Coast Dentists, sometimes at the beginning of 2021 that I needed all this dental work done, including the 2 crowns that were just done in 2018, stating they did not cover my tooth at the gum line and they both needed replacement or I risked getting decay there. They also claimed that I needed other crowns and filings on other teeth. I complained at that time that they just placed both those crowns 2 to 3 years ago and why would I need to pay for more crowns that they just recently did and did not do correctly. They told me that they would redo both crowns, but I would be responsible for the other work I needed, minus what my insurance would cover. My insurance stated that I could not get the replacements for those 2 crowns until after five years and crowns should last at least 5 to 10 years. Also, I was not having any pain and was unhappy about their assessment and did not believe them. I requested a copy of my dental records and advised them that I would get a second opinion and get back to them with replacing the 2 crowns if needed. Due to the pandemic and sustaining a broken ankle, I did not get a second opinion until May 11, 2022. The second opinion dentist and x-rays show that I still need the same two crowns redone (#30 and #5) for the same reason that the West Coast Dentist stated in 2021.

I immediately contacted Marisol Quevedo, the office manager at the Artesia office around 05/16/22. I did not get a call back from her after making several attempts for a week. I was told she would call me back every day I called, but she never did. I called the corporate office to file a complaint that she was not returning my call as I was told she would. On 05/24/22, she finally called me back. I explained to her the above situation and received a lot of pushback about them redoing the two crowns. After going back and forward with her about their responsibility in replacing the 2 crowns they stated they would redo in 2021, she then told me to email her my dental x-rays from the second opinion dentist and she would go over them with her director and call me to schedule an appointment to get them replaced. On 05/25/22, I emailed her the x-rays she requested. I did not hear back from her after sending the email. I then called her office on 05/27/22 to ensure she received my email. I was told she would call me back after 10:00 am, but she never did. I then called again on 05/28/22 and she still did not call me back, but instead, she responded to my email that she forwarded my x-rays to her clinical director for an update and would give me a call to schedule me to come in. Another week went by, I did not hear back from Marisol. On 06/03/22, I contacted Marisol to get an update, and was told she would call me back, but never did. On 06/06/22 I called the West Coast Dental Corporate office and spoke to Diana again and filed another complaint about non-response and patient neglect that would take 7-10 business days. I asked Diana if she could escalate my complaint so action is taken immediately, since it is my second complaint, and she said she would and would reach out to Marisol and have her call me back. I still did not hear back from the Artesia office. I called Diane at the corporate office every day this week and was told the same thing that she called over to the Artesia office and someone will call me back. She also stated she was told that they were still waiting on the director to review my x-rays from 2 weeks ago.

On 06/10/22, I sent an email to the west coast dental customer service email, and regional manager in Los Angeles, and still have not received a return call.

This is an unacceptable practice, gross negligence, and poor customer service. I should not have to reach out to any dentistry practice this many times to have my concerns addressed after their dentist providers' failure to provide competent care and treatment.

Yes, Coast Dental & Orthodontics 18990 S Tamiami Trl Suite 110 Fort Myers, FL [protected]; Corporate Office 5706 Benjamin Center Dr Suite 103 Tampa, FL 33634-- Our Complaints are as follows:
Service dates was 4/15/21 & 5/6/21, my wife had a crown installed
We changed Medicare supplemental insurance programs and called Coast Dental at [protected] to request a copy of the "crown service" for review by this new insurance company
Between June -Nov 2021 we called 10-15 times, requesting this receipt of service, however never received it. Each phone call was "bathed with promises that someone would call us back (never happened), the corporate office will send the information (never happened) and finally we decided to postpone till returning to the Fort Myers, FL are in Nov of 2021
Between Nov 2021 & today, Dec 30, 2021, we contacted the Tamiami Trail office by phone 3-4 times and personal visits 3 times (phone calls were filled with promises which never happened & 2 personal visits were met with refusal to help locally "as it was a corporate matter" and only 1 time did we receive a new copy of the original service. which we sent to our new insurance company for review.
This newest copy of receipt of service revealed an "over charge amount" of $339 from this original service of the crown on 4-15-21; this was our 1st notice that we had a credit on our account; which we verbally requested "to be reimbursed". (This was in Nov of 2021)
On Dec 27, 2021 we filed a "dispute" with our credit card service for the $339 overcharge reimbursement, which is under review/pending.
We sent an email to you, ADA.org, after reviewing complaints at BBB, Complainboard & Birdeye found here:
coast dental corporate offices florida - Bing

Maps

Not only has this been frustrating, exhausting and intimidating but also an "Insult to our trust of their organization"! Yes, we would like the $339 over charge returned and the reprimand of this organization's corporate practices.

