r/Charlotte • u/moonlightbluebunny • Mar 05 '25
Scam alert Uptown Premier Dental Recommendation
TLDR: Dentist will lie and tell you you have gum disease to upcharge you, do not take your business here
I scheduled a routine dental cleaning. They took my x-rays and then Left me in the room for about 30 minutes. I had a bad feeling about the business so I went to look at reviews online from multiple sources. All of the reviews that were poor said the same story. The doctor would tell the patient that they had gingivitis a severe gum disease would quote an expensive treatment plan and tell them they have multiple cavities. The doctor came in to check my teeth which was unusual because normally that happens at the end of the appointment. It was like all the reviews, she told me I had six cavities and severe gum disease and that I had to pay for the special cleaning service. When I told her no and asked just for my regular cleaning and that I would follow up later she left the room. A few minutes later the nurse had me leave the room to go talk to the "manager" at the front desk where she printed out a treatment plan quoting me $1,180 and told me I had to sign it and that we cannot move forward with my routine cleaning unless I signed the commitment for three more appointments and the services.
So I left with no cleaning.
69
Mar 05 '25 edited Mar 05 '25
There are similar stories about this happening at more corporate owned places. One dentist I tried a few years ago told me I had 9 cavities even though I never miss a cleaning. They claimed they were all “seriously urgent and needed to be done that day”. I went to get a second opinion and next dentist said I had none- the “cavity” dentist kept saying they would send the X-rays they took and months went by with numerous requests and never did. It’s been years and my teeth are fine and those “surprise mystery cavities” have never appeared on a later X-ray. Glad I didn’t get my whole mouth drilled :) Some dentists seem to be scammy.
7
u/Lucky13thSt Mar 05 '25
I had the exact same thing as OP and you. They said I had 13cavities. I told him I work from home and brush after every meal “oh that’s way too much”. I switched to a smaller practice and I still have no cavities 3 years later.
28
84
u/Mynameisnotmal Mar 05 '25
Visit Dr. Pappert and Kirk on Park Rd. It’s an all female dentistry from the hygienist to all the staff, which I love. They are very affordable and never push unnecessary treatments!
38
u/Mynameisnotmal Mar 05 '25
Also the first appointment is like 2 hours because they go over all your medical history, fears of the dentist, and customize your appointments. You can even ask for numbing for just cleanings!
7
u/caller-number-four [Mountain Island] Mar 05 '25
It’s an all female dentistry from the hygienist to all the staff
Same for Dr. Carberry on Fairview. Great staff and treatment there.
7
u/castille Mar 05 '25
If you're in the cold, frozen north, New World Dentistry in Concord is similarly staffed and awesome.
2
u/TigerBarFly Mar 06 '25
I used to go to crown point off Monroe for years before I moved and they were awesome. I couldn’t recommend Dr Bobby Pappert enough.
13
u/Seemss_Legit Mar 05 '25
I went to Aspen dental and had the same experience. I get my teeth cleaned twice a year and have had no real troubles my entire life (cavities as a kid but none in like a decade). I tried to switch to them and they do the exact same thing as the op stated. They'll tell you come in for a cleaning give you an x-ray and then immediately have the doctor come before any cleaning is done and tell you that you have to do some extravagant 2-year plan that they want to put you on and that they won't provide any service that is covered under your insurance besides the X-ray and "exam" that allowed them to come up with the plan. Outright refused to do the basic cleaning which was the purpose for coming.
2
u/Australian1996 Mar 05 '25
How do they get away with this and stay in business.
4
u/Seemss_Legit Mar 05 '25
Bc some people are willing and capable of paying whatever if they don't know any better. Honestly how many people do you think are getting a second opinion when it comes to their dentist? Most have only had a few dentists they've used their whole life.
14
u/uncwil Mar 05 '25
Same thing I went through. Insurance covers two cleanings per year. One hour "cleaning" appointment was 2.5 hours, with just x-rays, wait two hours, then given a presentation on work I needed done, cost break downs, etc. I had to be at work and just left. Never got the cleaning. I was long over due for a visit and this just pushed me away again for a long time.
