Brea Dental Group: Whitworth John C DDS

I went to this office to inquire about braces. I was never told there would be any costs for a consultation. Too sum up my long story, the dentist was great and a very nice man. The office staff are very misleading. I wish I would have read the reviews before visiting this office. I did not proceed with braces after my consultation. Therefore my insurance was charged for several procedures and they kept my deposit I left for surgery. I have called there office several times asking for my deposit to be refunded since I did not go through with surgery. I was never told they would keep my deposit and apply it to visit fees I supposedly owe. I never received a statement of charges and that my deposit was applied to these so called fees. I basically paid $300 for a consultation & they billed my insurance for an exam. Terrible experience, thats why I decided to write a review & maybe this will help someone make a wise decision. more

When talking with the dentist I felt this was a competent office with great doctors. Then after my exam, the office staff completely contradicted what the dentist told me. When the office staff finished, I was given a bill about 3 times what the dentist suggested with more procedures added. I will never return to this office. Don't be fooled. The day I went was a completely new patients visiting including myself. That should have been a clue. more

I am feeling good! Had my smile makeover and it feels great to get lots of compliments! Thank you Brea Dental! more

1. Rates are overpriced. For example, I researched a procedure that I had done in this office and found that it can cost a little over $100 in two other dental offices in Orange County, yet they charge almost $300 for it!!!!\r \r 2. Be firm and ask for a PRINT OUT OF THE CODES of the services you are about to get done. The ladies upfront Debbie, Andrea and Theresa will do everything at all costs not to give you a print out of the codes so you can't compare it with your insurance. I kid you not it's a difference of almost $200 bucks for one service. Trust me, they do overcharge, I KNOW. \r \r 3. If you find that they do overcharge, let your insurance do the calling for you ASAP. I was trying to be polite out of respect for the staff and the dentists. But my politeness was taken advantage of. \r \r 4. If you find an overcharge, here is what they'll do. They will not file the codes with your insurance until the time allowed to file for a refund/complaint will be cutting it close. This way, they can always blame the delay on your insurance's processing time until the patient can overlook the charges and have no more rights to even view a list of what you paid for. They play the legal game and won't show you any receipts until you pay for your bill, that you thought you already paid in full. \r \r 5. Last but not the least. Once you pay for your bill in full, YOU MUST ASK FOR A RECEIPT that says PAID IN FULL!!!!!. Do not rely on your credit card receipt as proof of payment. That was my mistake!!!! And ask for a list of everything! The code, the name of the procedure, the price and what you paid for. Because they will keep sending you the bills!!! And trust me, you must insist on that print out because they will make you look stupid. And tell you ""I do not understand what you want..you have your credit card statement as a receipt don't you?"" TSK TSK. Do not fall for this I feel so stupid trap. DO NOT LEAVE without a RECEIPT that says paid in full!\r \r 6. It's sad that the billing practices of this office turns off so many people. It's not fair to the dentists who are actually talented and skilled. But for the price of hundreds of overcharges? Can't go back here!!!\r \r 7. You can do all the research you can, but what they file with your insurance will be the prices that are correct. So even your own insurance will make a mockery of you. However, they will bill you later for more! And there is nothing that anybody can do about it. Trust me. Billing practices aren't controlled by your insurance or any governing dental board above these dental offices. SO AVOID THIS OFFICE AT ALL COSTS!!!! Save yourself the $$$$ and find a better and honest dental office. more

From day 1 this staff has been nothing but rude but my biggest complaint are the made up costs and charges that are added on by the office staff!! Its amazing that the three times that I sat in that office waiting room 80% of the people that came in where new patients....that should tell you something!! Stay away!!!!! Pros: Dentist Dr Patel Cons: Andrea and Debbie in the office more

I have read the reviews and I was deterred of going, however one of my friends swore to me that it was a great practice. I needed to get a a crown replaced and they did a fantastic job replacing it with a natural appearing one. I had a porcelain fused to metal, but now I have a zirconium one and it looks great. Thanks for letting me know of these other options! Pros: Nicest dental practice I have visited Cons: Not located at Newport Beach more

Needed some work done on a tooth that was messed up by another dentist a few years ago. These folks have digital x-rays and showed me the hole thing. We discussed options and they called my insurance to confirm it was covered. Pros: No waiting, all the latest technology more

Needed some work done on a tooth that was messed up by another dentist a few years ago. These folks have digital x-rays and showed me the hole thing. We discussed options and they called my insurance to confirm it was covered. Pros: No waiting, all the latest technology more

