Western Dental Services
Reviews and Complaints

ABP 506

I am very unhappy with my treatment...I had two teeth pulled on Feb. 11 2013...And I have been in pain since, another one next to one of the teeth got a abscess and had to be pulled on Feb 22 2013. and it has not healed and there is a hole or dry socket that will not heal...I went in on March 15 2013 to have a follow up on it, , , , since it just started to hurt more than normal for about a week...The dentist filled the hole with some paste made with oil of clove...and said comeback Monday March 18 2013. So I made appointment for Noon...Showed up at noon and they said I had no appointment. They said to wait and they will fit me in 1:10 and I am still waiting...I had to leave with out being seen. I will not return and I am planning on filing a complaint...I have been in pain since Feb 11 2013 and nothing is being done to fix it...
Plus on the phone prior to my first appointment I was given a estimate that a simple extraction would cost $119 per tooth...When I go there after my exam is went from $119 to $179...for simple extraction...
I will not return there...I will be getting a second opinion...and will seek legal services.

When we heard about Western Dental on television, we decided it was time for my braces. When we first got there we didn't think much of their rudeness. We figured they were having a bad day, but their rudeness continued. Not only with us, but with other people too. ESPECIALLY the receptionists, probably the most rude of all. The snap at the people who come up for questions, even if they are old fragile people. Once, when i was waiting for them to call my name to tighten up my wires, and old fragile man that had been sitting there since i got there went to go ask her when it was going to be his turn. she responded " sorry sir but we always take a long time to call in new comers. we'll call you in RIGHT now" in a tone NO ONE wants to be directed in. Really lady? Should you attend new comers first so they can think good of this place and keep coming? When you address them to ask a question, they look at you like you interrupted THEIR conversation about shoes. (they talk about the stupidest things)
Once, when one of my rubber bands came off my braces, i called to make an emergency appointment. ( the orthodontist ladies do a lousy job with your teeth too, always hitting on the main doctor) I went up to the lady up front to request my appointment, since on the phone they had told me to just come and tell them what happened, the lady told me she would sign me in. Three and a half hours later they call my name and direct me to a chair. They start talking to me and telling me all this stuff like chains and stuff and i'm like "NO i just got them tightened yesterday! I'm Anna (my real last name)" Then they said OMG you're not Anna Torres. I said no and that my rubber band had fallen off and i had swallowed it. They put it back on and the other Anna came in and they told me if i had made an appointment and i told them yes, the lady up front signed me in. The lady (probably the only decent person working there) checked the list and told me no one ever signed me in and that if i would have been signed in, i would have gone home hours ago. SUCH a waste of time. That night i had to do tons of homework and didn't finish till late that night.
All in all it is one of the worst dentist place everywhere! people are rude and the receptionists are so rude you can tell that the people's self-esteem is lowered about 50% once they are done talking to them. They talk to people like dogs like they don't know anything. I thought it was some kind racist thing since i kinda look Arabian, but in reality i'm Mexican. Not only to me, but to everyone even to their own race, which is Mexican. Can't they have a little compassion for their people who work so hard, and still can't afford a decent life? These people are idiots and deserve to get fired. Even my DOG is nicer than them.

I was always scared of going to the dentist and after I visited western dental in redwood city, now im never ever going to any dentist. I had an appointment at 8am. I arrived on time and was locked outside because they had an emergency. 2 secs later I herd them singing happy bday. To me that was fine. Now the reason y i'm pissed. The dentist had me seated and gave me a shot. Right after the shot he sed he had another "emergency" and left me..., for an hour! By then the numbness was wearing off. Right when he got back he sed nothing and gave me another shot and mind you I am terrified of needles. And while lieing there I found out his "emergency"... Breakfast. He left me there and went to have breakfast. How I know? Because they were laughing an talking about it while I was suffering in the chair. Had a filling in 2 teeth, a root canal and had a fake tooth put in. A week later both fillings came out 2 days apart. The tooth that had the root canal is inflamed n have been inflamed for the last year. The fake tooth came out 2 n a half months after visiting them. Do yourself a favor, please please find another. I am scared for life.