Thank you!
Bruce & Susan Woerner
295 Ohio Ave
Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931
[protected]

West coast dental in the city of Baldwin Park is one of the worst office I've been. Whenever i have an appointment they take along time to call me. I have been sitting for more than 1 hour just to be called. Once I'm inside sitting, they take a long time as well. And to top it off they like to over charge people. I am not satisfy with the office at all. Can't wait for my service to be done. And I'm leaving.

The first lie about a 0% interest credit card and the second lie the surgeon would put the poles with the bone implant that same day. and now she wants me to put more money out of me for a CT SCAN. West Coast Dental, Marisol Quevedo: The first time I visited the clinic was when I made the decision for some implants in the top right. It was quite a bad experience everything that happened on April 9, 2020 everything was verbal Mrs. Marisol told me about how the whole process would be and the financial thing, said the surgeon would put the poles that same day. It was the first lie because it's not possible. Second lie she said would get me a credit card for a year of 0% interest and it was a lie because I spoke to lenders Lending Club and they told me that I have no 0% interest promotion and I try to talk to Mrs. Marisol, but she behaves in a rather rant way trying not to take any responsibility on her part. Now the big problem I have is that the contract I sign doesn't mention the things we talked about at the beginning of the procedure, or says something I don't understand as dental codes I've tried to talk to her, but she doesn't have the attitude to talk about what I don't understand about the contract. I tried to reach an agreement with the dental clinic with a CONSUMER & BUSINESS AFFAIRS mediator but it was inpossible to reach an agreement with the mediator she is Gloria Galvan, at first she communicates with someone but then I did not answer her calls.
Last September 18th I had an appointment with my surgeon Jonathan Peri who needed a CT scan; I spoke to a clinic that the surgeon recommended, but the problem is that I have to pay $260.00 for that image, and Marisol didn't mention any of that.
This is all FRAUD. First because he said they'd put the two poles with the bone implant. Secondly 0% interest that does not exist and third not to mention anything about other expenses for more treatment. I don't have any more money. Peri said sinusitis was lifted and bone implantation is the first process. The next process is the poles. Marisol wants me to pay for the implants again? That's not possible! I want to know how much the cost of the work done right now because $6, 300.00 for the work this done is too much money I'm not wealthy.
I have another contract that she canceled that same day of the oral procedure of $2, 900.00 covering the lifting of sinusitis and bone implantation, which is the price of the work done at the time and the difference that is $3, 400.00 that will return them to the Credit Card of Lending Club, which is the fairest thing and not follow are this clinic that have taken away my peace of mind.
I have no money to pay court fees, only I work in my home, pay rent, receipts, insurance, and other necessary things at home, for this fraud and especially for the very high interest of this loan. I need help with this injustice.
Sincerely: Salvador A. Vivas

For the most part, a letter to my dental insurance carrier best describes my situation and complaints.

You indicated to me in your letter of February 16, 2017 that West Coast Dental responded to you including the following statements:

A. “ … before services were rendered you were given different options, and the best choice was for a partial which you accepted.”

This statement is untrue, because I was given false information and aggressively mislead regarding the procedures and their costs. Under those circumstances, how can it be said I “accepted”?

Specifically, I was told by Dr. Shah the two covered benefits in my Blue Shield Dental Plan were inferior, and he advised me to try an uncovered procedure that was “much better”. Other patients who tried it were “very pleased with it”.

The two covered partials were made of a “hard” plastic. The ones he recommended were made of a “softer, better-fitting, more comfortable compound”.

If I tried his recommendation and was not happy with it, we would stop, and West Coast Dental would give me a statement credit for the full amount. Then we would try something else.

He also stated his “credit promise” to me at least twice more, on different occasions, on one occasion adding, “Don’t worry. If you are not happy, we will give you a credit – even if the procedure is completely finished. If you are not happy with it, just say so, and we will try something else.”

In addition, he told me, “If I tried his recommendation, which cost $1500 each (upper and lower partial dentures $3000), he would give me a discount on my other work, in effect, not billing me for the extractions I needed.

And as a note, Dr. Shah’s business card and the plaque on the West Coast Dental, South Gate office says “Managing Dentist”. So there shouldn’t be any question about his authority or whether he acted in the name of West Coast Dental.

