kool smiles - abilene, tx
Kool Smiles [My awful, awful experience] Feedback greatly appreciated.
I have never been so discouraged, sad and outraged at any business, as I am at kool smiles! When I moved to Abilene, April '09... I searched which children's dental offices were in network with my insurance, Metlife. Kool smiles was the only "children's dentist" in network with my insurance. I asked my sister if she had heard anything about them. She has lived in Abilene for 10+ years & works at bc/bs, and hears lots of good, unbiased info. about doctors/dentists. She told me from the get go she hadnt heard one good thing about them. She further stated that most people didnt like them because it felt like "a welfare" office... as in any government (military or civilian) office, you have huge wait time, overbooked, under-staffed, etc, etc. After hearing this, I was discouraged, but i decided to give them the benefit of the doubt... give it an honest attempt and see for myself. Over the following year and a half, I would learn to regret that decision. I am VERY, very displeased with kool smiles right now, to say the least. I will not go back there ever again. Ever.
In short, this is my experience :
Feb. '09 - Schedule first appt.
May '09 - Initial appt.. (x-rays, pics & cleaning) - no complaints, my 7 year old is excited to see games and other kids.
Nov '09 - cleaning - informed my son "needs" 4 sealants on back molars.
Nov '09 - sealants done - insurane is billed & I pay about 150-ish out of pocket.
June '10 - cleaning - informed my son "needs" a baby root canal. I hesitate, as they did not indicate any decay, etc. at the previous appt. They insist it needs to be done.
June '10 - baby root canal - insurance is billed & I pay around 150-ish (maybe more)
Nov '10 - cleaning - informed my son has 2 "cavities" that need filling.
Nov '10 - cavity # 1 - cavity filled, told that since my son's "cavities" were on opposite sides of the mouth, they could not numb both sides. And that I would need to schedule another appt for cavity #2. Appt. Scheduled. Insurance billed & 55 out-of pocket.
Nov '10 - Appt CANCELLED! New dentist called.
Dec ' 10 - initial appt with my dentist to fill the "cavity"... Only one thing, no cavity... at all could be detected! By sight, x-ray... Nothing. Not even discoloration in the slightest.
Nov '10 - Feb '11 - several phone calls a week from Kool smiles to both my cell phone and my husband's reminding us that I "Missed an appointment. That my child has dental work still needing to be attended to... "
*With each and every one of these appointments. It was atleast a 1 hour wait time before my child was called back. And atleast 1 more hour after going back. Many times it was closer to two hours after being called back. Twice we were there for 4+ hours! And at every appt. the communication to the parent was awful. Very vague, generalized answers, never showed the xrays, or shown location of said tooth (or teeth, in most cases) to be worked on. And it was always communicated by a dental assistant, never the dentist. I realized the extent of it when my 3 year old became a patient, June 2010, because for both his visits (June '10 & Nov '10) I would accompany my boys throughout the duration of the appointment. I literally would sit next to my children, and never once did the dentist identify herself (or himself) to me... much less explain anything to me or my CHILDREN while examining them. That said the assistants, for the most part were friendly and nice to my kids. But they seemed stressed. Highly.
*Yes, I promise I'm not insane. Reading it sounds like any idiot could figure out these were unnecessary procedures. Trust me, I DID doubt, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Obviously, that was completely an awful mistake on my part. And unfortunately it is my son who ultimately suffered the most here. Very disgusted with this place.
*Of course, the worst part of this and my main concern here, is knowing there are many children that are STILL patients. Many are Medicaid. Many are private insurance. And all deserve much better care. I plan on reporting this... for the children's sake, if nothing else.
Anyway, I was curious if anyone has had anything at all like my experience? If so, I'd really appriciate any and all feedback you have to offer. Even if it is to defend Kool smiles... I literally want to believe they are not knowingly subjecting children and their parents to this. However, I am doubting there's many positive things to say after finding posts like this : http://www.complaintsboard.com/compl...s-c362194.html
That is from an Abilene's Kool smiles employee. Also apparently in GA one Kool smiles office's govt contract was revoked... No more Medicaid for them. I believe this is a Kool Smiles company problem, not just in this one particular office.
