Western Dental Fine Won’t Help Patients

After 10 years of problems with Western Dental Services (“Western Dental Fined $1.7 Million to Settle Charges,” July 1), the Department of Corporations has taken action against them.

Western Dental has over 100 offices. The fine worked out to approximately $32 per week for each office--less than the cost of one filling per week.

If this is the way consumers are protected by the Department of Corporations, perhaps we should be looking at alternative methods.

The questions to ask are: What funds will become available to the patients harmed for corrective treatment? Will those patients be informed? Will they have the treatment corrected?

Looking at how the fine was allocated, it seems there won’t be funds to provide corrective services for patients that were harmed. Once again, the people that needed to be protected by government regulation are left out in the cold.

BARRY LEVY, D.D.S.

Redondo Beach