I had lost a filling for a molar on my lower left side and visited Joinway Dental this week for what I had originally hoped to be an extraction. I already had the upper molar removed due to an impacted wisdom tooth and didn't see any reason to keep the lower tooth that doesn't have an upper molar to chew properly. Dr. Jane Zhang greeted me at her office after I spoke with her over the phone earlier that day. During the conversation over the phone she told me that it would cost around 850 RMB for an extraction. I looked at the rates on her website and had assumed that it included x-rays, consultation, etc. However, when I arrived and was seated in the dentist chair she simply took a metal tool and began knocking it against each tooth to see if any of them hurt. About 5 minutes later she said in the typical Chinese broken English that "it would be a pity if I were to have it pulled and that she could perform a root canal for a fair price". I explained to her that I had only expected to pay 850 RMB that afternoon and I would need to arrange a payment plan. She said that it would be fine. Again, when I looked at the website it said that a root canal would cost 1200 RMB. So..... I decided to trust her opinion knowing that I could afford the fee for a root canal stated on her website by the following weekend. She gave me two shots to numb the area and then she gave me a pair of safety glasses. I knew that what was coming next was not going to be pleasant. For the next half hour she took a drill and proceeded to file away as I lay there wincing in pain, had to deal with the smell of burning tooth and witnessed pieces of it flying everywhere. She then took another needle to open the area in order to drain the infection which is almost always the cause of dental pain. She would have me rinse and spit a few times during the procedure. After that was complete she got up and told me that we were finished for the day. I had my wisdom teeth pulled before in the US and was well aware of the fact that I was dealing with an infection. Something she restated back to me after I had said it to her 2-3 times. We went back out to the lobby where her assistant processed the credit card payment on my Chinese bank account. I asked her then about prescribing pain and antibiotic medication for me until my next visit without her even giving me a reply. I looked at the bill and it went from 1200 RMB for a root canal to almost 6000 RMB in total(minus the 850 I paid that afternoon). That was it she said to come back the following Saturday with the remaining 4800 RMB for her to finish it while waiting for the infection to somehow "magically" disappear on its own. I got home and for the next 8 hours everything seemed fine with the exception that my bill was now almost 6000 RMB instead of 850 for a simple extraction. The following day I woke up in agony unable to sleep much the whole night. I texted her and said that I needed an antibiotic and the appropriate pain medication. She replied stating that "(she)told me to get antibiotic" which was not true. I asked her how/where I can obtain antibiotic two more times this week and she has yet to reply. My experience with her was absolutely the worst experience I have ever seen visiting a dentist and I will never go back. I made sure to cancel my followup appointment with her when it occurred to me that she would not inform me about how I should obtain the medicine that even she herself admitted I needed. It was the most ridiculous back and forth of text messages I have ever experienced. I would tell her that I need medicine and she would reply with.... "you need medicine." That was it. No matter how many times I would ask her to prescribe medicine for me she either didn't get it or she didn't care. It makes me really glad that I didn't use/waste my travel insurance at her office and opted to pay in cash. The reason why I am posting this comment here is because someone posted here that visiting her was "really a magic way". "Magic" in the sense that unicorns and fairy dust are magic maybe.... Or "magic" insofar that 850 RMB magically disappeared while I still sit here in agony 4 days later waiting to see a(hopefully) better dentist this weekend. Dr. Jane Zhang never took an x-ray nor did she even bother to prescribe medicine for the pain and infection. She gave me two shots and drilled away as if there was gold in there to be discovered... and I'm sure that in her mind there was. In summary, Dr. Jane Zhang is the absolute worst dentist I have ever encountered in my life.
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I find that english speaking docs in beijing are total $h!t! Also a crazy amount more money to see them. The english they do speak is bad! maybe good enough to have some beers and talk about the weather, but not good enough to give proper medical advise! They just want to part the RMB from the dumbass laowai ....Talk to the local people, find out a good doc (just becuase somebody speaks english does not mean they are a smart\good doc)..Then If you cant make the words :), have them help you.
I agree with the comment above ...for dental work head to thailand ..recover on the beach and get out of the hell hole we are living in.
mike
活到老学到老。。。。
Dr. Zhang called my wife this evening and asked her to tell me to remove my review. Dr. Zhang claimed that I told her that I had my own antibiotic and pain medicine which is a bald faced lie. I messaged her last Friday afternoon around 2:30 and she never replied. In my message I asked her,""Where/How do I obtain an antibiotic? The pain is worse today than ever." It was after waiting for more than 3 hours for her reply that never came that I decided to post this review in order to let other foreigners know about my experience. Before I canceled my followup appointment she was quick to reply to all of my messages. In fact, on the day of the appointment she called me twice to make sure that I was going to make it there that day. At no point was I disrespectful to her, nor did I deserve to have her ignore my messages pleading for her to prescribe the appropriate antibiotic and pain medication. There are literally dozens of antibiotics. So it isn't like I would know the exact one I would need for my tooth-not that it is my job to know that anyway. Calling my wife(the person listed as an emergency contact) instead of me about it was completely unprofessional. It is obvious that Dr. Zhang cares a lot more about protecting her reputation than the health of her patient. My wife told me that her dentist in Beijing charged a lot less money and gave her medicine at the office. They never made her languish in pain for over a week wondering what can be done about it because the dentist failed to do their job. I should have listened to my wife in the first place and went to a local dentist she visits often. However, I thought that I would try Dr. Zhang because she claimed that she could speak English and the rates on her website were comparable to most American dentists. It's too bad that the service didn't match the price. I've been to Thailand with my wife on vacation. I had no idea that their dentists were so good, but I will consider it in the future. Thanks!
