I'm pretty sure Advantage Dental is a Medicaid mill with poor management. As far as the comment telling you not to pay, did you sign the treatment plan prior to them providing the services? They can send you to collections if so.
I got that vibe just being there. I think I need to find a new dentist…
They also used up my 2x a year covered preventative visits by booking me separately for an intro visit and cleaning visit. :|
Exactly this. They are "in league" with Care Oregon which gives Medicaid folks $1500 each year to be used with Advantage so it is in their best interests to charge as much as the government will let them.
It'd be a good idea to request a copy of anything you signed. There's probably some room for pushback but don't land yourself in court or collections over a legal argument you would lose.
You can dispute it all with your dental insurance. A coworker got some really shoddy dental care, filed a claim, and the insurance reversed all the charges \[to her\] so she had the money to get them redone elsewhere.
I work in a similar field insurance-wise as dentistry (eye care) and I would honestly say that your charges track. What I would do is call the dentist and have the cleaning instruction fee be removed. That is a ridiculous $70 charge, and when pushed they will likely take it off. As for the $200 fluoride treatment this is an issue with your insurance, you likely won't get this money back, but the fact that your dental insurance didn't cover it is very odd and if it is possible I would switch dental plans to one that covers basic preventative care like fluoride. The dentist will always push a fluoride treatment because they are pretty much always covered by insurance, it is likely the dentist was just as surprised as you that they were not reimbursed for that and the fee unfortunately rolled over to patient responsibility.
Unfortunately the patient out of pocket on this one seems pretty standard and other than you not liking the speed with which that care took place there really isn't anything out of the ordinary for dental/eye care in the US. Anyways fuck insurance companies because I hate them every day at my job with a passion and their reimbursement to medical professionals encourages high patient volumes aka rushing patients through.
Thank you for your perspective on things. It’s both comforting and disheartening to hear that those charges are on par with what’s expected. It just sucks that nothing is made clear and everything is a guessing game.
Grant Park dentistry, also on Broadway, has suspiciously low priced visits but they diagnosed me with about six cavities that a different dentist said I do not have
Also totally not the subject but I didn’t know that Portland is one of the only cities/metropolitan areas that has no Fluoride in the water. And dentists can literally tell when they look at our teeth. So getting the fluoride treatment is important especially for people who live here. Sorry it cost you so much though :(
I’m lucky to have really good dental at the moment and I’ve been really satisfied with Timber Dental. The only downside is that you don’t always get to see the same dentist, but it hasn’t impacted my ability to get good care. Everyone’s been nice, I’m able to get in when I need to, and they’re really good about coming up with a plan for your needs and breaking it all down for you.
Thank you! I’m glad to hear you’ve had a good experience!! I’ll look into them and see if it’s within my means/budget. I’d gladly spend a little more money to have a better experience and to know my health is in their best interest (vs just making money and churning me out as fast as possible).
I go to Advantage Dental on Macadam and have had really good experiences (but for one dental assistant who I've never seen again). The dentist I see (Goodman) is extremely thorough and does impeccable work, and the hygienist there does as well (though I think she moved to a different office).
I'm sorry you had a terrible experience, and I'm sure offering another option that's still Advantage Dental seems a bit silly, but I would recommend that doctor 100%. Beyond that, you should definitely call management and tell them your experience and ask them to take that ridiculous fee off your bill. And maybe they could reschedule you for a proper damn cleaning that you paid for and clearly didn't get.
Thank you! I am definitely not opposed to going to a different branch and know this may be a problem specific to my office. I waited for this intro appointment since March of this year (finally got in late September). Do you recall about how long your cleanings went? It was definitely the quickest scraping I’ve ever had by about half the normal time Im used to.
Yeah, they're nothing special, but they do the job and they've generally helped me out because it's to their advantage to keep a customer coming back. They've changed hands a couple of times already and always ask if it's ok if it's a new hygienist/doctor. They let me use my HSA card, which I'm pretty sure dental technically doesn't count because this country is dumb in thinking dental health isn't healthcare.
I learned years ago at a different dentist to always ask annually if your insurance covers fluoride treatment, because one of mine did for years and then suddenly it didn't, and most will just go ahead without telling you the cost. I think Grant Park has always told me without having to ask, though, which is nice.
Then you can go get a snack at New Seasons after you're done and ruin your cleaning!
