I was a dental patient in their Sparks, NV office. After paying for several crowns and other dental work, I am left with constant pain, infection and inflammation from almost every tooth they worked on for almost 10 months now. I originally explained my problems at the office level and and it fell on deaf ears. I then filed a written complaint to their corporate office which went unanswered. As did phone calls. I finally stopped paying ($450 balance of almost $8500 paid)) until they responded. After the balance fell 90 days, they started calling. Each time they called I would have to start my complaint over and over. After calling me to threaten collections, I suggested they skip collections and let's go right to court. Four months later (March 2011), they wrote off the balance, but never addressed the pain I have been in or my complaint. As recently as last week, I contacted their office to Speak with a man named Bob Carr, a "Patient Relations Manager" and had to leave a voice mail. My call was returned by a woman named Wanda who began by asking me why I hadn't done anything sooner. *sigh* Regardless, I explained again what i was going through and she said she would return my call. Then later said she needed more time and would call me tomorrow. Then called the next day and needed some more time and would call me back.

No callback yet, and I only get an answering system.

So you are aware that I am not just talking about a minor issue, here is a copy of my original email sent July 17, 2010:

Dear Dr. Vincent G Colosimo, DMD:

As President of Colosimo Dental I feel compelled, as a patient to your Sparks, Nevada office, to bring a number of grievances to your attention.

To begin, as of the time of my writing this to you, I have two temporary crowns in which I have waited over 10 weeks to have the permanent crowns seated. One temporary had to be made twice because it did not fit (the second occurrence of this during my treatment.).

Although my permanent crowns have been in the Sparks office since the end of June, I was told I had to wait until the 14th of July for two reasons: 1.) Dr. Peters was going on vacation and would be gone the following week. 2.) The week after Dr. Peters return was heavily booked and could not get me in unless I wanted to come down and “just wait.”

First. I can't imagine that Dr. Peters vacation was unexpected and in light of the length of time I have waited, not only on this visit but on many visits prior, efforts could have been put forth to try to get the permanent crowns into the office before his leaving on vacation. Second. Could arrangements have been made to have another doctor within the practice seat these crowns? Third. Since I have waited over 10 weeks for something that should have only taken three, could another appointment scheduled the week of Dr. Peters return, been rescheduled in order to accommodate a treatment already in progress?

To my knowledge, and certainly never relayed to me, none of these alternatives were ever considered.

As I have mentioned previously, The miss fitting crown is not the first experience I have had with this office, I accepted a marginally fitting crown, after the second attempt and eight weeks of waiting, only because I could not handle waiting another three to four weeks and have it not fit again.

While I wish this were all of my complaint, There is still more which has caused me to reach my limit for tolerance. On more than one occasion, I have sat in the dental chair over five and as many as six hours for a root canal or crown.

I have sat in a dental chair at your office while the assistant cleaned a full mouth extraction from the vacuum trap only a few feet away. The odor was so bad, Dr. Peters had to leave the room, while I sat there, mouth blocked open.

I have sat in a chair in your office while the assistant, who was clearly ill, coughed and hacked through the whole procedure.

I have sat in a chair in your office and had to listen to Dr. Peters describe the endowment of some of his female patients.

I have sat in a chair in your office, in mid procedure of a root canal, with files in my teeth while Dr. Peters and the assistant have gone off to take care of other patients.

I have sat in a chair in your office, biting on gauze to seat a crown being told the assistant would be back in ten minutes, only to return in 35, 40 and one occasion over 50 minutes.

I have sat in a chair in your office having had my teeth numbed only to wait over an hour for Dr. Peters to come in and have to numb my teeth all over again. And while I believe I do not remain numb as long as some, this is the only office I have ever been to where my treatments have taken so long that I have had to be numbed as many as four times.

Dr. Colosimo, it has come to a point that even the thought of an appointment with your office causes me extreme anxiety.

I have considered other doctors and offices, unfortunately I would have to be further financially encumbered as other offices will not accept the treatment plans and recommendations from other offices, meaning I would have to pay for all those things again.

Additionally, I have been a cash pay. Your office has never had to bill. Has never had to wait for payment for thousands of dollars of services.

I have voiced my general dissatisfaction with the treatment I have received to you office locally, yet it seems to fall on deaf ears. I hope that you will take this opportunity to correct this situation. For my comfort, trust and satisfaction, I would like to suggest the following:

To have the permanent crowns transferred to your Reno or Carson City office where they can be seated by a different Doctor. I am told that the remaining cost for seating these two crowns will be around $900* of which I feel appropriate in asking that it be dismissed.

Thank you for taking the time to consider what I have written here, and expect to hear from you or your office soon.

Respectfully,
Jeff Blevins

*Sine the time I wrote that email, I paid their office an additional $450, expecting that they would resolve this issue in some manner. They never have.

It appears as though they have no concern or regard for the health or safety of their patients and are only interested in the bottom line. If you go there, you have been warned.