A Singaporean woman has raised concerns over alleged overcharging after a routine dental cleaning appointment resulted in a bill of more than S$900.
The woman, who gave her name as Shannon, visited the Q&M Dental Surgery outlet at Jurong Point on Dec. 22 for scaling and polishing. At the counter, she was told her total bill was S$903.61 and that she would need to pay over S$200 in cash as the amount exceeded her company’s dental insurance limit of about S$600.
Shocked by the sum, Shannon asked to review the charges. She said the invoice listed procedures that were not carried out during the 30-minute visit, including multiple fillings and a root canal cap.
She refused to pay and was brought back to speak with the dentist. According to Shannon, the dentist apologised and said she had assumed Shannon’s insurance coverage was unlimited, and agreed to amend the bill.
The revised bill was reduced to S$660.54, more than S$300 lower than the original. However, Shannon said the amended invoice still included procedures she neither consented to nor received.
She maintained that the only services performed were a consultation, scaling and polishing, fluoride treatment and two X-rays, which she said would have totalled S$239.80. She added that the dentist had told her the X-rays showed no tooth decay.
“I came in and out of the dentist room in 30 minutes,” Shannon said, adding that she was “deeply concerned” about being charged for treatments not rendered.
She said the issue went beyond cost, alleging misuse of her company’s dental benefits and a breach of professional ethics.
When she asked for a copy of the original S$903.61 bill, Shannon said staff told her it had already been discarded. She later reviewed an invoice from a previous visit in August, which had been fully covered by her insurance, and noticed she had been billed more than S$500 for what she said was also a simple scaling and polishing session.
Shannon said that when she raised the issue with a clinic staff member, she was told to “complain the doctor”.
She has since lodged reports with Q&M, the Singapore Dental Council and the Singapore Police Force.
In an email to Shannon, Q&M apologised for her experience and said the matter would be investigated. She said no outcome has been shared with her so far.
A Q&M spokesperson confirmed that the clinic is conducting an internal review and will follow up with the patient, but declined to provide further details due to patient confidentiality. The Singapore Police Force confirmed it has received a report.