Too Ashamed to Return to My Elgin Dentist Due to Non-Payment…

I found an Elgin dentist I loved a little over a year and a half ago. Prior to this, it had been about a decade since I had any dental treatment done. The office was really nice and broke up all my treatment into little groups that I could take care of when I had the time and money. As a single mom, I couldn’t express my gratitude enough. They were really patient with me and made a rather intimidating list seem not so bad. Plus, the dentist was very gentle. I made it through a couple of my appointments before I ran into a snag. I went in and had two CEREC crowns done- they are perfect. I paid with a check that day and went home. The next day, I realized some unexpected charges had hit my account overnight, but not the charges from the Elgin dentist who did the CEREC crowns. By the time they deposited my check, there wasn’t enough funds to cover it and it bounced. I feel really, really bad about it. I couldn’t even answer their calls when it happened. One thing led to another and I just barely climbed out of my financial hole. I’d really like to start seeing them again. Is there a chance they might take me back or do I need to find a new Elgin Dentist? I’m too ashamed to ask them myself.

Thank you,

JR

Dear JR,

Each office has its own protocol. You didn’t say if you’d been officially dismissed from the practice or if they sent you to collections because of the balance. These things will make a difference. Depending on how they handle overdue accounts, they may have an agency trying to collect on their behalf, in which case they’ve accrued additional expenses. Or, they may have sold your balance to a company that buys debts, in which case, they couldn’t accept payment for the debt, even if they wanted to. You’ll need to talk to them to find out exactly where you stand.

If you can pay the old balance and any expenses they’ve accrued, there’s a chance they may be willing to let you come back, but they may not accept checks from you anymore or they might have a pre-payment requirement of some sort. Again, each office handles these things differently. You may not have to find a new Elgin dentist, but you’ll have to plan to set things right with the books before you can return as an ongoing patient.

This blog is sponsored byElgin dentist, Dr. Steve Sirin.