ipo vogel I am currently pregnant, as I mentioned to this office when I first scheduled with them several weeks ago for a cleaning only for next Monday. As such, I am unable to have x-rays taken, but I have no ongoing dental issues and have never had a cavity, and so I only needed a cleaning anyways. They told me then that would be fine, I would just need a note from my OB to skip the x-rays. No big deal, my OB was happy to write a note for them, though they did think it was strange they needed it at all, as x-rays being advised against during pregnancy is well-known.
Today, Thursday before my scheduled appointment, they happened to call me because they are overbooked on my appointment day that I have had scheduled for weeks. They told me they needed to reschedule, which I agreed to. I mentioned again at this time that it shouldnt be a super complex appointment as I am pregnant and cant have x-rays anyways, and mentioned I already have my OB note for them. The woman on the phone (she answered as Erica) then asked me what my note said. I conveyed that it advised that x-rays in pregnancy carry risks to the developing baby, particularly in the first trimester as I am, and so they recommend against x-rays unless it is an emergency.
She then said unfortunately in that case they cannot see me, because, in a blatant lie, she claimed it is Florida state law that a dental cleaning cannot be performed without x-rays being taken. This is a complete falsehood, there are zero statutes in Florida that require any such thing. While this may be their standard practice, that is absolutely NOT the same thing as a legal requirement.
They are trying to make an appeal to the authority of the government to wave off their predatory practice of forcing costly procedures on patients who dont want them, even when the reason they are not wanted is due to well-known dangers associated with exposure to radiation in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Given this establishment is willing to lie directly to patients to try to force them into expensive procedures, and have no consistency in their communication regarding their own personal requirement (which resulted in wasting weeks of my time when I could have been working to get scheduled elsewhere) I would recommend anyone to avoid them and find an honest dental practice instead. They also seem to have very little care for patients time either, as calling 3 business days before an appointment that has been scheduled for weeks to inform, not ask, the patient that they need to be rescheduled is pretty inappropriate in my opinion. All around awful practice, take your business anywhere else.
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