A STICKY SITUATION

Abstract

Delicate Dental was a large group dental practice of four full-time dentists, a robust front office and financial team, and several dental assistants and hygienists. One of the more senior dentists, Dr. Wiseman, treated mainly geriatric patients who needed complete dentures. Dr. Wiseman had practiced dentistry, specifically Prosthodontics, for many years and had a very good reputation in the dental community and among his patients. In recent months, however, several of Dr. Wiseman's patients had called the office manager to report that they were unhappy with their dentures and needed a doctor to address their concerns. They insisted that they do not want to see Dr. Wiseman, nor do they want him to know about their dissatisfaction, lest his feelings be hurt. Many of these patients needed a new set of dentures, yet cannot afford the cost, especially since they had already exhausted their insurance coverage on the set from Dr. Wiseman. They had also expressed that it was dental office’s obligation to absorb the cost of a new set of dentures made by one of the other dentists. This case highlights a complicated, but not uncommon, situation encountered in even the most reputable dental offices.

The office manager encouraged the patients to reschedule with Dr. Wiseman, assuring them that he would recognize their concerns and address them appropriately. Nevertheless, not a single one of these patients would agree to see Dr. Wiseman again. The office manager had also offered the displeased patients a refund for the cost of the dentures and facilitated transfer of their records to another dental office of their choice, but the patients had many reasons for wanting to continue their care at Delicate Dental. They liked that they know all the staff in the office, they knew the same dental assistant for years, and many of them lived within walking distance in a retirement community down the street. When the other dentists followed up with Dr. Wiseman’s patients, they discovered that the problems were so extensive that new dentures were the only solution. Upon relaying the cost of this retreatment, every patient refused to pay and insisted that they had already paid for the work and that the office should absorb the cost of a new set. The office manager and Dr. Wiseman’s colleagues must decide how to approach these recurrent problems among Dr. Wiseman’s patients.