Western Dental has been sued repeatedly over the last three decades for dental malpractice, aggressive debt collection, unlawful fees, unsolicited marketing texts, and billing fraud, with outcomes ranging from a $7,500 regulatory fine to a $9.7 million class action settlement. State regulators once called the chain a “cost-efficient, mass-production, low-quality dental mill,”1Los Angeles Times. State Sues Western Dental Services and the company, now operating under parent Sonrava Health, continues to face enforcement actions, with a federal fraud settlement announced in June 2025.
Malpractice Claims by Patients
Attorney Ed Zinman, who holds both dental and law degrees, said as of 2010 that he had sued Western Dental more than 65 times over roughly 15 years.2DrBicuspid. Western Dental Hit With Lawsuits The allegations across those cases ran along a consistent line: nerve injuries from extractions, removal of teeth that could have been saved, perforated sinuses, and poorly fitting dentures.3ABC7 News. Western Dental Patients Report Lifetime Injuries
Two reported settlements illustrate the pattern. Unieve Wilson said a Western Dental dentist severed a nerve during a wisdom tooth extraction, leaving her with permanent loss of sensation on the right side of her face. The company settled for $120,000 without admitting fault.2DrBicuspid. Western Dental Hit With Lawsuits Patient Cindy Moe alleged she was told to have healthy teeth extracted; that case settled for $85,000, also with no admission of fault.3ABC7 News. Western Dental Patients Report Lifetime Injuries
Western Dental has consistently defended its care. Chief Dental Director Louis Amendola said in the Wilson matter that the patient had signed a consent form acknowledging the possibility of nerve complications. In cases alleging unnecessary extractions, the company has said the procedures were needed because patients had aggressive periodontitis.2DrBicuspid. Western Dental Hit With Lawsuits
One boundary matters for anyone thinking about filing a claim. Western Dental’s intake paperwork includes a binding arbitration agreement that sends malpractice disputes to arbitration instead of a jury, and waives the right to join class actions. Patients who want out must deliver written notice to the general counsel within 30 days of signing.4Western Dental. California Patient Package
The 1997 California Enforcement Action
The most serious regulatory case against Western Dental came in April 1997, when the California Department of Corporations sued to place the company into receivership and sought a $3 million fine, described at the time as the largest ever sought by the state against an HMO. State surveys dating back to 1988 had repeatedly flagged dental work performed without justification, excessive treatment crammed into single visits, missing periodontal records, and inadequate quality controls.1Los Angeles Times. State Sues Western Dental Services
The complaint pointed to specific patients, including a 64-year-old diabetic who had 23 teeth extracted in a single visit without physician clearance, and another patient who the state said suffered permanent nerve damage, pain, and hearing loss from an incompetent extraction and untreated sinus infection. A former Western Dental dentist, Hossain Dezham, alleged in the case that the company pressured employees to meet monthly billing quotas and paid bonuses tied to “gross production,” tracked through an internal document called the “Club 2000 Report.”1Los Angeles Times. State Sues Western Dental Services
The Department of Corporations ultimately fined Western Dental $1.2 million, which ABC7 described as the largest single enforcement action the agency had taken to that point.3ABC7 News. Western Dental Patients Report Lifetime Injuries The public record does not show whether the receivership bid was dropped or whether the $3 million demand was reduced through settlement.
The 1997 FBI Overbilling Raid
Weeks after the state filed its lawsuit, on June 7, 1997, the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspectors raided two Western Dental clinics in the Sacramento area, seizing medical records under a court order. Investigators said they were examining allegations of widespread overbilling across the company’s California clinics. No charges were filed at the time, and available records do not show whether the federal investigation resulted in any later charges or resolution.5Los Angeles Times. FBI Raids Western Dental Clinics
Debt Collection Harassment Suits
More than a dozen individual lawsuits filed in California state and federal courts between 2017 and 2020 accused Western Dental of placing excessive automated calls to patients and continuing after being told to stop. One consumer alleged receiving over 400 automated calls to a cell phone despite requests to stop. Another said the calls came two to four times a day for over a year. A third said 13 cease-contact requests sent through an attorney went ignored. One suit alleged Western Dental placed calls in Japanese and Spanish to a consumer who spoke neither language. The cases were filed in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Northern and Eastern California federal courts.6Consumer Action. Western Dental Services, Inc. Late Fees
Class Action Settlements
Unsolicited Texts: $9.7 Million
Western Dental and messaging vendor RevSpring agreed to pay $9.7 million to resolve a class action alleging they violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by sending telemarketing texts to consumers who had opted out by texting “stop.” The case, Rachel Bulette v. Western Dental, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, with a final hearing on July 17, 2020. Eligible class members began receiving checks of $251.66 in October 2020, covering texts received between February 2015 and March 2020.7Top Class Actions. Western Dental Unsolicited Texts Class Action Settlement
Unlawful Late Fees
A separate class action alleged that late payment charges in Western Dental’s installment contracts amounted to unlawful contractual penalties under California law. The settlement covered consumers who paid late fees on installment contracts between February 2014 and May 2019. The claim deadline was March 2021, and the settlement amount was not publicly disclosed in available records.6Consumer Action. Western Dental Services, Inc. Late Fees
Employee Wage Case
On the employment side, Tatla, et al. v. Western Dental Services, Inc., filed in Orange County Superior Court in 2013, alleged the company treated dental professionals as “day laborers,” paying them only for days when they worked a full shift and failing to reimburse mileage for travel outside their home offices. The plaintiffs sought to represent all California dental professionals employed by Western Dental since October 2009. The case is listed as resolved, with settlement terms not made public.8Dardarian, Ho, Kan & Lee. Tatla, et al. v. Western Dental Services, Inc.
Later Regulatory Fines and the 2025 Fraud Settlement
In 2007, the California Department of Managed Health Care fined Western Dental $7,500 for failing to reimburse at least 95% of complete claims with correct payment and for failing to pay interest on late claims.9California DMHC. Enforcement Action – Western Dental Services, Inc. The department later fined the company $40,000, around 2009 or 2010, for failing to reimburse credits on patient accounts, failing to address phone complaints, and failing to advise pregnant women regarding oral hygiene.3ABC7 News. Western Dental Patients Report Lifetime Injuries
In June 2025, parent company Sonrava Health and several subsidiaries agreed to pay $540,000 to the United States and the State of New Jersey to resolve allegations that they fraudulently billed Medicare Part D and the New Jersey Medicaid program. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the companies submitted claims for dental services performed by providers who lacked the required credentials, and in some cases billed under the identifiers of credentialed dentists who had not actually performed the work. The alleged conduct ran from January 2021 through July 2023. The settlement included no admission of liability and was announced as part of the Department of Justice’s National Healthcare Fraud Takedown.10Becker’s Dental Review. Sonrava Health to Pay $540K to Settle Fraud Allegations
Who Owns Western Dental Now
Western Dental & Orthodontics operates as a dental support organization under Sonrava Health, a name adopted in 2022 for the parent company previously known as Western Dental Services. Sonrava is a portfolio company of private equity firm New Mountain Capital and also oversees Brident Dental & Orthodontics and several other brands.11Sonrava Health. Sonrava Health Unveiled as New Name for Parent Company Recent legal actions, including the 2025 Medicare and Medicaid fraud settlement, have named Sonrava rather than Western Dental directly.