Mercerville Family Dental

Jessa Belle

5 months ago

Don't be poor if you go here. They're good at their jobs, but they will make you feel like shit if you're poor. I made my annual dental cleaning appointment so long ago I had forgotten about it, and didn't get the reminder text until Friday after office hours. So when I went in this morning I immediately asked if the appointment would cost anything today, explaining that I don't have any money. They checked and said no, so we proceeded. I need a root canal and wisdom tooth extraction but have no money for it, so when the hygienist mentioned it I explained to her that I was aware but I am very poor and cannot do anything about it right now, but I have been trying to get into the wait-list for the local dental school to have it done cheaper/free. I thought that would be the end of it, but she kept bringing it up, and I kept having to say I am poor, and eventually literally snapped when she said it "isn't good to be in pain all the time" by replying "Well the healthcare system doesn't care if I'm in pain unless I have money." I could tell she was uncomfortable about that but hello, how many times are you going to make me say I am poor??? Just drop it! She got the doctor eventually and I heard her telling him about my situation in the hallway. He was pleasant when he came in but again mentioned the root canal and again I had to say *I am poor, I cannot afford it* and at least after that he dropped it, telling me I had a good plan for the dental school and that the school does good work and wishing me luck on it. I go to check out of the appointment and the girl I had spoken to before to confirm I wouldn't owe anything then tells me I owe $11. I ask her why, when she told me I wouldn't owe anything. She says this is a balance from a previous appointment. Why wouldn't she tell me about that when I had asked and said at the start that I have no money? I was nearly crying at this point. I gave her my card which had literally just $23 on it, she took the $11 from it, and I wanted so badly to tell her how wrong it was for her not to have told me about it at the start especially when I had had to explain so much about how poor I am, but I couldn't make myself say it without crying so I just left. If doctors wonder why some people wait so long to get help, maybe they should start with how they and their staff treat us when we do. Because this appointment has made me feel humiliated, repeatedly, and I don't ever want to come back if this is how they're going to treat me.