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Business Profile

Dentist

Gentle Dental

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Dentist.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Gentle Dental's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 159 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 38 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/07/2022

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I received medical treatment on April 29th of this year ******************* at the Gentle Dental office in ************* from Dr.***********. I was required to provide payment at the time of service even though I provided medical insurance information for insurance approved by the dental service provider. Insurance claim was subsequently submitted by the service provider and paid by insurance company ************************** Complete. Since then I have called both the insurance company and the dentist office, including their billing department, MANY times to get a refund from them. Most recent conversation with the billing office in************ was about October 12th. The billing manager (named *****) promised at that time to have refund to me within 4-6 weeks. It is now 8 weeks and I have not received my refund and can't reach anyone in the billing office. Too many attempts to resolve this peacefully. In some instances, double billing/payment like this would seem to be Medicare fraud. I need *** assistance. Attached are a copy of the original **** payment receipt and an account printout from my ***************** insurance account showing that payment was made. Thank you.

      Business Response

      Date: 01/18/2023

      Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/12/19) */
      Can you please provide us with the name of the office that you went to. Thank you


      Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/12/23) */
      (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
      Business Response requested name of the office I went to. That information is in the Case Description. Again, the name of the office is Gentile Dental office in ******************** and the dentist was Dr. **********.


      Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/12/30) */
      Thank you, I was able to obtain GD name, which is ************** I've reached out to our BM to research and fine the best possible solution. We appreciate your patience.


      Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2023/01/09) */
      (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
      Nothing has been resolved yet


      Consumer Response /* (2000, 13, 2023/01/18) */
      Refund has been received and I am satisfied with the outcome.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/07/2022

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I received Dental Care from Gentle Dental and paid the amount I was billed for services. I had given them my dental insurance information and they confirmed what was covered and the amount that was my responsibility. Services were provided and completed June 2021. I received a statement at the end of 2021 that said I owed $583.00. I called the Office several times and informed them that****** Dental (my insurance) informed me they were missing information to process the claims in question. I was told by Gentle Dental they will submit the information.****** Dental informed me that they have not received the any claims for some of my work and they have reached out to Gentle Dental and have not received a reply. I have a letter from Them stating such.****** Dental informs me that since it has been over a year any claims now submitted will not be covered. I have now made 11 calls to Gentle Dental and have not received promised return calls and I am still receiving statements. I should not have to pay for any claims that Gentle Dental did not submit or lacked responses to request for information. I sent all the information requested to Gentle Dental 2X and was told by their office they would submit and nothing was owed by me. But I still receive statements to the contrary and cannot get their billing office to return call. Please help to get this resolved.

      Business Response

      Date: 12/16/2022

      Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/12/16) */
      Hello, Can you please provide the name of the location so we can better assist and fid a resolution. Thank you so very much.


      Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/12/17) */
      (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
      They send me statements every month and have been able to look up my account by name when I call so this response is ridiculous.But in the interest in getting this done here is the information. I was seen in the **************** Office and ***** office. I had called both and the billing number on the statement several times to try to get resolution. Each time I was told they would look into and call me back, But never received the return calls as promised. I sent them additional information 2X and was even told there is no balance outstanding. But I still receive statements with a balance. Here is the account ID on the Statement.************

      Business Response /* (4000, 16, 2023/01/10) */
      Dear *************

      Thank you for reaching out to us and giving us an opportunity to work through your concerns. We apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused you. It is essential for you to know our primary goal is patient satisfaction and excellent service. After further review we have determined to adjust your account in the amount of $853.00. Your account currently has a zero balance.

      Sincerely,
      Nina********
      Risk Administrator

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/29/2022

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      This particular business was shouting at a Mexican man and his mother while I was at the clinic. I don't feel comfortable when the front desk staff shouts at people and especially at the elderly so I walked out. The front desk lady ended up calling the Mexican man a cholo after he left which is very racist and I didn't like that. I believe this happened on 10/18/22 and approximately a month later on 11/19/22 I have been billed $229 for a comprehensive exam and four films that were X-rays of my teeth that they told me numerous times would be free and would be covered by my insurance. The precise price breakdown was $130 for the comprehensive exam and $99 for four films of my teeth which is really expensive for students like me. Also I never received the comprehensive exam.

      Business Response

      Date: 12/16/2022

      Hello, Can I please get the name of the office so we can better assist. Thank you.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/29/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unresolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      My teeth are not straight after my braces.

      Business Response

      Date: 12/06/2022

      Hello, Can you please provide us with the office name so we can better assist in finding a resolution. Thank you!

      Customer Answer

      Date: 12/12/2022

      (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
      Gentle dental south ******. I have already discussed this with the orthodontist. I would need the braces re done or get Invisalign at my expense.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/21/2022

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have previously tried to resolve this issue before with *** but Gentle Dental never responded to ***.

      Despite the Gentle Dental rep telling me on numerous occasions to simply ignore the monthly billing statements mailed to me and that they would soon stop, the past year, I have continued to received these. I want this to stop and not simply keep getting them indefinitely. I would like *** to assist in trying to re-contact them again to get them to stop mailing these statements to me as I have repeatedly been told by Gentle Dental that my balance is $0 and I do not owe this $85.00. DOS was 11/2019!

      Business Response

      Date: 12/21/2022

      Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/12/01) */
      So we can assist in resolving the issue. Can we please get the name of the office. Thank you.


      Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/12/07) */
      (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
      There is no resolution here but only a request for additional information. They should be able to access their own records for the answer but I went to the ********* office on *************.


      Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/12/16) */
      Hello - Per***, After reviewing the date of service in question this is what I was able to identify where the balance was coming from. The patient as seen in the office on date of service 12/05/19 for cleaning. After billing patients insurance they did not process the claim and additional patient information was required. I do not see that information was received. The amount of $85 was pushed over to the patient until the information was gather and resolved. However, out of professional courtesy we will be waiving the unpaid claim amount of $85 for this patient due length of time this has taken. In the future we do advise the patient to have correct insurance information for future services. Additionally, once the insurance processes the claim and if any of the services are not paid it does become the patient's responsibility. The adjustment form of $85 has been submitted and account will be cleared by Monday 12/19/22.



      Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2022/12/16) */
      (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
      While I do not agree with their explanation as i had provided the 2 insurances that i had at the time of service and i was told repeatedly by their billing dept over the years that this amount had been removed, i still received monthly statements. I am happy to again be told that i do not owe this amount. However, i hope this means the monthly statements will stop. Thank you *** with your assistance in resolving this matter.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/08/2022

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      The office charged me over $3000*************** which my insurance covered. They claimed the insurance did not pay them back but my insurance record showed all claims were processed! It's been over a year and they never refunded the extra charge.

      Business Response

      Date: 12/19/2022

      Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/12/02) */
      Can you please provide us with the office name so we can better assist you.

      Thank you,
      *****

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/21/2022

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Continue to receive bill for $144.00. I have requested an explanation several times and have not gotten a response.

      Business Response

      Date: 11/17/2022

      Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/27) */
      Hello,

      Can we please get the name of the GD office that you attended and continue to get bills from so we can better assist.

      Thank you,

      *****

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/13/2022

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I had a bridge made at Gentle Dental Sorrento Valley in early 2022, it has a 5 year warranty. The bridge broke in mid 2022. I requested Lab note and records. Called multiple times, emailed multiple times, connected with people on 2 occasions. They promised to forward records to my email.

      No contact, no emails, NOTHING.

      Business Response

      Date: 10/26/2022

      Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/19) */
      Thank you so much for reaching out to us. I will contact Business manager and you will receive a call within 48 hours.

      Thank you!


      Consumer Response /* (2000, 8, 2022/10/25) */
      (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
      Business contacted me and offered to refund cost of bridge. I am still awaiting that resolution. They have said they will refund $3390 but not give up the lab note. I have agreed to that but am still waiting for that to take place.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/06/2022

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Good Afternoon!I'm writing to report about Gentle Dental *********************************** who sent a balance owed to $97 which not only charged in error, but the office made no attempt to reach me before it was sent to a collections agency. I was referred to Gentle Dental by a co-worker in March 2018 for a cleaning and had continued to go there for cleanings until my last service in July 2021. There were visits where I had X-rays, but those were covered by insurance and I never paid out of pocket. DATES OF SERVICEMarch 28, 2018 (regular dental cleaning)October 11, 2018 (regular dental cleaning)October 31, 2018 (************ work)COVID-no appointments in 2019 (regular dental cleaning)June 26, 2020 (regular dental cleaning)December 18, 2020 (regular dental cleaning)July 8, 2021 (LAST SERVICE) (regular dental cleaning)On July 8th, I went in for the normal cleaning that I have always gotten in my previous cleanings. I didn't authorize ANY additional work to be done. Simply the regular cleanings that I had always received and never received a bill for until my last appointment. I left ****************** in August 2021. It wasn't until September 19, 2022 that I received a call from a collections agency that I owed Gentle Dental $92.00.I asked for details and they didn't have it. I called Gentle Dental that day and spoke to a woman who explained the charges and then after that spoke to a manager *******( I believe) who tried to explain what I was charged. She mentioned that I had some extra X-rays that were done that day. I said that I had X-rays done before and never received a bill. She explained that I had to have these specific X-rays (not sure what they are called) done because it had been three years. I told her that I did NOT authorize anything outside of my cleanings. ***** had ALWAYS done a marvelous job cleaning, but anything outside of that, I did not authorize.I tried to remedy the issue, but they would not call back or explain in detail

      Business Response

      Date: 10/28/2022

      Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/10) */
      We received your complaint. Please allow us 48 hours to review and find the best possible resolution. Thank you.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/03/2022

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Gentle Dental Corona office has made a billing discrepancy and says that I have a balance due from my last visit. I have the Statement from Care Credit to show my bill was paid in full. They also never answer their phone or let the customers know if their office is open or closed. I have left several phone messages and none my calls have been returned. I was supposed to have my new retainers in two to three weeks. So far I cannot get any kind of a response or update from their office. This is highly unprofessional.

      Business Response

      Date: 10/28/2022

      Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/10) */
      We have received your complaint. Please allow us 48 hours to review and obtain the best possible resolution. Thank you.


      Business Response /* (4000, 7, 2022/10/10) */
      Hello. I received an update from our Business Manager at our GD Corona location. She stated she spoke to the patient about a week ago and provided her with the following information in regards to the office hours, bills and retainers. Patient has an appointment to come into the office. Please let us know if you need additional information. Thank you.

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