Braces.

leeduff

Hi, I am new to this so have im not quite sure how I write this as its a long story to say the least.

I got six month braces on in December 2015, my top braces was removed in September 2016 and i still have a bottom brace on. I was not happy with my top teeth when the braces was removed and my dentist ashured me that a liner would fix the problem, this was in September after weeks of her cancelling my appointments because she said she had not got the instruments to work on my teeth, which she blamed the company and then... My dentist has left the company without notice. The company will not continue on the rest of the work than needs to be done and told me i need to persue the actual dentist, which makes no sense to me as i payed the company {a large,well known company} the money and not the dentist as an individual. I am very stressed and dont know where to turn next.

If anyone has any advice or suggestions on what i do next i would really appriciate it as im at my whits end at this stage.

capnsparkles

I think you would be advised to contact the practice where you had the treatment.
If the Dentist was employed there they should be obliged to finish treatment.
Also if you were invoiced by the company who employ the Dentist in question then your contract is with them I believe.
Companies like Invisalign or Six Month Smiles , just provide the appliance and sometimes diagnostics , they do not have a contract with the Patient. The onus is on the Dentist to ensure treatment is carried out .
You could also contact the Citizens Advice , or try the Dental Council to get the Dentists new address.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

I would suggest that your payment were to the clinic not the dentist. As such the dentist is either a self employed contractor or an empyoyee of the compant and they have a duty of care. To be fair the dentist also has a duty of care to you as a dentist cannot limit their liability.

That being said....maybe there is not more that can be done by the dentist. Its hard to say without knowing the pre treatment condition and what the treatment objectives were.

Its not cool to leave you hanging all the same.

leeduff

Thank you guys so much for your reply.

I have tried to contact the company so many times and a manager refuses to speak with me, they gave me a feedback email to send on my complaint to because they were to 'snowed under' to talk with me on the phone, I have left my contact details with their receptionist for them to call me back when it was more convenient, but still nothing. That was three weeks ago.

Last week I sent an email and they responded stating i can go to another practice and let them continue on my treatment, and then chase my old dentist down to reimburse me so i would not be out of pocket, bare in mind that even the company cant track this lady down and have no contact with her since she left without notice.

A friend of mine told me to seek legal advice from a medical negligence solicitor but that seems to be a long shot and i'm sure it will be time consuming, i don't know if it is a consumer problem or negligence, to me its just so unprofessional i feel like i'm been a pushover as i am quiet timid.

I have tried contacting the company, the dentists number from her business card I don't know what else to do.

Oral Surgeon

You could post your experience on their practice Facebook if they have one.... they may take note then!!

leeduff wrote: »

Thank you guys so much for your reply.

I have tried to contact the company so many times and a manager refuses to speak with me, they gave me a feedback email to send on my complaint to because they were to 'snowed under' to talk with me on the phone, I have left my contact details with their receptionist for them to call me back when it was more convenient, but still nothing. That was three weeks ago.

Last week I sent an email and they responded stating i can go to another practice and let them continue on my treatment, and then chase my old dentist down to reimburse me so i would not be out of pocket, bare in mind that even the company cant track this lady down and have no contact with her since she left without notice.

A friend of mine told me to seek legal advice from a medical negligence solicitor but that seems to be a long shot and i'm sure it will be time consuming, i don't know if it is a consumer problem or negligence, to me its just so unprofessional i feel like i'm been a pushover as i am quiet timid.

I have tried contacting the company, the dentists number from her business card I don't know what else to do.

leeduff

I was going to but there has been no interaction or posts on the page since last year, which is strange. I honestly wouldn't even know where to begin its such a mess.

Oral Surgeon

leeduff wrote: »

I was going to but there has been no interaction or posts on the page since last year, which is strange. I honestly wouldn't even know where to begin its such a mess.

They are a large well known clinic and don't have an active Facebook??!!

leeduff

I know right? Very strange. Last post on it was from may 2016! shall i just post and see if i get a reaction? I also emailed Irish Dental Society today in the hope they can help or even point me in the right direction of what i should be doing.

SM35

If the "large, well known" firm is who I think it is, they constantly have dentists coming and going - one of the problems with corporate dentistry is the lack of continuity of care to patients - you rarely see the same dentist for more than a year or two - it is the same in NHS practices in the UK.

The company should have a protocol of how to manage on-going care for patients after a dentist leaves. What happens for example if a dentist employed by the company returns back to their home country? - you have paid the company, and I would suggest both the company and the dentist has a duty of care to you.

I would ask the manager with whom you are getting no joy for the name of the Clinical Director (the dentist who oversees clinical care) of the company, and set out in writing your position and state clearly what you want to happen (get citizen's advice to help if necessary). If you do not get a satisfactory response, there is a dental complaints resolution service that could help. www.dentalcomplaints.ie

Best of luck.