I went through my insurance company and visited this dentist because they were on the list and close to my house! All of the other reviews (except for the obviously fake review at the bottom) are absolutely right. Avoid this dentist at all costs. I have insurance and was presented with an estimate of over $4,000 (out of pocket) to replace fillings, have a cleaning and for the (obligatory) night guard. AVOID this office at ALL COSTS! Cons: Scam Artists! more

I went in to have an infected tooth extracted which was in the far back .(#31). It was supposed to cost $5 with insurance. They told me it would be another $550 out of my own pocket for post extraction bone grafting that they insisted/demanded I needed. Told em I'd pass on the grafting so they refused to pull it. Wouldn't give me copies of x-rays I'd just spent 2 hours getting either. I drove 1/2 mile down Imperial (to Berry) and walked in to a dentist office where my wife had been before.(The office that she actually thought she signed us up with when we got the new insurance) They charged me $281 dollars for a surgical extraction. I couldn't wait another month for the HMO to change my ""CARE PROVIDER"" in their system. Otherwise it would've only been $5. I can't really convey my true feelings for Brea Dental Group in this review because I'm sure it wouldn't get printed if I did. Pros: At getting more money Cons: In the true sense more

Like all of the other reviews (with the exception of one review that is an obvious fake posting by their office), I also had a horrible experience with this dental group. My young daughter endured 2 years of braces, an upper mouth extender, and head gear. I paid cash upfront for the complete work (alot of money!) and was told the day she was having her braces removed that I would have to pay another $100 because our insurance had changed during the time we started until we finished the braces process....a $100 charge for no good reason!\r \r Also, my daughter (who is very young) had lost her retainers recently. I immediately called the office to pay for replacement retainers and was told that it would cost $700!!!! The price was $350 for the upper, and $350 for the lower. After I dropped the phone in complete horror, I called around to other dental offices and friends who work in the dental industry. I was told the industry standard for retainer replacements was about $300....$150 for each. I walked into Brea Dental and asked to speak to the ever rude office manager, Debbie. Debbie was a complete, well let's just imagine what I would like to say she was and it is not a good word, about the whole thing. When i confronted her with my information, she was condensending and obnoxiuos. I asked for the final impressions that were taken of my daughter's teeth to go to another dental office to get the replacement retainers and she lied and said that they did not have them. After a few minutes, she retracted her lie and said that I could PAY for a COPY of the impressions, but it would not be good for getting replacements. I then asked for a copy of all of my daughter's records there to take to another office, and Debbie refused and said I need an attorney for them!!! \r \r The worse part of this story is the fact that my daughter has to suffer now because of the delay in getting another set of final impressions. I am filing a complaint with CDA. more

I wish I would have read these reviews first, I would have saved myself some hassle. In a nutshell, I had the same exact negative experience everyone else had. I walked in with premium insurance, and walked out with an estimate for $2,900 out of pocket expenses. They wanted to replace my existing crowns (they were slightly cracked) with gold crowns (called the Bio 2000) for $975 each. I asked why I should pay nearly $2,000 for something that my insurance covers for free, and was told that these are ""top of the line."" I continued to ask if I could have the crowns that my insurance covers for free, and she said they don't use those. My only other option was to pay $850 each for their lower line of crowns. She then tried to get me to buy a mouth guard for $550. When I tried to leave, she offered me a 6% discount if I signed the contract right there. I left anyways, and received a call the next day trying to tell me that if I wanted the work done, I better hurry because their appointments were booking up fast. It was seriously like buying a car. It was surreal. I requested a second opinion from my insurance company (which they quickly approved). I cannot believe this company is still in business. Pros: State of the art equipment Cons: Blatant rip off more

I would strongly suggest you avoid this dental office. The staff was unprofessional; their services were grossly overpriced, and it was like negotiating to buy a used car. They charged me fees I have never paid for at any other dentist prior. The only reason I visited them was because I moved from the beach cities. My insurance provider advised me to switch ASAP. If you are a patient of this dental group I would advise you to obtain a copy of procedure codes from your insurance provider and compare what the co-pays are to what Brea Dental Group tries to charge. They tried to charge me $5500 out of pocket for two procedures that my insurance provider said my co-pay was only $450. They also tried to say I grind my teeth at night so I need to buy a $550 mouth guard ($10 at Albertsons). The woman then said ?I bet you experience headaches often?. I let her know actually I rarely get headaches and the minor chipped tooth is from a recent dirt bike accident. So long story short if you?re into overpriced spending head over to Brea Dental Group where you will pay high co-pays and receive what should be illegal service! Pros: They drive nice cars. Cons: They drive nice cars because they rip you off. more

