I started clear aligner treatment around 2015 at an orthodontic clinic near Gangnam Station. At the time, I was young and, looking back now, it was not even cheap, but I started what became a hellish orthodontic treatment through a Facebook event entry.
The clinic says there is a paper I signed about side effects during orthodontic treatment, but when I later requested it, they refused to issue it along with my medical records.
When I started treatment, I naturally thought I was being treated by a proper dentist affiliated with the clinic, not by a part-time doctor listed on the clinic’s website. To keep this from getting too long, I will only list what I experienced.
1. I received treatment from a doctor who was not even listed on the website.
2. When treatment began, I was told it would be finished in six months to a year, but I ended up receiving treatment for more than six years.
3. After treatment started, they clearly acknowledged to some extent that the interproximal reduction had been done incorrectly, and said that if the space did not close because of that, they would definitely make it up in some way. But in the medical records I later received, the teeth that had undergone interproximal reduction were not even listed. They then went further and sued me, claiming I was spreading false information by saying I had not had interproximal reduction at Clinic X and had instead had it done at another hospital.
4. When I called, they had set a rule that they would only answer if I dialed *23#. They did not answer even when I called from my family’s phone number. When I said this meant they had blocked me, I was again sued for allegedly making false claims.
5. I repeatedly asked for my medical records, but they refused, saying same-day issuance was difficult. Furthermore, on November 13, 2020, in the cold, windy beginning of winter, they told me they would give me the records and made me wait outside for 30 minutes, then suddenly said they could not give them to me. When I went inside and asked, "Why can’t you give them to me?" they said they were dealing with another customer and made me wait another 10 minutes. Then, while making excuses, after I asked about three times for my medical records, the female counseling manager said she was scared and called the police. I think they abused public power by using authority and intimidation.
6. Around my fourth year of treatment, I was overseas and contacting them through KakaoTalk. I asked for a consultation with the doctor in charge to ask about the poor condition of the appliance and the sensitivity in the area where interproximal reduction had been done, but even though they clearly knew I was overseas, they made one phone call and said they could not consult me because I did not answer the phone, effectively abandoning the patient.
7. At the start of treatment, they did not properly explain the retention appliance, and even though they said there would be no additional cost for a retention appliance if I paid in full at once, they suddenly demanded payment for a fixed retainer and raised a point they had never mentioned before treatment started. I did not trust them, so I asked for the 1 million won I had prepaid for the retainer, and they said they would do the fixed appliance for 100,000 won, or if not, they would do it because it was their mistake and refund even the fixed retainer. They started treating it like a business deal. I tried to pursue a legal dispute through the Consumer Agency and legal counseling, but the vice manager acted as if doing me a favor and refunded the money that they should obviously have returned, minus about 1.5% in card fees. The clinic told the police that they had done their best.
8. I was in severe pain from the interproximal reduction, but they kept trying to frame it as if I simply did not brush my teeth well. So I recorded myself brushing my teeth for about seven days and sent the videos to the doctor in charge. At that time, the doctor could not say anything about my brushing, because why? I really do brush my teeth properly... And like the university hospital opinion letter, they did not provide any treatment to relieve the tooth sensitivity symptoms, and only kept repeating that I should wear the appliance diligently and brush diligently.
9. Once, I brushed my teeth as soon as I arrived at the clinic and then saw the doctor. I had brushed using the clinic’s toothbrush, and of course, because they only had cheap disposable toothbrushes, plaque would remain no matter how hard I tried to clean. Using that, they told me, "Look at this. You are not brushing properly. Why do you come to the dentist without brushing?" I was so wronged that I said I had brushed for more than three minutes as soon as I arrived, and then they asked the desk staff whether I had brushed... It was absurd. Of course, at the time I had asked the staff for a toothbrush so I could brush, and that staff member did not say anything when I said that Mr. XXX had taken a toothbrush earlier and brushed.
10. Isn’t it the rule that the attending doctor should give the orthodontic appliance to the patient before it is handed over? It looks like assistants at that clinic handled the appliance, and even in the recording they say things like, "Our staff made a mistake in inspection." It was truly the worst. Because of that appliance, the inside of my gums and the inside of my cheeks bled profusely and became raw... At that time, I should have gone to the clinic and gotten a medical certificate. At minimum, it would have been a seven-day injury. But the vice manager at that clinic saw the sore spot inside my gums and tried to brush it off as nothing. Also, the counseling manager did not apologize even once and, in a shameless way, said, "Then we just need to file down the sharp part of this appliance, right?" When I was so fed up that I asked where the doctor in charge was, they said he comes only once a week... as expected, a part-time doctor... So when I said, "The patient was injured and not even one apology?" they finally said, "Sorry, okay?" I could hardly believe my ears.
11. As mentioned in the recording, the content of the first consultation at this clinic and the later explanations were very different, each counseling manager said different things, and they also made excuses. There were many other things I suffered as well.
12. Finally, I will explain why I am writing this. I am not writing this to criticize the clinic, damage its reputation, or spread false information. I tried to write as objectively as possible, but I am human, so some emotion may come through in the writing. Still, I state that there are no false claims in the content of this post, and further, I wrote it to share my experience as someone who had orthodontic treatment at Clinic W with those who may later consider treatment there.