Today begins a new schedule at work - 12:00 noon to 9:00 pm - and a new surge to embed critical activities into my life.
I have no choice. The job is tough and beating me up, but diabetes is kicking my ass.
Actions I have to take at my age (54) include:
During a business trip to Asheville, I decided to go to Affordable Dentures on the basis of recommendations from my friends in Swannanoa.
On Thursday, February 7, 2008, I went in around noon. I went in to have a tooth extracted, but was told that for an extraction, I had to arrive at 7 am.
On Friday, I arrived at 6:45, and already the waiting room had maybe 25 people ahead of me. Good sign. The place was popular with the locals.
At around 9:00 am, I was taken in for a full set of x-rays ($65) and then sent back to the waiting room. Around 9:35, I was called back in and informed by the staff that “Dr. D.” was not taking any more “emergencies” that day because they had to start adjustments.
I was charged a total of $90 which included the x-rays and $25 for a consultation called “Pt Cnslt/Comp orl evl-new/estb” on the bill.
Problem is, I never sat in a dental chair, never met a dentist in that office, and never received an exam. To be charged for services not received is professional misconduct at best, and fraud in my opinion.
I asked the staff to inform the dentist that I was leaving for South Florida in a few hours, and to ask if he would reconsider completing the treatment I came in for, but the answer was the same.
The guy I assumed was Dr. D - I never met him but I may have seen him from across the room - wrote a prescription for Zithromax and Lorcet even though he never examined me.
Zithromax:
“To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of ZITHROMAX (azithromycin) and other antibacterial drugs, ZITHROMAX (azithromycin) should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria.”
~ http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/zithromaxsusp.htm
Lorcet is a pain killer:
“USES: This medication is a combination of a narcotic (hydrocodone) and a non-narcotic (acetaminophen) used to relieve moderate to severe pain. Hydrocodone works by binding to opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, and acetaminophen decreases the formation of prostaglandins, therefore relieving pain.”
~ http://www.medicinenet.com/hydrocodoneacetaminophen-oral/article.htm
The tooth that I wanted extracted is loose, but I am not in pain, and the dental assistant was informed of no pain. I never told the dentist anything, because I never met or spoke to him. From the script, I assume Dr. D is Dr. Charles Delaine.
It’s Saturday, I am back in Florida, but I was unable to contact the owner of the practice, Dr. Shaun O’Hearn (from the bill). No answer, and also no answering machine. I was not able to find a direct email address for Dr. O’Hearn.
The only Dr. Charles Delaine I could find was listed in Sneedville, TN, and I don’t know if that is the same dentist.
I did email the parent organization which appears to be some kind of a chain or franchise:
http://www.affordabledentures.com/mini-dental-implant-learn-more.asp
I guess part of the problem was that I had an overnight drive back to Florida with time to fume about the lack of treatment and callous service. I can say that being mad about the whole experience helped me stay awake. I am posting because I cannot find a person, email, or even an answering machine to complain directly to these individuals.
If this is how a new patient “emergency” is treated, I would stay away.
Charles Lamm
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