This is what happened to me...they told me a simple extraction would be $119, at the low end. But I would have to pay $39 for xrays and consultation ...Went in paid the $39 fee...after exam. They tell all my teeth but 5 need to be extracted and I need upper dentures and a lower partial...est cost of $4, 315 with plan with $1, 079 Down payment...Never telling me that I had to sign up for a plan...The first time I heard anything about a plan is after i read the estimate...$8, 940 with out plan...What plan. And if all I wanted was the two teeth pulled that were hurting ( upper 7 that had a cavity and upper 12 that was so loose It was hanging by the roots) That each would cost $179 per. tooth...for a total of $358 with plan...$882 with plan...What you said $119 per tooth...At $179 per that's 33% increase...That's crazy ...I was in pain...So I had them pulled...I had to pay them $125 down with 4 payments of $47 and a 5th of $45 for a total of $358...a $120 more than the estimate...And the 12 upper tooth was as simple as you can get...

I am looking for an attorney to help me get some of my money back. Western Dental changed my treatment plan repeatedly which resulted in my being charged for 11 crowns and root canals I had 5 completed after my nerve on my eye tooth was damaged I can not stand to have any work on my mouth. The pain is to severe. I receive collection calls 3 times a week even though I paid cash for all 11 crowns and root canals and have only had the 5 done. The calls are usually robocalls but when a human is on the line they pull my information and agree I have a refund due. They claim " Its in the mail" or I will look into it & get back to you" Its about a year now & I really need the money. If there is a good lawyer out there who is willing to help me please contact me. Kathy T. my email is [protected]@live.com Thanks Kathy

Please don't ever go to Western Dental. I have never felt with a company that is so horrible. An there commercial are total Bull ###. They don't care about people they only care about themselves. I am on disability due to a very bad Pancrease. So I had my father cosign for me because my payments would of been $360.00. Due to a low credit score. Now think about the commercial about Western Dental. "We will help you even if you have poor credit" Bull ### Lie! I ended up with payments of a 140.00 an my total bill was $2003.00. If I was late by 14 days they charged me 50.00 a month late fee. They would call my house 10-15 times a day. A employee there started calling me an hanging up on me several times a day. I called to complain against him an they sent me to a voice mail account. They don't give a Rats ### about there paying customers. I purchased the Snap on Smile an with in 12 months it broke. They refused to fix it. Even though I paid them over 2000.00 for a broken snap on smile. Please pass on the word. They will make your life Hell an never give you something to smile about.

I went to Western Dental to get crowns on my 2 front teeth, when I arrived there was like 40 people in the waiting room, I waited like an hour to be seen, when I went back everything seemed to be going fine, but when she was finished putting my temporary crowns on, they were yellow! I asked why they were yellow, and she said they are just temporary, they were on my two front teeth so it was embarrassing to go out in public, I had those on for 2 weeks, then it started getting worse, when I was scheduled to go in for my permanent crowns, they rescheduled me like 2 times due to miscommunication, when I finally went in to get my permanent crowns she finished, they looked good the first day, the next day I was brushing my teeth and i looked in the mirror and they were turning green! I began freaking out, thinking I had an infection, so I went to the dentist a few days later, and the other dentist sees me and says he can't help me cause the other dentist needs to look at you. So I rescheduled AGAIN and when I finally went back, she looked at me and tried to polish them, she says they are stained from the inside, and need all new crowns, which meant more novican, needles, pain, I was pissed! Well my mom absolutely flips out, calls them up, starts yelling at them demanding the other dentist. We spent 2, 000 for these crowns. So I eventually go back in to have them redone, I'm waiting in the waiting room for like 35 mins, until I'm called back where they tell me they gave to reschedule me AGAIN they didn't realize how long it was going to take for the preparation, meanwhile my mom is yelling at the lady, saying you guys are pathetic, unprofessional, and how I should have priority due to the mess up of the crowns, well they shoosh me and my mom away with a new appointment card, I come back 2 days later, I'm FINALLY getting ready to have them redone by the OTHER dentist. Well the lady dentist who did my teeth the first time, was there, as I'm waiting for the other dentist, the lady dentist comes into my room demanding why my mom called and asked for the other dentist, she says something like, I don't appreciate your mother calling and requesting the other dentist, this was my responsiblity to fix your teeth, she said that she used the bright green stuff in all the teeth, but unfortuently for me it didn't clean right. I was just shocked, I was speechless, I could not believe how unprofessional she just was. The other dentist finished prepping me, he did a beautiful job, shame I didn't have him the first time. Well I go back tomorrow for the 2nd permanent crowns, just hopefully it will turn out ok.
So whatever you do do not go to Western Dental in Newhall California! They are hacks! Worst dental service EVER!

