In my first year a wisdom teeth review meant for another Dr. Bennett hit my page
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 Google review described a wisdom teeth removal that went badly. It claimed the patient developed dry socket and could not reach the office for help. The dentist named was a Dr. Bennett, which matched my name. But the surgical office described was across the state from mine. Another Dr. Bennett performs oral surgery in that region. The reviewer had chosen my listing by mistake during a name search. My general practice does not even perform surgical wisdom teeth extractions.
As a first-year general dentist, I refer surgical wisdom teeth cases to oral surgeons. The procedure and the dry-socket complication described were never handled in my office. The surgical practice in the review belongs to a different Dr. Bennett entirely. I could not publicly point out the error, because saying the patient was not mine is a protected disclosure. HIPAA does not soften for a brand-new dentist caught in a name mix-up. Confirming a non-relationship is treated exactly like confirming one. The correction I most needed to make was the one I could not.
With few reviews to my name, this misplaced one carried disproportionate weight. Prospective patients had little else to judge me by. A few callers referenced the wisdom teeth story before choosing another office. The anxiety of a coincidental review defining my young practice was overwhelming. It pushed me toward burnout in a year already full of pressure. My small team worried about the patients we were quietly losing. Beginning a career under someone else's bad review is a disheartening experience.
I reported the review to Google, explaining the shared name and the out-of-region office. The first report was rejected as not violating policy. I provided the other Dr. Bennett's details and the surgical mismatch. Google removed the review from my profile after a second attempt. I consulted an attorney to be certain I had no safe public recourse. She confirmed that clarifying the mix-up risked a HIPAA violation. I leaned on the reporting process and tried to be patient.