Reference: ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct
SECTION 5 — Principle: Veracity ("truthfulness")
5.B.1. Waiver of Copayment. A dentist who accepts a third party payment under a copayment plan as payment in full without disclosing to the third party that the patient's payment portion will not be collected, is engaged in overbilling. The essence of this ethical impropriety is deception and misrepresentation; an overbilling dentist makes it appear to the third party that the charge to the patient for services rendered is higher than it actually is.
It turns out that he made repeated false and misleading statements to me. As indicated below, he violated stated ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct, specifically regarding veracity.

Reference: ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct
SECTION 5 — Principle: Veracity ("truthfulness")
The dentist has a duty to communicate truthfully.
This principle expresses the concept that professionals have a duty to be honest and trustworthy in their dealings with people. Under this principle, the dentist's primary obligations include respecting the position of trust inherent in the dentist-patient relationship, communicating truthfully and without deception, and maintaining intellectual integrity.
Code of Professional Conduct
5.A. Representation of Care. Dentists shall not represent the care being rendered to their patients in a false or misleading manner.
You indicated to me in your letter of February 16, 2017 that West Coast Dental responded to you including the following statements:

B. “ … there was an issue with the first partial, and as a courtesy, they made a new one, unfortunately you are still unhappy with the new partial …”

This is simply untrue. After I had repeatedly told them to stop …

… I told Dr. Shah, I called and told the receptionist, I told Marisol (in Accounting) repeatedly, I told the new dentist assigned to me after Dr. Shah left, I told the dental technician who did the pre-dentist workups …

… they simply would not stop. The dental technician came in in a subsequent appointment to make new gel fittings. I asked him, “What is that? What are you doing?’ He responded, “I am taking new fitting.” After he was done, I asked him, “Why are you doing that?” He responded, “To fit your new partials.”

I responded immediately, “I do not want new partials. I have told them that over and over!”

He responded, “Well they said, just give us a chance to make them right.”

I responded, “No. I do not want partial dentures, period. So please just stop.”

And please note, they say, “… I was not happy with the new partial.” That is untrue: they never made a new partial.

They did not make a new partial, and they asked me to return the first partial, the one they did deliver, the one I was unhappy with. Marisol told me to return it, which I did, because she “could not request the statement credit for me if I kept it. They would say it had been delivered, that is, procedure completed and accepted by the patient.”

You indicated to me in your letter of February 16, 2017 that West Coast Dental responded to you including the following statements:

C. “ … the dental work was done properly and all services were performed within the dental standards.”

That is an "assertion" on their part and untrue for several reasons:

• the most they delivered was a first fitting, and
• they lied about their procedures in order to get me to accept their recommendation.
• In summary, I paid $3000, for which I got nothing. I have nothing, nothing, for $3000, nothing, zero.

Reference: ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct
SECTION 5 — Principle: Veracity ("truthfulness")
5.B. Representation of Fees. Dentists shall not represent the fees being charged for providing care in a false or misleading manner.
You indicated to me in your letter of February 16, 2017 that West Coast Dental responded to you including the following statements:

D. “ … we asked them about the credit you requested, but they did not give us any information regarding it.”

That is the same response they have given me – no information. They do not want to address the issue directly. But since everything was prepaid, they were paid in advance, they continue to keep my money for no services performed.

I repeat, for $3000 I have received nothing. I have no partial dentures. The one they did make for fitting, I was asked to return, which I did. The “second” was never made at all.

All I am asking is for a fair exchange, an ethical exchange, a timely exchange, a legal exchange of value for value given.

But that is not all, I prepaid hundreds of dollars for other procedures, which simply were not done at all, at my request. And they refuse to refund me the balance for those.

Up until now, it could be said they were “just dragging their feet”. But now, based on their responses to your requests of them, they have made false and misleading statements and knowingly and willfully lied. They lied to me over and over again, as I have indicated in my letter. But now they have lied to you.

To make an error is sometimes to be expected, but to continue on with misinformation – either calculated or uncalculated on their part – becomes a pattern of falsehoods. The more this dialogue continues, the more they are forced to lie to support their assertions. And continuing in their lies constitutes fraud.

It is a fraudulent pattern of behavior, from beginning to end. In any case, it defrauded me.

Also, here is my complaint to the Better Business Bureau, to which they did not respond, receiving a bad mark.

COMPLAINT ACTIVITY REPORT Case # 533214 BBB of Los Angeles and Silicon Valley

Consumer Info: Courtney III, Thomas Business Info: West Coast Dental Group of South Gate
1810 Garvey Ave. Unit A 4149 Tweedy Blvd # G
Alhambra, CA 91803 South Gate, CA [protected]
[protected]-1826 [protected]
[protected]@yahoo.com

Location Involved: (Same as above)

Consumer's Original Complaint :

They promised me a credit which they now will not issue. I cannot get a refund for work that was prepaid but not done.

