How should I proceed? I would like to advise my brother who had dental work but didn't ask enough questions?

My brother had a bicycle accident and broke a few teeth in the front. Decided to finally get them fixed in addition to fixing a tooth that was abscessed. The dentist quoted $3000 for a few extractions and a bridge or $5000 for full upper denture. Brother decided on $3000 option. Five appts, 5 extractions and so far $5000 later we don't have the bridge. The Dentist says that still more teeth need to be pulled (not many left). Obviously he has stopped going and asked for his medical records but the Dentist wanted to withhold the records until full payment was made and he's charging for them. He has already billed the insurance $1100(plus $5000). I am very confused by this whole situation. This Dentist was referred do to my brother's insurance carrier but at this cost he could have gone to my Dentist without insurance and paid less! We will get further dental care with someone that is not so abusive financially and emotionally. Could we do more though? Thanks _ Toothless Grin
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You really are not giving enough information for someone to give you acurate advice. There are usually 2 sides, and trust me, the dentists side in very different. I will tell you my opinion, however with limited information I can not possibly tell you who is right in this case. I have seen patients who were given a treatment plan and estimate of what a specific list of dental procedures will cost them, and after they recieved this treatment plan, they asked that additional things be done, not taking into consideration that these additional services will be an additional expense. Such as, having an unexpected abcess or toothache come up and asking the dentist to go ahead and pull that tooth out. Obviously, that would be one reason why a treatment plan amount would change. Some dentists quote what they think a treatment plan would cost, and if during the procedure unexpected things come up (example: tooth on bridge needing a rootcanal, that was not anticipated), they bill the patient for the work. Others eat the cost, because it was not previously planned for. Again, this is real difficult to say if he has a case. As far as the records go? Every state is different, and you should call the state dental board to know what your state says, but sometimes a dentist can withhold records if their is a balance on a patients account. They do have the right to charge a duplication fee, however. This is probably what the charge that you refer to is. You do realize, that your brother will be getting a copy of the records, and not the actual record, don't you? A dentist, at least in my state, is required to keep the actual record for 7 years. Anyways, if you want to e-mail me and give me a little more details, I will help you if I can.
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