Patient issues warning on dental scams after almost getting ‘robbed’ by her dentist

PeopleImages.com - Yuri A/ShutterStock @seemashah_/TikTok (Licensed)

‘This is why I’m afraid to go’: Patient issues warning on dental scams after almost getting ‘robbed’ by her dentist

'I now question every cavity I was told I had.'

 

Vladimir Supica

Trending

Posted on Apr 12, 2024   Updated on Apr 12, 2024, 10:46 am CDT

Dental scams are becoming a real concern, and one TikToker has decided to sound the alarm in a recent PSA video.

On April 10, TikTok user Seema (@seemashah_) posted a video describing an unsettling encounter with a dental practice in Miami.

Seema said she and her husband recently acquired new dental insurance and set out to find a dentist in Miami. Their choice led them to a practice in Midtown, where she said they underwent a series of eyebrow-raising procedures. She stated, “They were doing like all these X-rays. They did a CT scan, which, my husband’s a radiologist, and he was like, ‘Why are they doing CT scans?'”

Seema claimed she observed the dental team performing various procedures and “dental tests” that were unfamiliar to her.

“They were like, ‘Oh, we can’t do regular cleaning. We need to do all these like laser cleanings because you have like, really bad gums,'” she narrated, adding, “And, mind you, I have never been told that. I floss all the time, so this was just news to me.”

But that wasn’t all. The dentist allegedly informed Seema that instead of the regular six-month visits, she would now need to come in for quarterly cleanings, accompanied by various financial obligations.

Alarmed, Seema said she texted a friend who is a dentist in Miami. The reported response was unequivocal: “You need to get the f out of there. Like, that practice is the most unethical place ever.”

Seema said her friend further alleged disturbing practices at the clinic, including patients getting unnecessary tooth extractions and other procedures they didn’t actually need.

Seema reportedly decided to end the appointment abruptly. “I was like, ‘Sorry, I need to go.’ Like, I just felt so uncomfortable,” she said.

@seemashah_

dental scams!!!! be aware ⚠️⚠️⚠️

♬ original sound – seemashah

In response to the video, many viewers shared their own experiences with dental scams. One of them wrote, “I was told I had four cavities once and I went to another dentist and they told me I had NONE.”

Another chimed in, saying, “I was quoted $7K for wisdom teeth removal …. Not including the expensive xray they wanted me to do.”

“This is why I’m afraid to go to the dentist which is a shame cause it’s important,” a third remarked.

Seema’s dental scam story is not the only one that has gone viral on TikTok. Recently, another user shared how she received a suspicious letter from a dental company, which led to an unexpected teledentistry claim on her dental insurance. Despite her denial of having any such service, her insurance company insisted on her paying for it.

The Daily Dot has reached out to @seemashah_ via email for comment.

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*First Published: Apr 12, 2024, 1:00 pm CDT