Atlanta Dental Company
reviews and complaints

took my son to Atlanta Dental Group (www.atlantadentalgroup.com) at 1624 Piedmont Ave, Atlanta 30324 this past Saturday 10/22 because he was in extreme pain and their website offered emergency Saturday service. When I called I was informed that they can’t verify insurance but it would cost $244 to be seen and diagnosed. He was seen by a visiting Dentist Dr. Ben Steele (the main dentist for this practice, Mark Padolsky was not there) and was informed that my son needed a Root Canal. The office manager Jon Padolksy told me that since they don’t verify insurance over the weekend, I would have to pay cash before they could help my son. I was giving a bill for $1608 which included a root canal and build up. I told them I did not have that much money but I had dental insurance but they only agreed to help my child if I could pay $1261 plus the x-ray fee and the exam fee. This amount is the FULL price of the root canal (less the final crown). They also took a panoramic x-ray (which I later found out is only needed every 3-5 years but is one of the most expensive x-rays you can take!) instead of a single x-ray to look at the affected area. They wouldn’t start any treatment until I was able to put 3 credit cards together for a total bill of $1485. My son was in so much pain, I left limited in my choices that morning.

My son was released with the very beginning of the root canal done and told he needed to return 6 days later for completion after the antibiotic has taken effect. I asked if the staff if he had any problems with the root canal after we left, could we call. The office manager Jon said yes. Well, he did have pain about 4 hours later – EXTREME pain, he said similar to the pain he was in when he arrived. I could not get an answering service or any of the dentists from this practice on the phone for advice so I ended up going to an urgent care center (and paying an additional fee)where they were able to give my son a prescription for a stronger pain killer.

I took my son to a new dentist on Monday along with the receipt from our venture on Saturday and they told me they could not file insurance to finish the root canal because Atlanta Dental Group coded the procedure to indicate they had actually COMPLETED the root canal, which they had not. The new dentist told me that a completed root canal, coded the way it was, cost more than had they coded it for what they actually did which was START the root canal to relieve my son of pain than plan to finish the work once the antibiotic cleared up the infection. I immediately called Jon at Atlanta Dental Group but he rudely told me they WERE going to finish it on Friday. I explained that I was not satisfied with their practice and wanted to go elsewhere but he said he would not change the code and I needed to bring my son back to them. I argued that he shouldn’t have coded it that way because it kept other Dentist from being able to work on it and file it with insurance but he said my son signed a paper before they started saying he understood that he would not be given any money back if they did not complete it. (My son was delirious with pain and said he signed under duress) Although that doesn’t see fair to me, at this point I am not asking for money back. I would like the correct code for the work done, so our new dentist can complete the work BUT Jon Padolksy said he refuses to change it. This is clearly fraudulent especially since I have informed him that Atlanta Dental Group will not complete the work. I would think it is illegal to charge me for something they did not finish (according to MetLife Dental insurance there is a code they can use when they do not finish a procedure but it would bring in significantly less money to their office) so the new dentist could finish root canal. Jon Padolsky claimed ONLY they should finish b/c they started it! At this point all I want is the code changed so the root canal can be completed with someone I trust.

I have since done good bit of internet search on this practice and found very similar stories of wrongdoing by this practice dating all the way back to 2007 (www.kudzu.com, www.consumeraffairs.com/dentist, www.yelp.com) I am sure I would not be as well informed as I am about ADA codes etc, if it were not for our new dentist. He says that unfortunately there are some dentist whose main goal is money and not the patient. Atlanta Dental Group has a very cramped office with very old, worn equipment. My son said a utensil broke off in his mouth and he almost swallowed it! I believe they take advantage of people who are in pain on a Saturday. I think they have every right to charge what they want but I do not think they should use the fact that people are in pain and gouge them or trick them in to ONLY being able to use their office after the emergency is over!

I have gone as far as to have x-rays taken of my son’s unfinished root canal that can prove to my insurance company that Atlanta Dental Group did not complete the root canal that they charged me and coded me for. I have also gone to every site I can think of to warn others against the dangerous practice.

I am coming to you because I think they should be stopped. Taking advantage of people in pain is the lowest kind of deceit I can think of.

I realize an investigation would require others who are disgruntled and I am willing to gather them but I wanted to know your thoughts first.

Please let me know.

Thanks for your assistance.

Pam Burkes