Dental office sale leaves orthodontic Phoenix patient in limbo

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - A Phoenix woman paid a dentist’s office $6,000 for a perfect smile. She says things started out great until the office was sold, and the treatments she paid for stopped. Marija Radulovic wasn’t happy with her smile. So when her son was wrapping up treatment with an orthodontist, she decided it was her turn. “I was always self-conscious about the gaps in my teeth,” she said, “and that’s something I thought could be fixed with Invisalign.” Invisalign is an orthodontic treatment that straightens teeth without using metal braces.

So two years ago, Radulovic began Invisalign treatment with an orthodontist at Perfect Teeth, part of a chain of dental offices. She paid nearly $6,000 for treatments and things were going well. But last year, Perfect Teeth was bought out by Western Dental. Even though the company kept the name Perfect Teeth, Radulovic says she and other patients saw changes in the office. “The orthodontist quit shortly after,” she said. “And every month for the next six months, the orthodontic patients were promised that a new ortho was just about to start. So for six months, they dragged us along.”

A Mesa homeowner has been waiting eight months for his security screens, so he called On Your Side for help.

And not having an orthodontist wasn’t good for Radulovic’s ongoing treatment. In fact, she went for months without seeing an orthodontist. To complicate matters, under the new ownership, Western Dental and Perfect Teeth are no longer contracted with Invisalign. So finishing Marija’s treatment wasn’t even an option. “I mean, ideally, I’d like all my money returned,” she said, “because in order for me to continue elsewhere, it would be another $6,000.”

On Your Side reached out to the parent company Western Dental. They looked into Radulovic’s case and agreed that she deserved her money back. The company sent On Your Side a statement, saying, “Perfect Teeth is committed to providing quality dental care and customer service to our patients. After careful review, we have issued a full refund to Ms. Radulovic to her satisfaction and to the dental insurance provider.”

Thanks to Perfect Teeth for making things right here. We’ll let you know when Radulovic’s check arrives in a follow-up report.

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