A furious review about a midnight toothache was posted to the wrong emergency dentist
This account was submitted by a healthcare provider and de-identified before publication. Details that could identify a patient or practice have been removed, and it is shared with the provider’s consent.
A one-star Yelp review described a desperate midnight call about an emergency toothache. It claimed the dentist never called back and left the patient in agony until morning. The office named offered a 24-hour emergency line, which my practice does not advertise. The dentist's name in the review was close to mine but not identical. Another emergency dental office in the borough matches the description. The reviewer had clearly meant to post about that practice. The after-hours details did not fit my office at all.
My practice does not operate a 24-hour emergency line, a detail the review made central. The frantic midnight call described did not come to my office. This was a mix-up between two similarly named emergency-focused practices. I could not reply publicly that the caller was not my patient, because that denial is itself protected under HIPAA. The reviewer's confusion did not grant me any exception to the rule. Even the simple act of redirecting them would have implied knowledge of who my patients are. I was left to watch an error I could not touch.
Emergency patients often choose an office in a panic, guided by whatever reviews they see first. This review made me look like a dentist who abandons people in pain. My emergency bookings, an important part of my revenue, dipped noticeably. A patient later told me she had almost skipped my office because of it. The anxiety of being cast as neglectful during an emergency was hard to shake. My staff, who take pride in responsiveness, were frustrated by the mischaracterization. The lost revenue was real, but the reputational sting was worse.
I reported the review to Yelp and explained that my office has no 24-hour line. Yelp responded that the review reflected a genuine experience. I appealed with the other practice's details and the after-hours discrepancy. The review was eventually hidden by Yelp's filter, though not truly removed. An attorney confirmed I could not safely post a public correction. He advised working the reporting system and documenting everything. I did exactly that, and slowly the review lost its prominence.