Just do yourself a favor and go. Just go. Click on another dental services provider. You don't want to stay here. You won't survive it, I barely survived it! This place is horrendous! It's horrendous! It's ungodly! Unnatural! If a piece of crap took a crap and that piece of crap took a crap and that piece of crap took a crap and that piece of crap open a dental office, and that office took a crap, this is the what you would be dealing with! First off, it's a cattle drive. As soon as I walked in, there were about 25 - 35 people in the waiting room. Second, it looks as if they gather their clientele from the immigration/welfare office. They must take W.I.C., food stamp, unemployment, and all other kinds of insurance from people that get free hand outs. Third, it smelled like urine and body oder in the waiting room from the people in the waiting. Fourth is the quality of people working there. Have you ever been at home and watched daytime television and seen those commercials that tell you not to waste your time in a four year college, but instead go and study for six months for an exciting career as a dental assistant? And that they will also find a job for you after you finish their program? That is the quality of staff working there. They are rude, ungrateful, and unprofessional. Now thankfully there was a mix up and I got referred to an office and only had to wait and didn't have to have any work done on me. When I got there, I sat for an hour, went and said "What the he!" They typed a few thing in their computer, and went "opps! She doesn't work here anymore. We'll refer you somewhere to a private office to get this done." Now thankfully they did fix it and referred me to a smaller, private office to get my oral surgery done, and I don't have to deal with those guys. Now I'm with CCPOA and have the premium branch of their services, and have my work done in smaller offices. But just having to wait in the waiting room for an hour was an eye opening experience.

They billed both us and our insurance. Then, when the insurance paid the majority of the bill, Western Dental refused to acknowledge this on our billing statement, and repeatedly sent us a bill for the full amount. The collections department of Western Dental then started calling us for the full amount. They refused to discuss the possibility the error was on their behalf. We left several messages with the original Western Dentist office and dealt kindly with WD until frustrations hit the fan and by a fluke we got a hold of the billing department at the Salinas Western Dental office and he fixed HIS ERROR! Two months of harassment by Western Dental and we had to fix THEIR error - No one has accepted the responsibility for fraudulent billing at collections! HA!
Brenda, Ed, Jessica, and Carlos Romas have all hung up on me when I have called to discuss this at [protected].

This is the worst place to get your teeth worked on. First of all, the dr. Smelled like cigerette smoke then proceeded to drop his lighter and cigs out of his jacket pocket. My husband got a root Canal done and was in pain for 2 weeks because they never put a temp on the tooth. When we went in for the appt that was scheduled 2 weeks out to get the permanate cap put on, we were told the dr. Was not in and that we would have to come back after waiting for 20 min in the waiting room. Everytime I have to make a payment to them it makes me so angry. DO NOT GO HERE! Save yourself time, frustration and the pain by going anywhere else but western dental

DO NOT get orthodontic work done here! When my son needed braces we went to Western Dental where we signed up for a payment plan. We signed on for automatic billing, which for some reason they have taken us off of twice, and then billed us for late fees! For the past six months I have received a random bill for $77 which no one can explain to me. The worst part about them is they are very active in reporting to the credit agencies, so when THEY screw up, not only do they hit you with late fees, they ding your credit. If you do have the misfortune of dealing with them, stay on top of the billing. I have to watch it every month to make sure they get it right. Not very "automatic". On top of all of this, I have been trying to get them to bill my insurance properly for a year and they still have yet to submit the correct paperwork. My daughter needs braces, too and it will definitely NOT be with Western.