Regarding my experience with West Coast Dental of South Gate. I prepaid $3450 and only had half the work done, but can't seem to get a refund. So much confusion and delay over three months now, that it begins to be dishonest. I was told that on one procedure that cost me $1500 that if I wasn't happy with it, they would credit my account the full amount, and I could do something else. I cancelled it after the first fitting, when I realized I would rather have no teeth in my mouth than this thing. Now I can't get the credit they promised. And I cannot get a refund for work that was prepaid but never done. So I am out about $3000 and have wasted an incredible amount of time. They don't call me back - ever. They forget what they are doing, and it is easy when you have already collected your money.

Consumer's Desired Resolution:

I would seek the $1500 credit they promised me, but I cannot see at this point how I can continue to do business with them. I have lost confidence in them, their procedures, personnel and their basic honesty. So I therefore must request a refund of this amount and a refund for work prepaid but not performed. The total refund is approximately $3000. I do not know the exact amount, as they refuse to settle my account, though I have requested them to do so about 10 times over six months

BBB Processing

01/18/2017 web BBB Case Received by BBB

This is my most recent contact with West Coast Dental.

February 22, 2017

Thomas Courtney III
1810 A Garvey Ave.
Alhambra, CA [protected]

Blue Shield Member # [protected]

West Coast Dental
4149 Tweedy Blvd., Ste. J
South Gate, CA 90280

Dear Sir/Ms:

Thank-you for your response to my grievance filed with Blue Shield.

There are still a number of factors that have not specifically been addressed, that resulted in my being unethically and illegally treated and billed.

Please also note, this is not a matter of “overbilling.” This is a matter of billing for services that were not provided.

You indicated to Blue Shield in your letter of February 2017:

A. “ … before services were rendered I was given different options, and the best choice was for a partial which I accepted.”

This statement is untrue, because I was given false information and aggressively mislead regarding the procedures and their costs. Under those circumstances, how can it be said I “accepted”?

Specifically, I was told by Dr. Shah the two covered benefits in my Blue Shield Dental Plan were inferior, and he advised me to try an uncovered procedure that was “much better”. Other patients who tried it were “very pleased with it”.

The two covered partials were made of a “hard” plastic. The ones he recommended were made of a “softer, better-fitting, more comfortable compound”.

If I tried his recommendation and was not happy with it, we would stop, and West Coast Dental would give me a statement credit for the full amount. Then we would try something else.

He also stated his “credit promise” to me at least twice more, on different occasions, on one occasion adding, “Don’t worry. If you are not happy, we will give you a credit – even if the procedure is completely finished. If you are not happy with it, just say so, and we will try something else.”

In addition, he told me, “If I tried his recommendation, which cost $1500 each (upper and lower partial dentures $3000), he would give me a discount on my other work, in effect, not billing me for the extractions I needed.

And as a note, Dr. Shah’s business card indicated he was “Managing Dentist”. So there shouldn’t be any question about his authority or whether he acted in the name of West Coast Dental.

Reference: ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct
SECTION 5 — Principle: Veracity ("truthfulness")
5.B.1. Waiver of Copayment. A dentist who accepts a third party payment under a copayment plan as payment in full without disclosing to the third party that the patient's payment portion will not be collected, is engaged in overbilling. The essence of this ethical impropriety is deception and misrepresentation; an overbilling dentist makes it appear to the third party that the charge to the patient for services rendered is higher than it actually is.
It turns out that he made repeated false and misleading statements to me in violation of ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct:

SECTION 5 — Principle: Veracity ("truthfulness") The dentist has a duty to communicate truthfully.

This principle expresses the concept that professionals have a duty to be honest and trustworthy in their dealings with people. Under this principle, the dentist's primary obligations include respecting the position of trust inherent in the dentist-patient relationship, communicating truthfully and without deception, and maintaining intellectual integrity.
Code of Professional Conduct
5.A. Representation of Care. Dentists shall not represent the care being rendered to their patients in a false or misleading manner.
You indicated to Blue Shield in your letter of February 2017:

B. “ … there was an issue with the first partial, and as a courtesy, you made a new one, unfortunately you are still unhappy with the new partial …”

This is simply untrue. After I had repeatedly told them to stop …

… I told Dr. Shah, I called and told the receptionist three times, I told Marisol repeatedly, I told the new dentist assigned to me after Dr. Shah left, I told the dental technician who did the pre-dentist workups …

… You simply would not stop. The dental technician came in in a subsequent appointment to make new gel fittings. I asked him, “What is that? What are you doing?’ He responded, “I am taking new fitting.” After he was done, I asked him, “Why are you doing that?” He responded, “To fit your new partials.”

