So the kid has had braces on for over 2.5 years now. We were supposed to be done six months ago. But that timeline has come and gone and the orthodontist, who was supposed to be in charge of all of this, has semi-retired and doesn't return our calls or requests to contact us. Even our family dentist is shaking his head. How do we close this out? More details inside.
The longer story is that we signed up with Mr. Fabulous, a local orthodontist that came with great reviews from everyone we knew. Great chairside manner, kick-ass office with video games and TVs, easy location, and lots of happy kids with nice outcomes.
My son's case wasn't the easiest. Possibly a phantom tooth, maybe he needed extractions, maybe a temporary anchor (ouch), lots of different ideas about how to do things. We got a treatment plan started and he was going in for adjustments and review every 10 weeks, which was odd to me since when I was a kid I saw my ortho every 2 weeks. But, okay, things are nifty and modern and they know what they are doing.
In the meantime, Mr Fabulous sold his practice to a national chain of orthodontists, Smile Doctors. The office got a revamp and new sign out front but we were told that Fabulous wasn't going anywhere. Treatment was still supposed to wrap up in November 2020. But there were also increasing problems. For example, questions and appointment requests went through a call center 6 states away now. Of course they don't know my kid and the doctor isn't in the room with the person taking the call. Messages get generated and passed, but it's hard to get an answer to anything.
November comes and goes and our family dentist asks "so, what's he doing here? It looks like he's nowhere near done and what is his plan for this missing tooth, among the rest of the show?" We have no idea. It's not like we've been getting any treatment plan updates. We just sent him in every 10 weeks and adjustments were made. COVID obviously didn't help either, we sent him in alone and the kid came out with an appointment card for the next visit.
So the goal here is just to pin Fabulous down and ask him what he thinks should happen and when can it be completed. The problem is that he's never in the office. When we ask for a meeting he's always "away" or "on vacation for two weeks". Even messages from the family dentist, who is a well known figure in town and works less than a block away, go unanswered. Dentist is frustrated by the situation and has privately admitted they don't refer patients to Fabulous any more.
A compounding factor is that we are already paid up. I had an FSA to empty back in 2019 so it all went to Fabulous and we zeroed out the balance. So I have no leverage about withholding payment. I've already put my other child with a different orthodontist in town and they mentioned that they currently aren't taking existing patients from other practices at the moment. So I don't have that option right now. Big mistake.
I realize part of this is our fault for not asking for updates every 4 to 6 months and understand where things were going. But I also trusted that a provider like this, who got a few thousand dollars up front, would be good at communicating progress and direction. Another big mistake in making that assumption.
My primary question is: how do I get this chump to answer a call or show up at the office to meet with us and consult? Is there a magic phrase I say? Do I lawyer up? Perhaps call the state office of professional regulation and make a complaint? If any of you have been through this I could use your help. Thanks! |
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