Is this dental fraud?
TLDR: Went in for emergency visit after chipping off 1/3 of my molar. Was made to believe I was paying out-of-pocket fees for the crown but after receving my EoB, realized I was pressured into opening a credit line under false pretenses and duress. The crown was covered and all the fees came from unnecessary treatments that I did not know I was being charged for. Please share advice for filing complaints with the dental board, consumer protection agencies, and disputing charges with credit lendirs and getting successfully reimbursed.
I went in for an emergency dental appointment after chipping a large part of my molar. This was my first time visiting this office. As expected, they started off with multiple xrays but also took photos which I had never experienced. Then they took me into the examination room and asked me to spit in a cup so they could test for bacteria, so I did. Then the dentist came in to examine my teeth. After the exam, she informed me that my saliva test results indicated I have moderate periodontitis so I needed a deep cleaning and laser treatment. Also, there was a 70% chance I would need a root canal on my chipped molar, however she could not be sure until she worked on the tooth, and that I needed a medication to regenerate my enamel because a cavity would soon form without it. There was no discussion of what the different options were and what was absolutely needed vs what was recommended. Then the dentist walks out and sends in a billing agent who hands me three pages of line items with different prices and treatements. She said my crown would cost over $900 and if I needed a root canal that would be another $800. I was shocked at how expensive getting a crown was as I have good insurance and shared that I live pay check to pay check and have no savings. She offered a credit line with up to 12 months %0 interest if I have good credit. I obviously needed the crown and I was in pain so I agreed to get the crown and she had me sign a digital document on a screen for the service. The dentist walked in with the person who did my Xrays as her assistant and shaved my tooth down and walked out. Then the assistant placed a “temporary” crown. I asked this person if they were an Xray technician and he said, “I’m just a guy. I do a little bit of everything.” Then the dentist comes back in and says if I felt any throbbing pain I would need a root canal. They scheduled me to come in two weeks later for the permanent crown and ran my credit. I was approved for 1,200 and put all the charges on the card. I go in two weeks later to get the crown and go about my day. A couple days later, I get my EOB from my insurer. As I reviewed all the codes, I realize that the crown was %100 covered by my insurance and all of the patient fees came from the numerous x-rays, various photos and images they took, the saliva bacteria test, the medication to regenerate my tooth, and core buildup (which should come included in the cost of the crown). So I essentially paid over $1000 out-of-pocket for treatments and services that were completely uneccesary. I was under the impression that I was paying such high fees for a crown, not all the other treatments. This dentist is in-network so they knew what my fees were and completely misrepresented what I thought I was agreeing to. I’ve already disputed the charges with the credit lender, and requested my complete health records from the office so I can get a second opinion elsewhere. I plan to also file complaints with the dental board and consumer protection bureau. Has anyone gone through something like this and successfully been reimbursed? Any and all advice is much appreciated!