Tampa Smiles: John L. Redd, DMD

Reviews 3

RO

Ron Stewart

First, let me go on record that I have no concerns about the care and treatments given by Dr. Redd. I think he is on par with most dentist that are well trained. However, ethics might be an issue, although as one reviewer indicated, the real issue might be that his staff is overbooking him (or he may be driving that train). As with most people, the primary cost of cosmetic dentistry is paid by the patient. Here is where I think prospective patients need to be aware of the many issues related to Dr. Redds practice. I am self employed and thus, except for major medical, I am self insured. My girlfriend has dental insurance and, like most, it only covers a small annual maximum for treatments that are not medically necessary (and insurance companies are in the business of not paying claims). So from Day 1 we explained to Dr. Redd and his staff, we needed estimates of treatment costs and updates to those cost when treatment might have to be modified. Is that too much to ask, evidently! As for me, I elected to defer everything until my girlfriend could complete her restoration that was due to a lifetime of issues, starting with her parents and former husband electing not to plan and provide treatment for her dental issues. We had begun the work in Charlotte NC under another dentist, so we were aware of the potential cost, somewhere between 10,000 and 12,000. So when we selected Dr. Redd, his confirmation of this seemed reassuring. Since I was going regularly to have my teeth cleaned and perform some minor restoration myself, I made sure that the staff and Dr. Redd knew of my need to financially plan and project cost of my girlfriends major restoration. She had also given the office full permission to speak to me on her treatments. So I wont belabor the story to the point that it becomes too lengthy to read. The treatment progressed nicely and everything seemed to be going well and on budget and schedule (yes, I am an engineer). So what cam as a shock was when my girlfriend came home crying and very distressed. It appeared that her cost of treatment had consumed all of the GE Care Credit line (10,000) we had established and she still had a balance of 7,000 remaining. Needless to say, I was very upset and attempted to contact Dr. Redd and his staff to determine how a estimated treatment of 12,000 ballooned into 17,000 in a matter of 1-2 visits. To this day, I can not reconcile the almost 50% increase in cost. The "estimate" Dr. Redd provided early somehow became missing and his staff could not located it. Therefore, the difference in estimated services and actually performed services became a mental history game between Dr. Redd, my self and my girlfriend. Even Dr. Redd could not articulate what caused the sudden and huge increase in treatment costs. After this experience we began asking around, and we are not the first patients to experience a very large increase in estimated versus actual treatment costs. So my advice to prospective patients of Dr. Redd. Make sure that you get everything in writing and keep a copy. Records seem to disappear at his office and cost increase as the treatment plan unfolds.

ME

Melody Nelson

First Id like to start by saying that Dr. Redd seemed to be a fantastic dentist. As I only saw him one time I have little basis for this opinion but seemingly he is an upfront, honest and well trained dentist. However, the staff in this office are sweet to your face but extremely rude, confrontational and unprofessional when it comes to follow up communication. Ive been to this office two times. Once for a cleaning and to have two old fillings replaced (this was the one occasion in which I met with the doctor) and the second visit was for a whitening treatment. I was scheduled for a follow up visit after my whitening which ended up in conflict with my work schedule so I had to cancel. I called to cancel and still on the day of my appointment received a call saying "we were expecting you today." Then got a letter in the mail notifying me of their right to charge me for "not showing up" to a scheduled appointment. Issue one. The next issue is a call I received this morning. One of their staff called and left me a voicemail (first time Ive heard from them in the few months since I was last there) saying "We have been trying to reach you. Your outstanding balance is more than 90 days past due at this point and will be sent to collections if we do not hear back from you right away." Balance?! Hmmm... Okay. In my mind this is a mistake. So I call.... the same woman that left the voice mail answered the phone. We start talking and she then explains that there is an almost $450 balance due from my initial visit. My initial visit that I have a estimate for that showed just over $1000 for everything. I have an incredible dental insurance that covers nearly everything... Within reason. Long story short, somehow between that appointment and billing my insurance, the cost of this visit somehow ended up at over $1500. Now please keep in mind, I have no restoration or intensive treatment needed. A cleaning and to replace two old fillings. Quick, easy, in and out. The moral of the story and what seems to be a trend with this office from reading other reviews and speaking with former patients is that they will quote you one price, provide great services but then come after you for a grossly escalated price. (In my case I was threatened with collections on the very first time they notified me of a "balance.") Please, please be careful when choosing this office as your regular dentist. They are located in a high income area and I believe they are taking advantage of this fact by padding these bills. I will take care of this right away (you win) but Ill never step foot in this office again.

KA

Kareem Spratling

My first visit with Dr. Redd’s Office was last week as an emergency related to breaking one of my crowns. I should also note that unfortunately, historically I have not taken the absolute best care of my mouth and consequently I have seen many dentists and undergone many procedures. In that time, I’ve never recommended another dentist. Dr. Redd’s office may be a little more expensive than the others, but that speaks to the longstanding philosophy, “you get what you pay for.” He and his staff are both very friendly and very professional. You can tell that he’s not pulling in 18 year olds right out of dental school and you can tell his staff is comfortable expressing their professional opinion on things. I’ve found that that comfort level only comes after years of experience. Also, Dr. Redd has invested the appropriate amount of money in his equipment so that his clients receive the best care possible. For example, when I went in for the emergency chipped crown, they were able to remove the broken crown and replace it with a new one AND fill a cavity all IN ONE VISIT. In addition to all of that, Dr. Redd’s office employs the technology that we’ve grown accustomed to to check in and to help you keep up with your dental health. I don’t usually write reviews, but felt compelled to do so in this case. I highly recommend Dr. Redd Office. Also, I saw the comment about everyone giving the office 5 stars and I will tell you hands down that I am a real person who visited the office. There are a couple of reasons the reviews are so positive: (1) because Dr. Redds Office is Awesome; and (2) because they encorage their patients to review them. Notwithstanding that, if someone had a terrible experience they would have also been encoraged to do a review. Finally, the reason the grammar is so good in these reviews may have to do with where Dr. Redds office is located and thus the clientele he sees.