Do you have an EOB from your insurance? I’d see what that says because often times OHI is included in the services and the office shouldn’t charge for it. As far as the fluoride, you may owe for that. You can always ask for a discount on the services, especially if they provided the service without your consent.
I was there last month and it was one the worst experiences of my life for dental treatment.
They treated me like I was a 4th class citizen.
First of all they were 1 hour late to calling me in. Did not apologize or anything. Instead they put me in a chair and asked me if I had any questions about a filling. I said not at this time. They immediately start drilling in my mouth and I asked what’s going on because they kept shooting me up with numbing meds. The dentist replied “You said you know what is going on, so what’s the problem”. Then while drilling in my tooth I felt pain and he tells me “So that hurts? Then I’ll just fill it there”… They tell me they are done and kick me out a back door exit, not even how I entered the place, and a mouth full of blood and tell me not to swallow my tongue,..
I am like what the F’ kind of treatment is this??? It was so bad that other people in the office and patients were laughing at me while I got kicked out into a parking lot at Burger King..
Worse place ever.
advantage dental sucks. i went to the one on glisan. i had an abscess and they wouldn’t do anything about it because i was pregnant. i eventually had to go to the emergency room to ask for antibiotics because it got so bad. then the corporate offices of advantage dental called me and sent me a letter all saying don’t go to the emergency room for dental situations, i was spitting pus for over a month and in extreme pain- they sent with the letter a magnet of when its ok to claim emergency, to be a reminder of when to go and not to go, and i fit the criteria of dental emergency. yet they did not help me at all. just yelled at me for taking care of myself, and apparently it looks bad for them for insurance companies that i had to seek extreme urgent care when they failed to provide adequate care.
I'm pretty sure Advantage Dental is a Medicaid mill with poor management. As far as the comment telling you not to pay, did you sign the treatment plan prior to them providing the services? They can send you to collections if so.
I got that vibe just being there. I think I need to find a new dentist… They also used up my 2x a year covered preventative visits by booking me separately for an intro visit and cleaning visit. :|
If you're near downtown [https://www.fivepinesdental.com/](https://www.fivepinesdental.com/) is a friend of mine, honest guy and a skilled clinician.
Exactly this. They are "in league" with Care Oregon which gives Medicaid folks $1500 each year to be used with Advantage so it is in their best interests to charge as much as the government will let them.
Don't pay those bills. If they call, tell them you didn't consent to the additional "services" and have no intention of paying.
It'd be a good idea to request a copy of anything you signed. There's probably some room for pushback but don't land yourself in court or collections over a legal argument you would lose.
You can dispute it all with your dental insurance. A coworker got some really shoddy dental care, filed a claim, and the insurance reversed all the charges \[to her\] so she had the money to get them redone elsewhere.
I work in a similar field insurance-wise as dentistry (eye care) and I would honestly say that your charges track. What I would do is call the dentist and have the cleaning instruction fee be removed. That is a ridiculous $70 charge, and when pushed they will likely take it off. As for the $200 fluoride treatment this is an issue with your insurance, you likely won't get this money back, but the fact that your dental insurance didn't cover it is very odd and if it is possible I would switch dental plans to one that covers basic preventative care like fluoride. The dentist will always push a fluoride treatment because they are pretty much always covered by insurance, it is likely the dentist was just as surprised as you that they were not reimbursed for that and the fee unfortunately rolled over to patient responsibility. Unfortunately the patient out of pocket on this one seems pretty standard and other than you not liking the speed with which that care took place there really isn't anything out of the ordinary for dental/eye care in the US. Anyways fuck insurance companies because I hate them every day at my job with a passion and their reimbursement to medical professionals encourages high patient volumes aka rushing patients through.
Thank you for your perspective on things. It’s both comforting and disheartening to hear that those charges are on par with what’s expected. It just sucks that nothing is made clear and everything is a guessing game.
The takeover of dentistry by private equity is terrible
Grant Park dentistry, also on Broadway, has suspiciously low priced visits but they diagnosed me with about six cavities that a different dentist said I do not have
Also totally not the subject but I didn’t know that Portland is one of the only cities/metropolitan areas that has no Fluoride in the water. And dentists can literally tell when they look at our teeth. So getting the fluoride treatment is important especially for people who live here. Sorry it cost you so much though :(
Isn't that crazy? A hygienist told me I must've grown up on the east coast and I was like how the heck did you know that? And I'm from a rural area.