I am left extremely discouraged after this awful experience...
poor dentist practices
I brought my children in for a cleaning and exam. We had a 9 am appointment and we were told they would all be seen at once. They didn't finish seeing us until 3 hours later. The television ads claim that parents are welcomed to accompany children during the exam if you wish but they tried to deny me access to my 5 year old son, TWICE. They suggested that my son have 5 silver crowns on his molars and wanted us to come back for 4 seperate appointments. A week later and another 3+ hours at the over crowded dirty office, my son had silver crowns on 2 of his molars. 30 minutes after leaving, my 5 year old son began screaming in pain and continued for hours. I gave him tylenol and motrin but he continued to be in severe pain. The dentist called him in a prescription of codine which got him through the night until about 2 am. This pain went on for days. I brought him back 5 days later, he was examined and they said that nothing appeared to be wrong but he needed to come back the next day when the dentist who did the work was there. I went back the next day and retrieved his records so we could be seen by another dentist at another facility, NOT KOOL SMILES. The next day, I bought him to another dentist to be examined. They did a new set of xrays and compared them to the ones taken before the dental work had been done at Kool Smiles. The new dentist said he saw NO reason for the silver crowns that were already put in and certainly no reason for any addition crowns. The tiny cavity that my son did have could have easily been fixed with a standard filling. The pain my son was feeling was probaby from a nerve damage occured during the procedure and we were told that the tooth would probably die.
Please don't subject your children to this cruel and crude dentist facility. My kids actually refer to it as Kruel Smiles now.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Anyone that is interested in trying to get this company to answer for their abuse of the medicaid system and children, please forward any and all infomation to againstkoolsmiles@yahoo.com.. All information will be forwarded to the attorney general for each state. This plead goes out to the parents, employees, ex-employees, and patient. This comany is another "American Greed Company". It will take the everyone to come together to gain nation attention and to get action.
The creater of the "dentistthe mence", please reach to me, we may be able to assist one another.
See Dentistthemenace.com. You're not alone. This has been going on for years, the government knows it and little if anything is being done. File complaints to BBB, Health and Human Services as well as your state Attorney General.
horrible customer service
I decided to take my 2yr here since it was new & looked kid friendly... I walked in & stopped at the reception desk. I waited patiently for one of the three workers to assist me... They never did. After standing nearly 5 mins - I had to ask them "are there forms that I need to fill out?!" we were called to the back 15 mins later - which was a reasonable...
Read full review of Kool Smiles and 2 commentsno advance notice needing a medical release letter from primary dr.
My 15yr. old daughter's appt. was at 10:30AM on 12/29/2010. She arrived prior to appt. time and was then called to a small room to review her H&P records. Her dad was told that she would need a letter from her physician giving her medical release for dental treatment. H&P: She has Bipolar Syndrome~responds to anticonvulsants with behavioral therapy. The...
Read full review of Kool Smilesconcern citizen former employee
This dental clinic runs a very disorganized child factory. They truly only care to see "NEW kids ages 4 and up that are well behaved as this is the age group that makes them the most revenue. If your child is scheduled for a six mo cleaning expect to be rescheduled mutliple times. Where is the continuance and qulity of care? The rarely follow proper protocols on First Dental Home exams provided by the Medicaid progran for babies age 6 mo to 36 mo. The billing fraud that occurs throughout this company should be grounds for imprisonment or at the very least a through investigation by the OIG. I would high discourage anyone from taking their children to Kool Smiles, And find another emoyer unless you look good in orange jumpsuits. Not a good company to work for or take your precious kids to.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
my child
they gave my son a bloody nose, he came out of back room covered in sweat and his face beet red. they denied me to see him till he was finished. even when he asked for me...they were very rude and also ruined my precious boys smile they damaged 3 of his top baby teeth. i am never bringing him back there again.parents beware stay with your child during every visit regardless of what they tell you.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
They are very rude and unprofessional. I have to find another Dentist to fix their errors. My daughter has missed school several times behind appointments and nothing was done. They put braces on her teeth without pulling a loose tooth and then suggested 4 teeth be pulled. Their braces are outdated and their Ortho travel from office to office and their office ortho manager is a unprofessional joke. Never returns your call and feels as though shes entitled to keep your money without performing services. Be careful of allowing crooks to draft your account because services won't be rendered. And yes, I have proof to verify my complaints and will post it
I took my 7yr old son to Kool smiles in Odessa, tx and he was having some work done on a small cavity after they started numbing his mouth with the injection they started working on his tooth so my son started to cry and kick around, in which my son doesn't really complain about pain unless it really hurts him but anyways they asked me to step out because they said he was acting up because of me, so I went out and waited and when my son came out he was dripping sweat, red face and eyes were puffy. Once we got in our truck he said they held im down and the dentist was repeatedly covered his mouth and nose to where he couldn't breath after that I complained to the staff
my son went throug the same thing he is only 3 and they tied him down, he is terrified, he dosent like going to the dentist at all, i changed them from koolsmiles to another dentist but they are still scared . MISSION TEXAS
My son had a similar thing happen to him. It was not at kool smiles though. I do agree that if the dentist won't let you stay with your child find a new one. What happened to my son was that of course they wouldn't let me go with him. So be being trusting I let him go alone. I believe he was three or four years old. My son's face was beat red and he had indention's from hands that were holding him down on his head. He was so upset and crying it was the worst experience ever. I can understand the dentist point of view because not all children will sit there and behave, but as a professional and as a doctor they should already realize that when working with children. If the dentist can't or doesn't have the time to be nice and make the child comfortable without restraints than I believe that they shouldn't work with children. Now a days its about how many patients the can put in and how fast they can get them in and out. Which isn't right.