I responded immediately, “I do not want new partials. I have told them that over and over!” He responded, “Well you said, just give us a chance to make them right.” I responded, “No. I do not want partial dentures, period. So please just stop.”

And please note, you say, “… I was not happy with the new partial.” That also is untrue: you never delivered a new partial to me.

You did not make a new partial, and you asked me to return the first partial, the one you did deliver, the one I was unhappy with. Marisol told me to return it, which I did, because she “could not request the statement credit for me if I kept it. You would say it had been delivered, that is, procedure completed and accepted by the patient.”

You indicated to Blue Shield in your letter of February 2017:

C. “ … the dental work was done properly and all services were performed within the dental standards.”

That is an "assertion" on your part and untrue for several reasons: the most you delivered was a first fitting, and you lied about your procedures in order to get me to accept your recommendation. In summary, I paid $3000, for which I got nothing. I have nothing, nothing, for $3000, nothing, zero.

Reference: ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct
SECTION 5 — Principle: Veracity ("truthfulness")
5.B. Representation of Fees. Dentists shall not represent the fees being charged for providing care in a false or misleading manner.
Blue Shield wrote to me regarding my grievance:

D. “ … we asked them about the credit you requested, but they did not give us any information regarding it.”

That is the same response you have given me – no information. You do not want to address the issue directly. But since everything was prepaid, you were paid in advance, you continue to keep my money for no services performed.

I repeat, for $3000 I have received nothing. I have no partial dentures. The one you did make for fitting, I was asked to return, which I did. The “second” was never made at all.

But that is not all, I prepaid hundreds of dollars for other procedures, which simply were not done at all, at my request. And you refuse to refund me the balance for those.

Up until now, it could be said you were “just dragging your feet”. But now, based on your responses to Blue Shield, you have made false and misleading statements and knowingly and willfully lied. You lied to me over and over again, as I have indicated. But now you have lied to Medicare insurance provider.

To make an error is sometimes to be expected, but to continue on with misinformation – either calculated or uncalculated on your part – becomes a pattern of falsehoods. The more this dialogue continues, the more you are forced to lie to support your assertions. And continuing in your lies constitutes fraud.

You indicate a clearly fraudulent pattern of behavior, from beginning to end. In any case, you defrauded me.

Health care fraud and insurance fraud include the following:

• Billing for services not provided
• Falsifying medical records
• Providing excessive unnecessary procedures

Most Los Angeles health care fraud is charged pursuant to Insurance Code Section 1871.4. In addition, most of these cases also have a Penal Code Section 550 charge. The section is used when the person making the insurance claim makes a false material statement to either obtain, or deny insurance benefits. Because the insurance claim is based upon a false statement the prosecutor will also file a perjury charge pursuant to Penal Code Section 118.

The insurance companies pay investigators to review medical claims to determine if the claims contain any fraud. When the investigator finds fraud, the cases are referred to law enforcement for prosecution. Most of these cases are for billing fraud. Billing fraud may be that a doctor billed for more procedures then actually performed. Dental providers may face prison sentences as well as loss of their license from the California Medical Board.

The punishment for a conviction of health care fraud includes: Imprisonment in state prison or jail, loss of professional license, parole or probation, substantial fines and court costs, restitution that could include all monies collected from insurance agencies, an inability to be a Medicare or Medi-Cal provider in the future.

I acted responsibly and with respect towards everyone at West Coast Dental, I fulfilled my duties and obligations. You lied to me, took my money, and I end up with nothing.

Please refund to me within one week the total balance I prepaid for the work not performed to avoid further complications.