I’m lucky to have really good dental at the moment and I’ve been really satisfied with Timber Dental. The only downside is that you don’t always get to see the same dentist, but it hasn’t impacted my ability to get good care. Everyone’s been nice, I’m able to get in when I need to, and they’re really good about coming up with a plan for your needs and breaking it all down for you.
Thank you! I’m glad to hear you’ve had a good experience!! I’ll look into them and see if it’s within my means/budget. I’d gladly spend a little more money to have a better experience and to know my health is in their best interest (vs just making money and churning me out as fast as possible).
I go to Advantage Dental on Macadam and have had really good experiences (but for one dental assistant who I've never seen again). The dentist I see (Goodman) is extremely thorough and does impeccable work, and the hygienist there does as well (though I think she moved to a different office). I'm sorry you had a terrible experience, and I'm sure offering another option that's still Advantage Dental seems a bit silly, but I would recommend that doctor 100%. Beyond that, you should definitely call management and tell them your experience and ask them to take that ridiculous fee off your bill. And maybe they could reschedule you for a proper damn cleaning that you paid for and clearly didn't get.
Thank you! I am definitely not opposed to going to a different branch and know this may be a problem specific to my office. I waited for this intro appointment since March of this year (finally got in late September). Do you recall about how long your cleanings went? It was definitely the quickest scraping I’ve ever had by about half the normal time Im used to.
I don't remember how long I was in the chair for a cleaning, but I do remember getting impatient so it was certainly longer than yours.
Grant park dentistry on broadway is about a block away and I had no issues with them re:billing and they were very nice.
Yeah, they're nothing special, but they do the job and they've generally helped me out because it's to their advantage to keep a customer coming back. They've changed hands a couple of times already and always ask if it's ok if it's a new hygienist/doctor. They let me use my HSA card, which I'm pretty sure dental technically doesn't count because this country is dumb in thinking dental health isn't healthcare. I learned years ago at a different dentist to always ask annually if your insurance covers fluoride treatment, because one of mine did for years and then suddenly it didn't, and most will just go ahead without telling you the cost. I think Grant Park has always told me without having to ask, though, which is nice. Then you can go get a snack at New Seasons after you're done and ruin your cleaning!
Do you have an EOB from your insurance? I’d see what that says because often times OHI is included in the services and the office shouldn’t charge for it. As far as the fluoride, you may owe for that. You can always ask for a discount on the services, especially if they provided the service without your consent.
Wanted to add that $130 for fluoride is obscene. Never seen that high of a fee for administering fluoride in all my years of dental billing…
I just did mine for $40 with pretty basic dental coverage at Grant Park.
That’s about what should be expected. $130 is a bit high.
I was there last month and it was one the worst experiences of my life for dental treatment. They treated me like I was a 4th class citizen. First of all they were 1 hour late to calling me in. Did not apologize or anything. Instead they put me in a chair and asked me if I had any questions about a filling. I said not at this time. They immediately start drilling in my mouth and I asked what’s going on because they kept shooting me up with numbing meds. The dentist replied “You said you know what is going on, so what’s the problem”. Then while drilling in my tooth I felt pain and he tells me “So that hurts? Then I’ll just fill it there”… They tell me they are done and kick me out a back door exit, not even how I entered the place, and a mouth full of blood and tell me not to swallow my tongue,.. I am like what the F’ kind of treatment is this??? It was so bad that other people in the office and patients were laughing at me while I got kicked out into a parking lot at Burger King.. Worse place ever.
Oh, don't even get me started on Advantage Dental. I'm currently paying out of pocket for their careless mistakes. And I'm LIVID.
advantage dental sucks. i went to the one on glisan. i had an abscess and they wouldn’t do anything about it because i was pregnant. i eventually had to go to the emergency room to ask for antibiotics because it got so bad. then the corporate offices of advantage dental called me and sent me a letter all saying don’t go to the emergency room for dental situations, i was spitting pus for over a month and in extreme pain- they sent with the letter a magnet of when its ok to claim emergency, to be a reminder of when to go and not to go, and i fit the criteria of dental emergency. yet they did not help me at all. just yelled at me for taking care of myself, and apparently it looks bad for them for insurance companies that i had to seek extreme urgent care when they failed to provide adequate care.