Happy Smiles- Mamata Ponnaganti DMD PA

Reviews 6

LI

Linda Hodges

I went to this dentist as an approved dentist under my medicare coverage. I was told the additional costs for the x-rays was to be $46.00 and that there may be an additional cost to patient for the cleaning for as much as $80.00. Since I have kept up with my dental care, I didnt think there would be any additional cost for the cleaning. I have never had to pay any additional cost for teeth cleaning. When I arrived, I noticed the office was neat, clean and orderly. I saw the dental hygienist for the x-rays and this was the first issue encountered. I have been going to dentist for cleanings for over 50 years and I have never experienced pain with the placing of those gizmos in my mouth for the x-rays. The placement has been uncomfortable for one or two of the shots but with this technician I experienced actual pain and I had the little contraption out of my mouth before she could get back to my chair after the x-ray was shot. This occurred for several of the x-ray shots. Later that evening I still had sore spots in my mouth and they lasted for another 24 hours. I was told I would have to pay an additional cost of $80.00 for "Debridement" cleaning. I asked why and was told by the hygienist that it was because my teeth were in such bad shape. I asked if I couldnt get just a normal cleaning and if necessary come back later for another cleaning. The dentist, Dr. Ponnaganti came in for the exam which consisted of a very brief look at my teeth. She told me I needed a crown and a bridge replaced. I did not indicate that I had any issue, pain or otherwise with the teeth in question. The hygienist came back in and told me I needed the Debridement done. I walked out with an estimate of $5100.00 which included the insurance company paying $80.00 for my cleaning and myself paying $80.00. I paid cash for the x-rays. The very next day I went to another dentist office and was given what I thought was an excellent exam and a regular teeth cleaning. The dentist did not indicate I needed the crown or bridge replaced but did indicate I had a few old mercury fillings with some cavities underneath which could be repaired now or I could wait until the cavities got bad enough that I would probably need crowns. I looked up Debridement on the internet and the explanation was a procedure which is needed when teeth have been neglected for a long period of time and the picture of the plaque build up attached was disgusting and definitely did NOT look like my teeth. The condition of my teeth did NOT call for Debridement and I believe charging for this service was Happy Smiles way of getting more money for the services provided than what the insurance company was going to pay.

---

KI

Kim Black

When I originally found this practice I was excited since the patient care seemed spot on. Dr p called to check how I was after procedure however my last experience did not go that way. I had a new assistant do my temp crown which was not checked prior to me leaving. I was in a lot of pain the next day and had no issues with the tooth prior to going for the temp. I went for my permanent crown and expressed this. However Dr p said my bite was off sealed my permanent and sent me on my way. No follow up call either time and my visit was rushed. I then needed a root canal which put a huge hole in my brand new crown. Later she charged me to fill it and it is doesnt even match the color of the crown. The integrity of the crown is gone. Dr p claims she referred me for a root canal at the time of the temp however this is not true as I would have gone bc I 100% trusted her judgment. Why would she seal a perm crown if she thought I needed a root canal? I could not believe how dr p handled the situation. She blamed me rather than retifying the mistake which was disappointing. I am not a dentist so how would I know I needed a root canal? How come she did didnt know that? I would certainly have done it prior to my putting on brand new expensive crown!!!! I will go somewhere else where patient care is most important and root canals can be detected properly and preformed on site.

---

SH

Shilaan Said

Had an old silver filling that was cracked...Dr. advised me I needed a crown. Within 6 months I had the permanent crown fall out 3 times and the temporary crown fall out 3 times. After deciding to move to another Dentist I called my insurance...I found out that both my cavities and crown where covered by insurance BUT they never used my insurance and had be pay outright. Moreover, the crown had a 1 year waiting period they never advised me of...I could have simply waited for the waiting period. Basically this office is a scam and their services are poor. Today I attempted to speak with them to solve this issue..they hung up on me and refused to answer after that DURING business hours. I even referred my parents after my initial cleaning...they too felt the same that this was an office of fraudulent activity. Now I am requesting a full refund to go somewhere else....big surprise they dont want to give it! FYI I paid this office over $1000 for services. If you wish to pay more and have repeat services..this is the office for you! BEWARE!!!!

---

JA

Jason Jurden

The staff at Happy Smiles has been absolutely wonderful. They have worked with my insane work schedule to fit me in for appointments. They have help me with funding and helped figure out the most we can do for what i can afford. They have explained each and every process during a procedure. Educated me on what i should be doing and helping me understand how i can better protect my teeth from issues. Every single one of them has been kind and friendly to me no matter what procedure i go in for. They even called me to make sure i was okay and make sure nothing was wrong when the major procedures took place. i feel like i could not have been more lucky to have stumbled upon such a great team. I highly recommend them to anyone who needs work done and wants to educate themselves on how they can be proactive about their teeth.

---

SE

Sean Kelly

My last visit, which happened to be my first here was extremely disappointing. I recently switched dentists having moved from Orlando. I went for a cleaning and was given a flouride treatment, which is covered by my insurance. However, without disclosing to me that this office uses "topical flouride," which is not covered by my insurance I was charged an additional $25 for flouride. To my shock I was also quoted $2,800 out of pocket expenses for suggested dental procedures. Im sure you can understand my utter shock at a sticker price this steep, so I called my previous dentist (who I have been seeing for about 15 years) for a second opinion. His diagnosis left me with a potential out of pocket expense of $440. Needless to say, I will be making the two hour drive to Orlando every six months.

---

CO

Colleen Byrne

I had to give one star in order to write this.... This doctor is very over priced if not predatory if they know you have insurance and care credit look out. They are charging over $3100.00 for a deep cleaning part of the charge was $1200.00 for a medication without me knowing that it was $1200.00 I would have never agreed to that but they did it without my full knowledge, and that is very predatory..... Average price estimates for perio scaling & root planing in the area is $263.00 to $311.00 per quadrant .Called about the problem with the billing and was straight up lied to about fixing the problem. Trust me this isnt my first deep cleaning and this is wrong at least they could straighten things instead of lying about it...... Very sad situation taking advantage of people like that.

---

---