Woodbury dental practice’s sudden closure shocks patients who compensated up front for implants

WOODBURY, Minn. — A Woodbury dental office is shut, leaving individuals unsure of their future ways.

Meg Omlie has been a happy shopper of Woodbury Dental Arts because August of last year.

“They were essentially heading to purchase my last established of tooth, my uppers, and so the method is nearly completed,” Omlie reported.

She was super thrilled to wake up Tuesday to an automatic contact from the dental office.

“I drove from St. Paul to Woodbury and then there were being other people today waiting around, and then someone claimed, ‘Yep, they shut down and deserted the sufferers,'” Omlie stated.

She joined about 6 other shoppers in the parking large amount, all in many phases of their dental implant journey.

Off camera, we spoke with a different affected individual there to get her remaining implants put in, and yet another who just had all his teeth pulled previous Friday  

“Stunned, heartbroken, felt sick, it just was totally out of nowhere,” Omlie reported.

The group is now doing work jointly to come across answers as to why their dental office environment is shut. 

“I talked to anyone past week building this appointment and they gave no sign that there was nearly anything improper,” she stated.

Omlie and other individuals explain to WCCO they had to shell out upfront to get their dental implants.

“They involve payment in advance of about $30,000,” she reported. “I want responses, I want, you know, my remedy concluded.”

In the meantime, clients continue to get robo calls, reminding them of appointments.

“I was supposed to have a session at 2 o’clock, and then I took place to glance on the net and I noticed that they were being closed and that there was now a information report on it,” Destiny Peck, a possible client, said.

Peck arrived to see for herself. She feels lucky she did not drop any revenue.  

Clinic workforce also blindsided

Two Woodbury Dental Arts personnel say they way too are sensation remaining in the dim.

“We had no clue,” said one particular staff.

They want their sufferers to know they way too were shocked when the dental place of work shut.

“We treatment about what is likely to occur to them. We did not know possibly,” reported yet another staff.

The girls, who desired their identities shielded mainly because equally are actively browsing for get the job done, say they figured out of the closing on Friday morning.

“We occurred to be in the workplace executing surgical treatment that early morning and obtained that message in the middle of surgical treatment,” claimed an worker.

The gals claim they haven’t been paid out in weeks.

“3 months with no fork out,” explained an worker.

Their significant concern is their people, all in different stages of their dental implant journey.

“We have worked with them for a prolonged time. We get truly near to them,” explained an worker.  

These employees say clients have no accessibility to their information or the revenue they paid out upfront for implants.

“I want justice for our clients,” explained an worker. “Be held accountable, get care of your patients or locate a way to have your clients taken care of.”

The females say they’ve been informed there is no way for them to get paid for the time they presently worked.

What we know about Dr. Marko Kamel

Dr. Marko Kamel’s license was briefly suspended previous May well for “incompetence.” 

He was allowed to go back again to operate in June, but according to a Minnesota Board of Dentistry purchase, when he didn’t comply with the state law and rules, his license was temporarily suspended once again in November for the exact same matter. 

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WCCO contacted Kamel’s attorney and got no reaction. Our crew even went by his household and no 1 was there.

Kamel’s patients have filed a report with the Minnesota Lawyer General’s Workplace. They explain to WCCO it could be quite a few months of investigation before they could understand anything at all.