I went to a different dentist first for my checkup, i paid $80 for my x-rays and cleaning. They told me i needed work done so i told my mom and my mom said i am covered under her insurance. So i went to Brea Dental Group despite all of the terrible reviews about overpricing and billing because after all i had insurance so i didn't care what it costs. So i had a second checkup, the dentist said i have the same cavities but then he said you need a deep cleaning and looks like the beginning of gingivitis. They wanted to charge me an additional $575 not covered by my insurance! The first dentist said i have great gums and did my cleaning already (duh) so i told them that i just wanted to get what my HMO was going to pay for which was the fillings (3) so they didn't like that. They told me the earliest appointment was in the end of August, I went in on June 13th, that's almost 3 months later. If i have cavities why am i going to wait 3 months to get them fixed? I will need a root canal by then! I tried to get on their cancellation list so that they would see me in case someone canceled. I kept trying to call once a day (2 days in a row) and see if there was any cancellations. The lady from the front office called me back on the second day and told me ""I know why you want to get your teeth done so soon, i just looked over your insurance and you don't have insurance, you thought we weren't going to find out, well guess what we are going to send you a bill for $350 for your checkup"" basically calling me dishonest and threatening me with a outrageous bill. I explained to the lady that i was just added to the policy and that Cigna had called there to let them know i am covered. I wasn't in their list yet because i was just added. These people are the real crooks trying to charge me $575 for a cleaning that i just had done and some shots in my gums for gingivitis i didn't have! Pros: New equipment. Cons: They will try to sell you undercoating for your car and then insult you. more

After being a member of Brea Dental Group for 2 years, I HAVE HAD ENOUGH! Every time I walk through the door I feel like I am being hustled! Last year I received the most painfull filling that took 3 visits to get right! So needless to say I was not too excited to go in for my 6 month check-up, so I skipped it. Now I just had my 12 month visit and the hygenist took about 2 seconds before telling me that I needed a deep cleaning to the tune of $35. (It reminded me of my waitressing days in college when your boss would tell you ro ""add-on"", an appetizer here, a dessert there) The next I was told that I need 3 fillings, one porcilin inlay, gum grafting, yadda yadda yadda...$1,700!! And this is WITH INSURANCE! I ended up going for a second opinion and believe you me when I tell you that I just saved myself a good $900 and a couple of unnecessary prodcedures! This is a medical office intended to HELP people and all they want is your $$!! Please Beware! Pros: Nice waiting room Cons: EVERYTHING ELSE more

he actiually does not know how an impacted tooth look like on an X-ray even! unreasonable fees for no work! more

The doctors are nice and do the job right, but do not spend enough time with you. The billing part is a separate story! They can never calculate estimate right! You can do it yourself even better! Plus they will put on a claim something what they actually did not do without a notice! And fees are just unreasonable! You will have to call them and your insurance to clear everything up a million times. So watch out! Pros: modern office and equipment Cons: very bad billing job and not enough communication between you and doctors more

If you want to make sure your hard-earned money gets its worth, stay away from this clinic. I had such a painful experience with them in 2006 that even now I'm still afraid of going to a dentist. Frankly their dental work and office setting is fine, but their billing and office administration is the worst experience I have. When I pointed out their billing mistake, they tossed the paper and gave another invoice with a bigger balance. I had at least four different versions of invoice from them. This is an office who does not admit its own mistake and full of scams. Pros: Nice ambience, nice doctors, but you're paying the premium Cons: It's OK if it's pricy, but be honest about it. more

Stay away from this dentistry if you don't like getting totally ripped off! My husband went in for an exam and they charged him $5 for the office visit and insisted that he had a deep cleaning for $150. After some negotiation they said they'd do an ""intermediate cleaning"" for $40 (a regular, routine cleaning was supposed to be FREE). I called my insurance company and there's no such thing! I went in the very next day and the office visit had mysteriously changed from $5 to $25. They gave me some line about it being an OSCHA visit which covers the bibs and regular dental materials (who DOESN'T use bibs in a cleaning?) and is required by law which was a $25 fee. When I asked them why my husband only paid $5 the day before, she looked at the records and said ""we just forgot to charge him."" They also refused to do my exam and cleaning on the same day so they could collect an extra office visit fee of $25. When I asked to get a copy of my husband's x-rays they said ""sure, that'll be $50."" Needless to say, I walked out. Watch out, they charge unnecessary fees and seem to just make it up as they go along. I highly suggest staying far away from Brea Dental Group! \r Pros: Really nice office... but that's because you are being completely overcharged. Cons: Read review more

\r Ambience, personal, service, bright smile therapy, entire visit . \r \r \r \r Pros: Ambience, personal, service, bright smile therapy, entire visit more