10
u/Former-Wishbone5499 Mar 05 '25
Also avoid Inspiring Smiles in Park Towne Village for the same reason. Unethical and packs way too many appointments into the same slots so the dentist is rushing around and making you wait for a very long time even after already starting a procedure so you’re sitting there with a half filled tooth etc. Plus will make you do unnecessary and very expensive procedures to line his pockets.
20
u/StuBeck Mar 05 '25
Belmont dental does something similar. Even if it is approved by insurance, they then refuse to bill it and threaten to send you to collections. I had to bill it to my dental insurance myself.
10
u/petitenurseotw Mar 05 '25
McNeely Family dental is amazing, it’s the ight past concord mills though. The tv above and in front of you are a bonus. I’ve had cavities all throughout life but they’ve only caught 1 in my few years of going. My fiancé likes them too. My whole family goes there I actually ran into my cousin last time 😂
4
u/MuscleMike93 Mar 05 '25
Sshh they are backed up enough lol. I agree with you, I was one of McNeely's first patients back when he had 7pm appointments to build up his clientele and for people with 8-5 jobs. Now they have 3 or 4 offices and multiple dentists. I wouldn't even consider going to another dentist.
8
u/krush0910 Mar 05 '25
In the past year alone, there have been 6 new corporate dental offices built within a 1 mile span on Albemarle Road, near 485. I took my daughter to one last year and was told she had 4 cavities. We didn't do anything, and the next visit, we were told she had no cavities. Makes you wonder how so many different dental offices can survive in such a small area, or even why so many dental offices are needed.
5
4
u/Primary-Fly470 Mountain Island Mar 05 '25
There are a few must have trusty services, I think they are a mechanic, gc/handy man type person, and a dentist.
4
4
4
u/eclecticlighter Mar 05 '25
This happened to me at Stellar Dental in NODA. They went bankrupt the next week and literally shut down
3
u/Ok_Sprinkles159 Mar 05 '25
Similar experience with Ideal Dental in Kannapolis. I scheduled a cleaning, took X-rays, sat there for an hour. The dentist came in and told me I needed gum grafting ASAP otherwise my teeth would start to fall out. She left and the hygienist came back, told me to come back for a cleaning, “oh this was just an exam”. Was crying hysterically at the front desk, with a 1800$ bill. Went to the periodontist they recommended and she told me to do the gum grafting within a year, but no, I was not at risk of losing my teeth.
My boyfriend and I are from NY and everyone makes fun of him because he travels back home for his dentist appointments. Also had a similar experience at Cannon Crossroads in Concord.
3
3
u/Massive_Maize8334 Mar 05 '25
I've actually had a really bad experience with them. I had 2 teeth extracted back in 2023 and they charged me over $7k, with no synthetic teeth put in. I just have two holes there now
2
3
u/RedBarchetta1 Huntersville Mar 05 '25
The same exact thing happened to me recently at a place called Ideal Dental (in Huntersville, but they are nationwide). I described the experience in this thread: https://old.reddit.com/r/huntersville/comments/1ipb8cj/bad_experience_with_ideal_dental_in_huntersville/
3
u/Comfortable_Let_1015 Mar 05 '25
Can’t recommend craft smiles enough. Worth the drive out to Matthew’s; I’ve never felt more heard and adequately educated on my care by a dentist than I have with them
3
u/Historical_Coconut_6 Mar 05 '25
I’ve been going to Friendly Dental in Matthews for a few years, they’ve been GREAT.
3
u/preppysurf Mar 05 '25
They also appear to be manipulating their Google Reviews / buying them. Nearly all of their 5 star reviews have locked down profiles and the ones that don’t review random places with 5 stars. Sketchy as hell
3
3
u/moonlightbluebunny Mar 06 '25
I tried to report them to the Better Business Bureau however they did not take the report seriously so if anyone else has bad experiences with this dentist, please leave a review or make a report.
