Without going into details, this is a corporate dentist near Charlotte who takes Medicaid (not Aspen, but I prefer to be anonymous here and not give my location). The reviews online are glowing, especially for the specific dentist I saw, which is why I’m scared to name them.
I went in for one filling. She found upwards of 15 cavities, and I was pressured to keep coming back to get them all filled. I got them all filled over the course of 2 months.
At every appointment, this dentist scolds me about how she can barely do anything because my mouth is too small and my tongue is always in the way. She’s working on 2-3 people at once and my fillings were rough and hastily done.
After a filling on a top back molar, the tooth directly in front of it became extremely painful. There was absolutely zero pain in this tooth until she filled the tooth behind it. She can’t find anything wrong with this tooth on x rays.
First she told me Medicaid would cover a root canal but not a crown. Then she told me it wouldn’t cover either of those. Then she told me she couldn’t pull the tooth, that I would have to go to an oral surgeon, but wouldn’t refer me anywhere. She keeps trying to sell me a mouthguard even though I don’t grind. I’ve never gotten any form of straight answer about this tooth. In fact, she never went over my x rays with me. I only got a glimpse of my x rays once on the way out. I’m stuck with serious pain and can barely chew.
Bonus: she complimented me on how easy I was to talk to, then complained about how she had to work on disabled people all day who couldn’t communicate.
Edit: Dr. R at Dentistry of the Carolinas in Gastonia
Cool story. A dentist office - a building open to the public doesn’t dox who you are. Not sharing the location makes this post worthless.
Agreed.
I edited to add the name. All the reviews on this dentist are good, so I was scared that if I told the name people would just tell me I’m wrong or overreacting.
Get a second dentist opinion immediately, who knows if you even had 15 real cavities! You may be close to talking with a medical injury attorney and I’d delete this post and if you do so.
Those fillings weren’t without consequence as well. 2 or 3 teeth that she filled are extremely sensitive now (they weren’t before) and one of them is so bad I’m planning to get it pulled, which I’ll have to pay out of pocket for. For all I know she accidentally caused the damage. I’m definitely getting a second opinion after the holidays.
What the hell, please, name and shame. It's limited options for those of us with medicaid I feel as it is but definitely want to avoid going there at all costs.
Dentists are like eye doctors and vets: don't give your money to a corporate-owned conglomerate. Find an independently owned and operated location and build a relationship with them.
Same with mechanics! I learned that the hard way too.
Yeah, stealerships are for warranty work and recalls. With few exceptions, there's rarely reasons to use them for normal service or general maintenance, particularly if a trusted independent mechanic will use OE parts for jobs where an OE part is a better choice than qualify aftermarket. Even higher level stuff like module reprogramming can be completed by an independent shop, and likely done for less than the stealership will do it (unless it's warranty covered, ofc).
To begin, I’m sorry this happened to you.
However as others have noted, there’s zero point of sharing all this and then not saying which practice it is. Defeats the entire purpose.
It’s Dentistry of the Carolinas in Gastonia. The reason I didn’t want to name is because most of the recent reviews are positive, but also I’m probably in the wrong subreddit if Gastonia has its own subreddit. Every single review on the dentist is glowing.
Reviews are farmed and negative reviews can be removed or hidden on every platform. There is basically no way to tell if a place is good anymore - a place with good reviews does not mean it is good, although usually a place with bad reviews means that it is bad. You just have to try them out. For dentists I try to look at where they went to school and how long they have been operating, and stay away from corporate places. Sorry this happened to you.
I had a dentist here say I needed 12 cavities filled and then went to another dentist for a second opinion who said no way. Any time a medical professional recommends a ton of work always get a second, or third opinion. My wife had one office say she needed a whole mouth gum graft to the tune of 20k before doing braces, well we got a second opinion and they said it is not needed. Some offices will be more aggressive than others in terms of treatment, but still, that kind of trauma to the mouth should only be done in the most necessary of scenarios.