I have literally been extorted by Western Dental. I paid off my account in full and then they came back months after I was done with treatment saying that I owed $196.00. Originally, the estimate for my braces was $3500, then after 2 years and me paying the account off they said that in order for them to finish treatment it was going to cost another $1500, which I paid off as well. After I disputed the additional $196 charge, they reported me to the credit agencies. It ended up costing me a couple thousand dollars when my low interest loan was denied because of the ding on my credit report -which was perfect before WD -I ended up paying them the $196 with their promise to remove their reporting to the credit agencies. I believe that this is a form of extortion. This organization should be put out of business for unethical business practice or at least have all of their staff replaced. On top of everything else, my teeth aren't much better than they were... now I have additional problems with my bite.

I know there is many bad comments about western dental. I just went to the hammer lane and west lane office. I was concern about going to a western dental for my dentures. I didn't have a really long wait time. After taken my X-rays I went to the exam room and the financial lady Reyna came in and ask me some questions. After dr Lee came in did my exam. He really answer all my questions and concerns. They both really made me feel comfortable. Reyna gave me estimates she took her time. She convinced me and I contracted. I felt like if it was my granddaughter motivating me to get my smile and confidence back. I recommend for you guys to visit this office.

To the reader of this post. I don't care how old this post is (Even years), feel free to reach out to me. I took my daughter in as directed to have 4 teeth pulled from my 8 year old daughter due to having multiple and very painful disabling malocclusion's. This procedure was medically necessary. When my daughter was taken back they put her under the influence of nitrous oxide (Excuse the spelling) and gave her the injection but didn't wait very long before he began the procedure. The dr. Began pulling so hard that my daughter didn't have the strength to resist how hard the dr. Was pulling. Where she cried out in pain. The dentist then looks at me and says, "can I speak to you?" the dentist then let's me exit the room first. I no more than passed the thresh hold when the dentist then says "oh wait" where the dentist then goes back into the room like he has forgotten the chart. Next thing I know, yolanda comes along and says I can't stand there stating that I need to go to the waiting room as she is back me up in this hallway type of area. I then heard my daughter scream but they wouldn't let me back in the room. Evidently, this dentist told my little girl that if she didn't settle down, he was going to give her another shot and/or pull more teeth. My baby girl was terrified and still is.
It has taken me forever to get some of the records. And no, I still don't have them all as they refuse to produce them. The records that I do have are written (Partially) in western dental code. What I wouldn't give to have the opportunity to have a retired or previous western dental employee look at my documents and de-code them for me. Heck, I would even pay good money for that just so that I can fully understand what happened to my little girl.

So, if any of you know a retired and/or previous or even current western dental employee or if you are one of the above. Please seek me out. I have both a gmail.com and a account. Please use my name shesharpshoots for the address portion of the email. If I put my email address in proper format, the computer will block it. So that's shesharpshoots at gmail.com.

If you are a victim, please feel free to contact me so that I can provide you with some guidance on how to get what you need and what to ask for. If nothing else. Make sure you file a formal grievance complaint with western dental corp. I would recommend that you do it online through their website because it will auto reply a email giving you proof that you filed. The authorities can't help you if you don't have a complaint in the system.

I just need answers.

