Anne Arundel dentists work to clean up mess
Former practice left clients without teeth, implants
“We wanted to put a dent in some of the bad that was done and restore some faith in dentistry.” Dr. Clifford Walzer, Severna Park dentist
Sherry Miles returned to Severna Park Dentistry for two years with continuous problems after paying $12,000 upfront to get dental implants. “(Neil Woods) pulled allmy top teeth and placed four implants in and temporary teeth in, but they kept falling out,” Miles said. “After that, Iwas there every month for the next two years, getting implants and X-rays over and over.”
Miles, wholives in Stevensville, could only eat mushy foods and ended up losing 10 pounds during that time.
She remembers hoards of people in and out of the office and said it felt like theywere cattle.
But now, Miles’ self-confidence is boosted as she’s only eight weeks away from finally having her teeth fixed. A group of Anne Arundel County dentists has stepped in to help her and others after Woods’ practice closed, and patients claimed he left them with unfinished work or implants that had to be redone. Woods was unable to be reached for this article.
Local dentists Dr. Brian Valle, Dr. Clifford Walzer and Tony Prestipino are performing $200,000 worth of dental work pro bono for five of his practice’s former patients. They selected those that had no teeth or had implants that were breaking.
“We are removing all the shabby work he has done and starting completely over,” Walzer said. “Helping people is what we are here for. This is rewarding and makes us feel good.”
Walzer, the oral surgeon, did the surgeries and placed the implants; Valle, the restorative dentist, created the teeth that screw into the implants; Prestipino is the owner of Artifex Dental Lab, which made the impressions of the teeth for dentures. And Zimmer Biomet Dental donated implants and components used in the first of several pro bono cases.
“We are proud to be giving back and restoring smiles to individuals in the greater Annapolis community,” Zimmer Biomet said in a statement.
When Valle graduated dental school in 1988, Woods hired him as a dental assistant. But Valle was only there for three months before leaving after seeing the “atrocious dentistry he would do to people,” Valle said.
“I learned a great lesson on how to treat patients the right way and not the way Woods did. It’s upsetting that he has been doing this for 40 years,” Valle said.
Valle now has his practice, Dr. Brian Valle P.A. Functional and Cosmetic Dentistry, located in Millersville.
“I looked at them and realized theywere left with no teeth and spent a lot of money,” Valle said. “I felt that person who stole them of their health is just horrible, and I wanted to let them know all dentists don’t act thisway.”
Walzer said he was upset when he read about Woods in The Capital’s article detailing the office’s closure in January.
“We wanted to put a dent in some of the bad thatwas done and restore some faith in dentistry,” Walzer said.
Woods had asked patients to pay the full amount for procedures, ranging from $3,000 to $30,000, upfront. Walzer called that “very unusual and rare.” At Walzer’s Oral Surgery Specialist Dentistry, they ask for a deposit before the surgery and then the rest of the payment after it is complete.
“I didn’t know it wasn’t a practice to take that kind of money upfront; I never had major surgery in my whole life,” Miles said.
Miles said she had seen a commercial that Woods would do an initial analysis for $1 and so made an appointment with him on Jan. 10, 2018. Woods had a special for $18,000 that would get patients implants for a top or bottom row of teeth, she said. About a week later, Miles gave Woods $12,000 cash but didn’t start procedures until April or May that year.
Her last appointment was Dec. 24, 2019, and Woods glued her implants to the top of her mouth to get her through Christmas. She was unable to talk or chew properly, Miles said. Then in January 2020, Woods closed his office due to health concerns.
Woods surrendered his dental license in February after claims his office provided poor dental care to patients who paid and pre-paid for thousand of dollars of care.
Woods has two open lawsuits against him from 2020 claiming medical malpractice and one contract-large claim against him, which was settled, and he has to pay $20,000 to the patient. A 2019 lawsuit claiming medical malpractice and seeking $30,000 brought by Sherry Howard was dismissed.
Both former patients with open lawsuits claim Woods breached the standard of care by failing to provide adequate or proper treatment plans, take adequate medical records, and provide proper dental implants that could adequately support a denture.
In May, Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced that his Consumer Protection Division obtained a court order requiring Dr. Neil R. Woods, D.D.S., and his corporation to protect and provide his former patients access to their dental records.
“Health care providers are obligated under Maryland law to preserve, secure, and allow patients access to their personal medical records,” Frosh said in a statement. “This is especially important when the provider’s office closes unexpectedly and abruptly.”
Valle hopes other dentists will step in and help some of the patients because they can “only do so much.”
“I donated my services because I was disgusted how they were treated and how this dentist made them disabled and took their money,” Valle said. “I didn’t have the heart to charge them again.”
People affected by Woods should visit the Health Education and Advocacy Unit of the Consumer Protection Division website.
Raquel Coombs, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s Office, said in a statement: “Consumers who paid for services that were not performed, including consumers who obtained bank-issued financing for services, should continue to file complaints with our office.”