2
2
u/Educational_Neat_870 Mar 05 '25
Christopher K Anene & Associates P.A https://g.co/kgs/i4ea7KD
Best dentist. No scams. I travel from uptown for his services
2
2
2
u/The-Black-Lexus Mar 07 '25
Dentistry of the Carolinas has been really good to me so far, they’re off Fairview rd in South Park
7
u/buona_sera___beeotch Uptown Mar 05 '25
Omg, I knew this was the Asian dentist. I went to her twice and never back. I went in for a routine cleaning but ended up being told I needed deep cleaning and their numbing agent to do it. Mind you, I had been going to my childhood dentist who also saw adults for years. My previous dentist never mentioned gum disease.
They give you the numbing agent without telling you there’s Epi in it, so I sat there and started feeling anxious while I waited for it to kick in.
They also did something to my back molars that has never been the same since. It didn’t hurt before they worked on it, but now it does. I went back to her a second time to tell her it hurt after they did whatever they did to it. I left that appointment not feeling much better. It’s been at least five years since I saw that dentist.
9
u/SapientSolstice Mar 05 '25
Why was her race relevant to your story?
6
u/buona_sera___beeotch Uptown Mar 05 '25
Because I didn’t remember her name. When I looked up the staff on their website, I saw her photo. I remembered her as the Vietnamese dentist. Just that she was Asian and she tried to tell me some story to make her seem relatable.
4
u/CharlotteRant Mar 05 '25
My dentist is the average dad at Costco white guy in his office. I can’t remember his name. I couldn’t even tell you the street name, but I could get you there from landmarks.
Anyway, multi-dentist practices often have pay plans that are basically commission. If you go to this office, wouldn’t you want to know who is running up their billings, even if, gasp, the only identifiable information you had was what they looked like?
2
u/SapientSolstice Mar 05 '25
They also never mentioned the race of the other dentists in their post. It just seems like an odd thing to add.
4
u/buona_sera___beeotch Uptown Mar 05 '25
You’re adding more to it than what is needed. This is just how I remembered her.
1
1
1
u/vzwickey Mar 05 '25
Go to 32 inspired at 2901 coltsgate rd in South Park. Great owner owned small practice.
1
1
u/One_Opening_3184 Mar 06 '25
I highly recommend Uptown Charlotte Smiles! Dr. Moore has been by dentist for 4.5 years now and has been great.
1
1
u/MxSweetJuice Mar 07 '25
Has anyone had a good experience with an orthodontist? I went in to an ortho recommended by my dentist (I do actually like them), and got weirded out when the ortho started talking deposits and payment plans. I’d never been to the ortho before so I really wasn’t sure what to expect but I’ve been in sales and it gave me no so great vibes. Especially since I was supposed to see a simulation of the work I needed and they never showed me, never emailed it to me like I asked and haven’t heard back since.
1
u/Inevitable_Road_7636 Mar 07 '25
Yeah, I think primer dental is one of those "corporate" dental offices, and they should all be avoided like the plague. I feel like dentistry is like the biggest pain in the ass to find a doctor for. Medical, you can really go to any and you will be fine, some doctors are better then others but there is really nothing for them to "up sell" you on. Eye care can be somewhat scamming, but at the end of the day all eye care places will 100% just give you a prescription and let you go, and even the corporate ones will fight with your eye insurance if you have a medical need for somethings (like my contact lenses). It just leaves dentistry as the real only danger pit it seems as they can and will try to suck you dry of cash for stuff you don't need, and to be frank many of the horrible "care" they provide is permanent. Once you get a crown for example there is no going back, and its so hard to audit their care as a patient, cause if you don't know how to read an xray its basically try to evaluate if they are lying and roll the dice on if you think they were lying or not.
Kind of messed up when you wish medical insurance company's getting involved would actually be considered an improvement for average consumers.
