Rich E.'s Profile

1 Previous Review: Hide »

• 
  8/31/2011 First to Review

  Do you like your personal information (including name, social security number, date of birth, address, and telephone number) shared with complete strangers?  Do you like it when your hygienist tries to upsell products & services which are (surprise!) not covered by insurance during your visit?  Do you like having to pay for the goodie bag of travel toothpaste, toothbrush, and floss at the end your visit?  Do you like having to pay an outrageous fee to have your dental records (including x-rays for which you and/or your insurance company have already paid) retrieved when you are ready to switch dentists?  Do you like a revolving door of dentists who care more about unnecessary procedures than the actual well-being of their patients?  If the answer to any of these questions is "no", then Great Expressions is not for you.  After my most recent visit, I decided it was time for me to switch dentists and take my teeth to someone else.  Great Expressions was Nanston up until about a year ago.  Nanston was excellent.  I referred several people to them as I never had anything but stellar visits.  The hygienists were wonderful, and the dentists always took the time to actually review my x-rays and charts during the exam.  I take good care of my teeth, so I am used to dentists not having to spend a lot of time poking and prodding in my mouth.  But that all changed when Nanston became Great Expressions.  Six months ago, I endured one of the most painful dental visits of my adult life.  The hygienist, without any explanation, took some sort of electronic scraping device to my gums.  Of course, at the end of this, my mouth was a bloody mess.  So she suggested since I had gingivitis (I do?), that I needed a deep cleaning.  Of course, the deep cleaning is not covered by insurance.  So I asked to see the dentist.  The dentist informed me that while my gums were inflamed, I did not need a deep cleaning.  I simply needed to do a better job with flossing.  After the dentist left, the hygienist asked me again if I wanted the deep cleaning.  I politely refused, and was asked to sign a form that I declined a dental procedure.  I asked for the dentist again, and was told I didn't need to sign the form.  Fast forward to six months later.  The hygienist this time did an excellent job.  She took the time to explain what she was doing and really made me feel better about Great Expressions.  Then the dentist came in.  In about 90 seconds, she determined I had four cavities, one of which needed to be filled.  Since I haven't had a cavity since Reagan was in office, I was quite surprised.  But she has the degree and I don't, so I didn't think too much about it.  As I was leaving, I made the appointment to get my filling and for my next 6-month visit.  I asked if I was going to get a toothbrush and toothpaste, and was told I needed to pay $1 to get a goodie bag.  At first, I thought she was joking, but then she pointed to a sign which confirmed that the toothpaste, toothbrush, and floss were indeed $1.  My insurance is about to fork over $85 for a cleaning and exam and you can't even give me a toothbrush?  Anyway, as I was leaving, I was handed my receipt and noticed something on the back.  I flipped it over and was looking right at the information form for another patient.  All the good stuff was there- name, address, telephone numbers, work and insurance information, social security number, and date of birth.  When I handed it back  to the receptionist, she looked right at me and asked if I wanted it reprinted on another sheet of paper.  I realized then that I could no longer do business with a company which apparently cares very little about patient satisfaction and, more importantly, patient privacy.  After getting the OK from my insurance company, I made an appointment with another dentist for another exam.  I called Great Expressions and asked about transferring my dental records, and was told there is a $45 processing fee.  I have to pay $45 for someone to walk into the file room, grab a folder, and hand it to me?  $25 of that fee is because my file contains x-rays for which, of course, my insurance company and I have already paid.  They may be called Great Expressions, but they left a sour impression.  I won't be back.

  Was this review …?

  • Useful (1)
  • Funny  
  • Cool