These people are only out for money! Listen to the reviews stay away from here if you love your child. I have taken my 2 yr old there for 2 yrs now all of a sudden she needs caps on three of her front teeth?! Why didn't they say something at the last cleaning hmmm? I seen the xrays it did NOT look like there was anything wrong. I would know I've been to the dentist more than once I know what to look for. Not to mention my little girl LOVES to brush her teeth! My words od advise DO NOT LET THEM TAKE YOUR CHILD IN THE BACK WITHOUT YOU! If they give you a hard time mention that they said in the paperrs they don't refuse parents to stay with their children!
waiting time and leaving children unattended
I have complained before and spoken to the office manager Ed on 2 different instances. He assured me that the office was going through change and the staff was superior. I want to make one thing clear-I do not have a choice. I have to bring my children to this practice because it is the only one in the area that BMC takes. I am very disatisfied every visit and I believe that the Kool Smiles website is a bunch of lies. Most people who complain are in the same boat as I am-left with no other choice. That is why we have to go back to them-to get some sort of care for our children. My complaint today is my 3 year old son was left sitting in a chair for 30 minutes before anyone even cleaned his teeth. That took all of 10 to 12 minutes. He was then left sitting for another 25-30 minutes-after which he started playing w/ his shoes and moved on to playing w/ the plastic chair cover-which looks like a clear garbage bag. The 2 techs had their backs to him and he put it over his head and pulled it down to his chest. I had to run to get the reception to go in the back and tell them. Seriously-this is a huge safety hazard and needs to be addressed immediately.(all this was seen through the window because you are not allowed to go in with children of any age)
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Kool Smiles has been sued for fraud and mistreatment of children. Avoid them at all costs!
Just so you know, they can’t legally force you to stay outside the treatment room. Even if Kool Smiles is the only place your insurance takes, in the long run it would be cheaper to take your child to a real pediatric dentist. Kool Smiles will create more problems that will cost more in the end.
I went to Kool Smiles and they said I had four cavities. then I went to a new dentist to have them filled because I didnt want to wait and be tortured by an infomercial for 2 hours. The new dentist took new x rays and examined my teeth extensively and found NO cavities. Kool Smiles is out to take adavantage of low income people to make profit. Its disgusting.
well i have worked for the company. an as a mother i would not take my child there for nothing in the world. the company run like a food chain. thats all the company cares about is making money. the true are of dentistry is not there. the doctors they have working for them starts off with care but after they have worked and seen in a weeks period about 300-400 patients they get tired. so the care for the patient is not that great. you the long wait time comes from the company policy. when you check in if you are a commercial patient your information has to be sent to the company headquarters where there are about six people processing insurance for 160-180 offices around united states. the next thing the schedule is so over booked that when you have 13 people there for 11am that needs cleaning an 2 hygienist and only 5 to 6 seats. the company needs to rethink the idea of general dentistry and maybe it will get better. when something is done to your child without knowledge you have all rights to lawsuit. you did not agree for the treatment. before anything is done they are suppose to contact you first and let you know. you are the one who determine whats done to your child. when you go to the dr. before anything is done to you what steps do they take? they inform you because you he the right to deny treatment.