If you are the dentist of David, what can you do ? First , he had toothache and he wants to remove it . But the tooth is the lower second molar . It is very strong ,only a cavity there . A root canal treatment can make the tooth live a long time . Plus, he lost the first molar for years . Maintain the second molar means a lot. The price to do extraction is much cheaper than root canal treatment .Should the dentist suggest patiend to make a right descion? When he compare thie advantages and shortages between extraction and root canal treatment , I list all the price . Every root cost 1200RMB for treatment . Please attention : This is microscope root canal treamtnet In case my English is not good enough , the assistant wrote on the paper . He did agree then we start . Dear David , please check the receipt , in total, we charge you 4,800RMB , it also include annesthetic and registeration fee , Filling of the cavity .....I had your signature on the copy . It does include 850RMB what you are already paid . Do you have antibiotics ? I asked you before your paid . Otherwise , you should pay 100RMB more for the medicine . My typical Chnese spoken English ? Our price is a little bit expensive ? I don't mind the reader to know it . But : Dr Jane Zhang maybe not good enough , at least she never cheat others !
Joinway Dental Clinic is a leader in China’s dental health industry, providing dental services to people who demand a good quality of life and have a desire for living.
This bad english is what I am talking about...She may be nice, and maybe even a good dentist..I have no idea. I can only read what the 2 people are saying here....
But, If you are going say you speak english and charge more ...Than your english should not suck so bad! Maybe you would not have so many misunderstandings if you could really speak english and not some broken verson of it.
mike
Dr. Zhang,
I have been out of town visiting family over the weekend. Therefore, I am only able to respond to your post as of today. Yesterday afternoon I visited a hospital in Hebei where I received excellent care at a very reasonable price. During my visit to the hospital in Hebei the doctor informed me that a root canal was not needed because the tooth was too far gone to save. He prscribed a strong antibiotic that appears to be working while I wait to have it pulled in a few days. I will post copies of every recieipt here asap.
Let's first examine your reply where you said,"Dear David , please check the receipt , in total, we charge you 4,800RMB , it also include annesthetic and registeration fee , Filling of the cavity .....I had your signature on the copy . It does include 850RMB what you are already paid ." This is not true. As readers here may see from the bill which I will share a link on Google Documents it states(use a VPN if you're not already):
Treatment Procedures RMB 120/time 1 time RMB 120
Anesthesia RMB 200/time 1 time RMB200
37Root Canal Treatment RMB 1200/time 3times RMB 3600
37Teeth Filling RMB 880 1/time 1time RMB 880
Total RMB 4800
Below the "Summary of Procedures" in your assistant's handwriting it states that "RMB 850 was paid on 11月23日". Now, anyone with basic math skills or a calculator can see that the 850 is not included in the 4800 price as you claim. Furthermore, you claim that you asked "Do you have antibiotics ? I asked you before your paid ." This is also not true. Why would I send you multiple text messages asking for antibiotics if I already had them? It appears that you are claiming that I am lying to which I am greatly offended. I believe in being truthful at all times and when someone attempts to make claims to the contrary I can only respond, as I am doing now, by posting every correspondance with you for the readers to judge for themselves. Had you provided a service from which I actually benefited I would have been more than happy to share with everyone here a positive review. However, you have left me with the options of either staying silent while more foreigners are left feeling cheated or to post an honest review regarding your service. Remember, Dr. Zhang, that the truth will set you free. Calling and texting my wife half a dozen times asking me to remove my posts instead of addressing the issue with me directly is among the reasons why I made the decision to write about my experience here. I believe that you have one of two options available: either provide quality healthcare at a reasonable price for ALL of your patients or resign from dentistry. As you may know, I can speak Chinese and was able to communicate with you over the phone in both Chinese and English. I chose you because, in spite of having a degree in Mandarin, I have not(yet) learned technical terms related to the field of dentistry. I gain nothing from lying here whereas you have everything to gain from it. I will provide everyone with screenhots of the text messages in a future post. Sharing images here is not easy because it appears that the function is broken.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OfBb-aY6gw3VvSNAnNgpdneDLHlkftB-D_ZPS9Gw840/edit?usp=sharing
"shut up. "
You first.
The damage control by Dr. Zhang, et al is palpable. How about just prescribing the appropriate pain medicine and antibiotic from the start? The price wasn't what prompted me to post this. Failing to do her job and then lying online while harassing my wife is. It should be clear to anyone that you are associated with Dr. Zhang. As evidenced by your poor English skills that are all commonly made mistakes by Chinese people when speaking English. All of this could have been settled already simply by prescribing some medicine for the infection and pain. The hospital I visited in Hebei a few weeks later did exactly that and more for a very small fraction of what Dr. Zhang charged.
Perhaps you should learn how to speak English yourself, before judging others! If Jane's English isn't up to your standards, then surely you or other patients complaining about her English comprehension, have the oppurtunity to go else where.. Quite simple really, isnt it!!