It is difficult to name people who wrong us because we don’t know if they can hurt us further
I edited to add the name, but I cannot find a single bad review on this dentist online.
Most dentists have 5 stars. It is hard to find a dentist with less than 5 stars
I wanted to get this off my chest BUT I haven’t found another dentist yet so there’s that.
Bravo
some dentists (like South End Dentistry), give discounts for good reviews.
I had a dentist try this with me...I was told I had 10 cavities and I needed this $100 toothpaste that they sold but dont worry, they would fix me.
I ended up going to my husband's dentist where they found a single cavity. A coworker who is a former hygienist told me that dental insurance works the opposite of medical - dental only covers a certain amount annually then you're on the hook for everything, so there is incentive for dentists to tell you that you need a lot of work when you actually dont.
Bottom line: always be skeptical and ask for a second opinion if something sounds off.
OP doesn't want to name the dentist, but I will take this opportunity to say my family member had a similar experience at Aspire ""Dental Spa.""' Told he had a bizarrely high number of cavities and pressured to come back repeatedly for expensive procedures, the office openly admitting they filtered dental scans through an AI program to plan his treatment. Predatory, pushy, and greedy.
ETA: OP named dentist, thank you OP! Not this one but leaving this up anyway
Same scenario in Charlotte- this one was Advanced Dentistry of the Carolinas. Told me k had cavities in EVERY TOOTH. I’ve never missed a dentist appointment, have only had 1 cavity ever. Got a second opinion and had absolutely no cavities.
Yep! Same situation. He got a second opinion and was told he had only one cavity, the one he originally went in for. Insane how some places will get dollar signs in their eyes when someone says they have Medicaid or Medicare. You only get one set of teeth.
I was shocked to realize this but it’s true. There are always a ton of people young and old in that office getting dentures. I always thought so many dentists didn’t take Medicaid because it doesn’t pay them as well, but this dentist abused the shit out of the fact Medicaid covers fillings.
Mine is DoC Gastonia
I called the Aspire place and was so sketched out just from the preliminary convo. They tried to talk me into like a membership type model a la Massage Envy. No thanks.
This is why you do not go to the corporate owned practices. Support your small practices and make it not a lucrative proposition for these corporations. They are bad for the profession and the patient as it’s all about money.
DOC in Charlotte too. I don't have Medicaid. My wife had a HORRIBLE experience too that she is still dealing with pain from. Would NEVER recommend to anyone. EVER. Im so sorry you are going through this.
Had similar experience years ago in Charlotte. Never went back. I should have reported him for fraud
DoC in gastonia is my dentist and I do think things have gone a bit downhill recently. All in all, it isn’t the worst office I’ve been to.
Also, medicaid DOES cover root canals/crowns but only if you’re a minor (which is sooo 🙄). I could see them mixing that up. I don’t know why she wouldn’t refer you to a tooth pulling guy, I got a referral from them.
Also, how in the hell did you get 15 cavities filled in 2 months? Their availability is awful.
I’d go back every couple of weeks and get 3 or 4 filled at the same time. They filled them all without a proper exam. There are definitely worse places out there but I probably should’ve trusted my gut.
I’d ask your dentist for a copy of your records asap
Don’t go to Pearl.
if you're looking in Gastonia, I'd recommend you go to Dr. Karriker at Catawba Creek Dental. Best dentist I've ever had.
I’m sorry. I recently had a bad experience with a dentist. They essentially tried to high pressure sell me to get a $4k procedure to relieve the worst toothache. I literally had my credit card out because I was in so much pain. Luckily I took a beat and reached out to a friend who’s in the dental industry. She recommended Dr. Patel at Regal Oaks, and I cant speak highly enough about his whole office. They immediately gave me pain meds, worked with me on the cost, and bonus - he’s the most gentle dentist I’ve ever seen lol. I really recommend checking them out. Good luck!
Maybe get a second opinion.