ON TODAY 03/15/11 MY 7YR OLD SON HAD AN APPT FOR 4 SEALENTS. I TOOK HIM IN WITHOUT NO CONCERN OF NOTHING. I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING IN ONLY FOR THAT BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT I WAS TOLD. WHEN THE DENTIST FINSHED WITH HIM THEY BROUGHT HIM OUT. THE DENTIST ASSISTANT NOTIFY ME THAT THEY DIDNT GET TO FILL TWO OF THE TEETH BECAUSE THE DENTIST HAD TO PUT THEM SILVER CROWNS ON. I WAS SO DISSAPOINTED BECAUSE THE DENTIST DIDNT TOOK HER TIME TO NOTIFY ME THAT THE CROWNS WERE PUT ON HIM. SHE DECIDED OVER ME.
well it happen to me twice that i make appoitments for my kids to kool smiles and they cant bee seen cuz they cant find thier appt.!i cant believe this waste my time and gas cuz i dont even live nearby im so upset!what happen to the good cutomer service kool smiles yall suck!
From one Mother to another, here is a breif discription of my experience with Kool smiles. One afternoon I was brushing my two year old sons teeth when I noticed a small pin size hole in one of his canine teeth. I immediately got online to find a dentist for my son that would accept my health insurance and when I came upon Kool smiles in the list of providers I was extatic! I had seen their commercials on televison and I knew it would be a great place to bring him because the enitre place was geared toward children his age. I called to setup the appointment which I was able to get very qucikly (now I know why). We arrived the morning of our visit and my son could not have been more excited to find a little climbing area with a slide and other children to play with while he waited, I thought "what a great idea to make the dentist seem like a fun place to try to ease the fear of the little ones instead of having them sitting in a waiting room fearing what would happen when it was their turn". I filled out the usual new patient paper work and after about 40 minutes we were in the room getting x rays and an exam. When the dentist came in the room to examine my sons teeth and look over his x rays she had found that he had six cavities in his mouth and she decided that it would be appropriate to grind down all six teeth and put metal caps on each one of them, I expressed my concern that the cavities were so small they were hardly noticable to the naked and eye and I didnt see why such extreme measures needed to be taken for such small holes. The dentist had explained to me that they are not able to fill cavities in young childrens mouths because they dont last very long when the cavities are "so deep" and that in their office they will not fill them because it isnt their policy. I was very disheartened with their soultion to fix my two years olds teeth so much so that I had decided to go and get a second opinion. I called a new office and got an appointement for four weeks later. When I brought him to this dentist the cavities had gotten alot worse because they were untreated for several weeks while I was waiting to have him seen. We went in the examination room and and had the same exam done, and they reviewed his x rays and the dentist told me that the cavities were so minimal that he wouldnt even need to use novocaine to get them filled since they were only on the surface and had not reached the nerve (mind you kool smiles couldnt fill them because they were "so deep"). He said there was no way that he would need to have any of his teeth capped because the cavities were so minimal. Walking out of the office that day I had felt such a huge sigh of relief that my toddler didnt have to have his teeth ground down and metal caps placed over them! Needless to say I would NOT recommend Kool smiles in anyway they are money hungry and would go as far as putting an innocent two year old through many painful uncessary trips to the dentist to be left with a mouth full of metal caps just to make a buck. Please dont fall for their commercials... the way they get their money to pay for them is compeletly disheartening and unethical.
unethical treatment and misleading
Kool smiles misleads the public!! These are NOT pediatric dentists. Most dentists (>90%) have no more advanced training with kids compared to your local dentist who makes dentures. There are numerous horror stories about what goes on in these clinics and this has been a common theme to these clinics wherever they pop up. Find a pediatric dentist to take you...
Read full review of Kool Smiles and 6 commentschildren treated badly-child abuse!
My grandduaghter suffers from Dravet Syndrome, which is severe myoclonic seizures. She just turned 7 years old on Feb 14th. She has had some brain damage due to the amount of seziures. My daughter took her to kool Smiles for a dental check up. They first told her that she couldnt come back there with her.My daughter insisted that she be with her. The...
Read full review of Kool Smiles and 29 comments
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This is just a taste of what government run health care will look like. I my tenure in the commonwealth states, I assure you the the hospitals there look like war trauma centers in places.
Based on my recent experience, they are a "chop shop". As are many, I refrain from saying most, dental chains in the US. But I will name one more. Steer clear of Monarch Dental Associates. When we have moved from the local or neighborhood doctor/dentist/chiropractor, etc. into the business of pure profit based on the willingness of the Government to pay, we have moved away from patient care. The government is defrauded, driving up the cost of entitlement programs that so many can not live without and at the same time delivering sub-par care to patients. It is, unfortunately an old story. Yes thumbs down for "Kool Smiles". By the way guys, spelling cool with a k does not make you cooler. Attention to patients would.