Coast Dental

I used to see Dr. Jamar McKay at Coast Dental for years. The practice was sold and all dentists now appear virtually from Tampa. They are very rushed. I don’t mind the outdated equipment and the dental hygienists are good, but I’ve definitely felt a push from this practice to spend more and more. There were items added to my bill that were not explained (for example, a 3M OMNI Gel 0.4% Stannous Fluoride Brush-On Gel that stains teeth — this is an item I would have refused to take home and I didn’t ask for). I decided to give them another chance after 2 years and was told there would be a charge of $74 to be re-established as a patient. When I asked if I was considered a new patient, I was told that I wasn’t. When I read the charges closely, the $74 was for an optional oral cancer screening. I don’t mind the screening, but I do mind being mislead. You have to truly understand medical billing and coding as well as be familiar with your insurance plan to get through a visit at Coast Dental. I was very pressured to utilize financing for optional services. It seems like it’s time to change again. Update: I visited a new dentist today at Thomasville Road Dental Care after 10 years of being told by Coast Dental that 5 mm pockets were present indicating early gum disease and requiring deep cleaning that my insurance never covered. This always resulted in a higher billing and therefore additional revenue for the provider, but my new dentist didn’t find a single pocket over 3 mm and was able to do the regular prophylaxis cleaning that is covered by my insurance. I haven’t done anything different with my oral health over the past 10 years and have a hard time believing my gums changed so significantly in between April when I last visited Coast Dental and now — August. I’ve been lead to believe that I had gum disease for a decade, which has caused me so much unnecessary stress thinking I may need future periodontal care. I’ve never left Coast Dental paying less than $450 and today I paid $0! I don’t trust this provider anymore. Additionally, I was lead to believe that I didn’t qualify for Invisalign for years due to crowding, but the new provider walked me through the process and took time to show me complicated cases she’s worked on. They were very transparent about the cost and were completely supportive when I shared how I’d plan to maximize my ortho insurance benefit and FSA account. I hope my experience can help someone else find the right provider!

I don’t know why I would receive an email thanking me for bringing my children in. My children were NOT seen. I spent 15 minutes on the phone with the scheduling department confirming that my insurance is in network. We showed up for the appointment, they collected my drivers license and insurance card, and was told that I didn’t complete the paperwork they sent me via text. Of course it went to my spam. They said I had to complete it on my phone, which I did. For my 2 children. After finally completing the paperwork for both, I went up to the window, and saw the young lady who checked me in on the phone. There were several others up front and no one acknowledged me. I stood there for 5 minutes and then sat down because I guess they’ll give me my cards back and come get me when they’re ready. Wait another 10 minutes, and the young lady told me my insurance was out of network. By this time, we’d been there for 40 minutes. I told her that the person whom I spoke with over the phone checked my information and said I was in network. She said she called and verified we were not. Barely an apology, hardly remorseful. Just a shrug, and said that the scheduling department. All in all, horrible customer service. Even if we were in network, I would not go back.

If there was a way to give NEGATIVE stars then I would! I made an appointment for a checkup and cleaning, gave all the information and showed up for the appointment. I forgot my license but had it on my phone. The receptionist would accept this stating they would have to scan it. I rescheduled the appointment for 2 weeks later. Showed up 30 minutes early for the rescheduled appointment with id in hand and was told they needed my insurance card. I explained that I had contacted my insurance after the last attempt of appointment for a new card and had no yet received it. They refused to see me even though I had ALL the insurance information and my id. The staff was incredibly rude and actually THREATENED to ban myself and my husband from the place! Someone really should do something about these people not wanting to perform their job duties to standard. This is ridiculous! I saw similar reviews but decided to give them a chance because everyone had an off day sometimes but now that I have experienced their “customer service “ I realize this is the norm for this office. STAY AWAY!!!

This place is a complete rip off and keep on pushing unnecessary services. They have zero focus towards customer service and dont know how to talk to people. They are not transparent on what services and charges they will put on your records. Met couple of people there who were dealing with similar issues around transparency on billing / services. Edit - I am not sure about the purpose of acknowledging the review here when there is no plan of action to change anything.

I had a very disappointing experience with this dental office. Before scheduling my appointment, I specifically asked whether they were in-network with Tricare. I provided all of the requested insurance information and was told that they were. On the day of my appointment, I arrived 20 minutes early to complete any necessary paperwork. When checking in, the receptionist asked for my insurance card. I explained that, as a military family, we do not have a separate insurance card and instead use our military ID, which contains our benefits information. Rather than helping to verify the information or offering a solution, the receptionist immediately became dismissive and insisted that my military ID was not acceptable. She then informed me that I would have to pay out of pocket if I wanted to be seen. The interaction felt unnecessarily rude and unprofessional. What was most frustrating was that this could have been addressed before the appointment. We provided our information ahead of time and were told everything was in order. Taking time out of our day to arrive early for an appointment, only to be treated with attitude and told something completely different upon arrival, was extremely disappointing. I hope this office improves both its communication regarding insurance verification, their knowledge on different insurances and the way patients are treated at the front desk.