Sincerely,

Thomas Courtney III

Dental Associates of Torrance (DAT) is a predatory, scam operation. BEWARE. AVOID. DO NOT GO THERE. Unethical, unprofessional and untrustworthy. Find an honest dentist and save yourself thousands of $ in overcharges and unnecessary procedures. Every time I went there they would pull some stunt regarding billing or misrepresentation. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, but after repeated abuse and scams, there is no doubt. A few examples:
1) They ruined my front two incisors installing a couple of porcelain veneers. Contrary to what they told me that they were only going to slightly grind the front tooth surface for better adhesion, they instead ground by two front teeth to 1/8 inch stubs. I would never have agreed to this. To make matters worse, the veneers do not stay on, but now have to be periodically reglued.
2) Heidi, a fast talking rep, comes in after they have starting working on you and uses vague descriptions to trick you into upsell treatments without fully informed consent or disclosure of costs. Quotes are not representative of billing costs particularly after retroactive adjustments.
3) Billed me for an occlusal guard that I did not need or want. They have tried billing me for procedures not performed such as tooth extractions.
4) Enrolled me in a bogus GE credit card scam with exorbitant interest charges that I did not ask for, did not want or need.
5) They pad the bill with an excessive number of x-rays on every visit. After they have taken a complete bitewing set, they will often go back for a few more at $52 each. I wonder about the x-ray exposure. They take no precaution to cover the thyroid. Meanwhile, the technician is safely far removed in another room.
6) On every visit for teeth cleaning, they would tell me I need Deep Cleaning which only costs a few thousand extra. I brush my teeth at least 3 times daily, use a dental pick and mouth wash several times a day. Insurance companies are onto this scam and put yearly limits on deep cleaning.
7) They use fluoride treatment during teeth cleaning which is not disclosed beforehand. Fluorine is extremely electronegative and attacks enamel staining it brown. Fluorine embrittles enamel and migrates into bone which leads to fractures. Some dentists favor fluoride treatments as its increasing dental visits for unsuspecting patients to repair cracked teeth which mysteriously develop cracks or perform tooth whitening to treat the mysterious brown staining. Fluoride treament is incompatible with good health. It is not part of the Kreb’s cycle or biologic process. It is lethal.
8) Expect vaguely worded bills many months later for unexplained adjustments to bills that were paid for in full six months earlier. Bills do not identify Doctors name. You need this information when submitting Claim Forms to the Department of Consumer Affairs Dental Board of California, Consumer Fraud Reporting Agency, California Department of Insurance, Better Business Bureau, ClassAction.org when reporting fraud. ClassAction.org provides a list of class action lawsuits with consumer information on class action and mass tort lawsuits.

dental group of arcadia which is west coast dental is a BIG BIG BIG SCAM! i wanted to get ortho so i called 1800 dentist and they referred me to a dentist at that location...so i went...but they said i needed to get check up by the general dentist...and they said i had 3 cavities and charged me 1000 dollars...trusting them i paid...and i got the top braces...but then my sister in law is a dentist and she had checked my teeth before and she told me that they were not severe enough to drill holes in..and she told me groups like west coast dental do this on purpose to make more money...anyways i still had my top braces on only but after 2 days one bracket fell and i called them...but i could tell they were annoyed and was like it doesnt really matter...anyways i got mad so they booked me on a saturday...(btw they only open on mondays and one saturday of the month...but they never told me that...only after i got my braces and was about to make another appointed did they tell me...but by then i have already signed everything...)...anyways..i couldn't go on saturday so i called on friday telling them to change my schedule so i changed it to the same day as my check up...and made sure it was an hour appointment...but i called them a week earlier of course on a mondy since they are only there on mondays...but they told me my appointment was never set so it would only be a 15 minutes appointment...by then i was soooo annoyed...so i argued and they said "maybe if they have time they can fix it"...but on my appointment day i went and my original dentist who consulted me and told me how he was going to do the process was not working there anymore...so i was pretty upset..because i went to see my dentist that i was referred to..not some random dentist...so i decided not to do the braces and told them i will take them out...but they were charging about 1400 but then the dentist came and talked about xrays so the money manager, sandra was like "oh i have to put that in to " and charged me 1800...so i was upset and called 1800 dentist to complain but they ignored my calls and never got back...but they called the manager at westcoast dental of dental group of arcadia ..and he called me with a attitude and was trying to argue with me, ...but i was like" you guys changed doctors on my and you guys are the ones that said that only one doctor should see each patient and their cases, so what you guys said before was a lie huh"...then he was like then just bring 1000 dollars cash..no checks...this is just the simplified version...there is sooooo much more!...never call 1800 dentist or go to westcoastdental..but be aware some of there offices dont say westcoast dental...like the one in arcaida..it was called dental group of arcadia...!...i am going to do my best to let my story known so that this does not happen to anyone else! if anyone had similar promblems with me at at dental group of arcadia or and associated group that belongs to Westcoast dental please feel free to email me at [protected]@gmail.com...together we need to stop these scams from happening to innocent bystanders...!