Shesharpshoots

Where to start - how about the over hour wait for my appointment with no reason as to why and then when asked why and when I would get in - I was told just a few more minutes. At this point, my husband who had an appointment was after mine, I called and said come down, I am giving you my appointment so we are not here all day. So, my 10 am appointment for a routine cleaning became his appointment for the same thing and he was called in at 11:20 - this in essence my appointment was almost an hour and a half late. I am sitting there waiting for my husband thinking he is getting his x-rays and cleaning when I get a text from him saying only 15 min more and I get to see the dentist. Silly me - I am thinking his x-rays and cleaning are done. He finally comes out over an hour later (mind you it would only be 15 min to see the dentist) and tells me that he has to come back next week for the cleaning. What? He sat there for over an hour just to get x-ray's. Then when told he'd see the dentist in 15 min it was over 45 min. So, my husband was in their chair for over two hours and all he had done was x-rays and about 20 min with the dentist trying to tell him he needed a crown replaced that did not need replacing, and that he had two cavities that the dentist never did show him on the x-ray. Mind you when he was at the dentist (his original before we moved to Arizona) everything was fine. At this point neither of us are happy - I rescheduled my "cleaning" for the very first appointment on a Sat. so we would not have to wait an hour and a half again for an appointment. I was not happy at all with the service and asked for the officee manager to call me Monday morning. I was told no problem. On Tues. afternoon I called and was told oh she is not here today and has left for CA for a corporate meeting - never did tell me why she did not call me on Monday. I then proceed to call the corporate officee to voice my concerns. They tell me that they have had complaints because of the wait times and lack of communication with patients and was not surprised. She in turned called the Glendale, AZ officee and told them that they were to make sure that both my husband and I were in and out on time for our appointments and all that was to be done was a cleaning. So - here we are - my husband has an appointment today to do his cleaning. He gets a message telling him that he has to come in early to do a "service-plan" and his cleaning would cost him $180 because they only do deep cleanings and his insurance does not pay for deep cleanings. I call them back and ask to talk to the officee manager (she left the mess). I explain that I am not happy, we are not paying $180, and there will be no "service plan" - I get hung up because I am told that I am not talking nice. Really - I call back - I tell the person on the phone that I want to speak to the office manager again - she tells me that the office manager wants me to come in and discuss this with her. I tell the receptionist that I am sorry if I sound angry with you it is not your fault but you do not want me in your office right now as your patience probably do not want to hear what I have to say. Imagine my surprise when the officee manager gets on the phone and tells me that I just threatened her employee, mumbles something and hangs up on me. Also, keep in mind not only did I tell them but, corporate told them that they needed to call me not my husband as he is very hard to reach and I can get ahold of him and have him call them if necessary - and they keep calling him not me and he cannot return calls or answer his phone while he is working. In addition - their reception area is awful and not very inviting.

It took 2 years to file with my secondary insurance. When they did file, they put the wrong years of service. Six months later I am still asking them to refile with the insurance. Corporate billing kept calling for payment, I would explain and they said they would audit the account. Nobody would every get back to me. I have had at least 5 different people state they would audit the account and still no response from anybody. I have sent letters to the CEO's but no response from them either. I have also filed with the BBB. There is no communication between the local office, corporate billing and customer relations. BAD BUSINESS MODEL.

Since 9/22/11 two women working in what they call the "legal" department at Western Dental Corporate had me convinced that they were both attorneys when in fact they are not. They (Natalie Perez & Sushma Corbin) claim to have written the financial contract that everyone signs when credit is extended. Furthermore, they used their posed positions and titles as attorneys to extort an illegal amount of money from me all with the intention of continuing and covering up fraudulent activities.

I believe that this tactic is also used to cause one to loose out on their Statue of Limitations to seek relief. Therefore, Do Not waste Your Time TRYING TO NEGOTIATEWITH THEM. BECAUSE THEY WILL MAKE YOU BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE GOING TO INVESTIGATE BUT THEY WILL KEEP PUTTING YOU OFF UNTIL YOU HAVE NO RECOURSE left.