1 /5 Claudia De Leon: Fiduciary duty was broken today. Dr. Matthew Freedman was my orthodontist who did my Invisalign treatment years ago. I trusted him with my care and spent $6,000 to $7,000 on his services. I recently returned to his office in distress—with numbness in my upper lip, nose, gums, and bite after a veneer procedure. I believed he would help me—he had in the past.
Instead, I was dismissed. He didn’t take x-rays. He didn’t examine me properly. He looked at my face and said “it looks good,” even after I explained that my mouth shakes when I close it, my speech changed, and one veneer had fallen out three times in a month. He told me to go see Dr. Mendez (who doesn’t take my insurance) and spend another $7,000.
This isn’t care—it’s abandonment. I had been wearing the retainer he gave me until just two months ago. I returned because I believed in his work. I even came back twice that day—at 7:45 a.m. and again at 10:45 a.m.—begging for x-rays. I was gaslighted.
Maria, the assistant who scanned my mouth, wouldn’t face me. I left feeling betrayed, mistreated, and scared. If you want real medical care, be warned. This office gave me none.