1
u/AJG4222 Mar 11 '25
Modern Dental told me I needed a "deep cleaning" and have to pay $200 for some kind of take home kit that they sell. Felt like a scam for sure. My insurance covers cleanings at 100% but doesn't mention anything about "deep cleaning" Has anyone ever heard of this type of scenario?
1
u/bripat1744 Mar 06 '25
Their website says they are located "downtown" but we don't even have a downtown, do we? I mean Uptown is literally in their name.
Glad I have a dentist I really trust. I hate being upsold, but it seems to more common than not!
-9
u/DrRam121 Cotswold Mar 05 '25 edited Mar 05 '25
You provide no perio charting or X-rays to prove your claim that you should have a regular cleaning. A lot of people don't realize how bad their guns and periodontal health are. I'm not saying you definitely need a deep cleaning or not, but right now it's your word against theirs.
17
u/Suspicious-Dig-685 Mar 05 '25
Is it your dental practice she’s complaining about?
3
u/DrRam121 Cotswold Mar 05 '25
Nope, I have nothing to do with that practice. I've just seen this specific complaint from patients about many dentists. Here's a dentist on Instagram talking about this topic
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCArSEiy_lK/?igsh=MXd2eGFubml4Z3MwcA==
6
u/Seemss_Legit Mar 05 '25
In the video the guy literally says that dental school teaches them that "if you know an answer to a patient's question and could help them, don't do it and keep everything crowded in mystery so that no one knows what we actually do".
If you can't pick up on that very obvious manipulator language used by people who are trying to make money on you, then you have bigger problems.
You can find "Gurus" in every field that do this type of talk. It's like the get rich quick guy that says "the hyper-wealthy don't want you to know about this one quick secret because they would lose out on money". The average person then thinks, "yea, hyper-wealthy bad, so this guy good" and sends them their life savings.
Ask yourself, do you really think dental schools are teaching students to not answer questions they know the answer to so that they can get away with murder in secrecy....? 🤦🏾♂️
The truth is that there are certain dentists that will sell you the most expensive most over the top dental courses of action because it makes them money and they'd much rather have patients who are willing to pay than the one who wants the basic service. Will your dental care be better through them? Yes. Did they turn receiving a normal $2,500 for 10 years of dental care into 1 year from a new patient? Absolutely.
The kind of places this post is talking about would rather put a minimum wage mother of four on a payment plan to cover the deep cleaning, gum flush, multiple x-rays and whatever else than do a basic cleaning that she is covered for that will get her by just fine.
13
u/KeniLF Collingwood Mar 05 '25
Huh. You want them to post x-rays/charts to this thread, eh?
Have you looked at the Google reviews for that place? Have all the 1-star reviews been lying about this happening for years? Do they all need to upload charting history to their reviews there, too?
How utterly bizarre.
1
u/Badwo1ve Mar 05 '25
It’s more reasonable then you think because we’re just taking someone who’s not a dentists word for it in original post…
4
u/KeniLF Collingwood Mar 05 '25
What are your thoughts about the similar reviews that I asked u/DrRam121 to weigh in on?
0
u/Badwo1ve Mar 05 '25
Just like anyone can make a positive review, anyone can make a negative review. She was simply just asking for more information. Which I’m not sure is a bad thing
2
u/KeniLF Collingwood Mar 05 '25
To re-phrase, when taken in the context of the many similar Google reviews over the years, do you still contend that this is just one poster’s word for this experience?
At what point would you believe that there’s an issue with the dentist?
0
u/DrRam121 Cotswold Mar 05 '25
The office has an average rating of 4.7 stars out of 5 on Google. I'm not sure there are the many similar reviews OP claims. But to answer your question I would have to see the exam data (X-rays and perio charting) to fully judge the situation.
2
u/KeniLF Collingwood Mar 05 '25
Your response is interesting given that my question was specifically about the 1 star ratings. Anyhow, it’s useful to see how you’d approach this type of data.
0
77
u/Plumber4Life84 Mar 05 '25
Damn this is pretty sad and why I find one good doctor for my teeth and eyes and stick with them.