Fraud Involving Low-Cost Dental Prosthetics from Poland – A Case for Kurtz Detective Agency Frankfurt

Germany is well supplied with dentists, with only a few countries offering better coverage. Hesse in particular is more than adequately served, with around 83 dentists per 100,000 inhabitants. This naturally means that competition is fierce in the home region of the private investigators of Kurtz Detective Agency Frankfurt. This is something Dr Henning Wolf experiences time and again. He recently approached Kurtz Private Detective Agency Frankfurt to ask for assistance. Three years ago, the Frankfurt dentist opened a group practice in the Ostend district together with a former fellow student and has since been suffering from intense competitive pressure, particularly caused by aggressive discounting in the field of dental prosthetics, as Wolf explains.

 

“I have ongoing costs and loans to repay for my studies and the practice, so I simply cannot keep up.” He stresses that this is not about paying off a proverbial Porsche or buying a villa with a swimming pool: “The clichés of the wealthy dentist are, of course, widely known and often not entirely unfounded, but in reality there is fierce competition among dentists, just like in any other sector.” His aim is not to become rich quickly, but to remain competitive within the framework of fair and transparent competition. However, he increasingly has the feeling that honesty and fairness are sometimes lacking, and he wants to be certain. This is why Wolf decides to enlist the help of our private investigators in Frankfurt.

One particular colleague has come under closer scrutiny. This dentist opened a practice in Frankfurt shortly after Dr Wolf, operating alone rather than in a group practice, yet already boasts a more than respectable patient base and apparently above-average economic success. Wolf himself has noticed the occasional patient drifting away. “Of course I’m jealous,” Wolf admits candidly to the detectives of Kurtz Detective Agency Frankfurt, “and if he’s simply a brilliant dentist, then good luck to him – but I don’t want any dodgy dealings at the expense of colleagues and, above all, patients.” Ultimately, it was not mere envy that prompted him to contact our private investigators in Frankfurt, but tangible indications whose validity he wanted Kurtz Detective Agency Frankfurt to examine.

 

According to Wolf, online reviews and first-hand reports suggest that the colleague in question has few outstanding qualities to justify such immense success. His manual skills do not appear to be exceptional, nor does his manner with patients. Yet everyone seems to agree on one point: in some respects, he is unbeatable on price. “Word spreads quickly,” Dr Wolf explains. “Money doesn’t go as far as it used to. Particularly when it comes to dental prosthetics, bridges and crowns, costs can quickly run into several thousand euros – and people are often happy to choose the cheapest option without asking too many questions.” In Frankfurt dental circles, rumours suggest that something is not quite right with this colleague. Although Wolf himself does not like to rely on gossip, he wants to know for sure. For years, it has been common practice to have dental prosthetics manufactured abroad, since a simple crown that costs at least 200 euros in Germany can be 70 to 80 per cent cheaper in Eastern Europe or even the Far East. However, this must be explicitly requested by the patient, the production process must be transparent, and the savings must directly benefit the patient. The dilemma is obvious: German-made dental prosthetics are indisputably world-leading in terms of quality and durability, which is why many patients harbour reservations about foreign products. At the same time, this quality is naturally reflected in the price. As our private investigators from Kurtz Detective Agency Frankfurt soon discover, the suspicious colleague appears to exploit precisely this gap. Blessed with a natural dentist allergy, one of our private investigators from Frankfurt nevertheless sees a good opportunity to gather the background information required by our client and makes a long-overdue dental appointment.

 

This initially proves to be anything but easy, as Dr Teichmann’s waiting list is, as expected, long. However, our Frankfurt investigator succeeds in conveying a sense of urgency (naturally blamed on toothache), and a timely appointment is indeed arranged – not entirely to the detective’s delight. “I would have preferred to take on a gang of fifteen thugs, but you do what you must for the client,” he later remarks with a grin. A crown is indeed urgently required, but what the dentist does not realise is that this is not the real purpose of the visit. The initial impression confirms what had already been suspected. The dentist, while not unskilled, is certainly not outstanding, and his manner with patients is hardly his greatest strength; he appears unsympathetic and rushed. When it comes to the crucial point, the suspicion fully crystallises. Our Frankfurt detective suggests that he will probably have to bite the bullet, but given the estimated cost, he can only afford very little and asks whether something could be done as cheaply as possible. Under certain circumstances, a discount of 30, perhaps even 40 per cent might be possible, the target person replies, though he would have to check. Our investigator seizes the opportunity and explicitly asks whether it would be possible to use dental prosthetics from abroad. This is immediately dismissed. No, they do not do that at all; they only want the best quality for their patients and work exclusively with a dental laboratory based in Germany. When asked which laboratory that is and where it is located, the dentist becomes somewhat evasive, but then produces a small brochure, which he hands to the private investigator from Frankfurt. Everything can be found there: only the finest, impeccably crafted products from Germany. The investigator from Kurtz Detective Agency Frankfurt thanks him politely and takes his leave, saying he will think the matter over carefully.

That is precisely what our private investigators in Frankfurt then do – though not in the way the dentist might expect. Using the brochure, one thing quickly becomes clear. The dental laboratory described does indeed exist in Germany, and its impeccable website confirms this. However, the investigators from Kurtz Detective Agency Frankfurt soon grow suspicious. The laboratory is supposedly located in Ludwigsdorf, a small village belonging to Görlitz, just over an hour’s drive from Dresden. The client is immediately informed of this finding and sees his suspicion confirmed. A discount of 30 to 40 per cent would be impossible with German production; anything over 20 per cent would be dubious. Görlitz is, as is well known, located directly on the German-Polish border, and Dr Wolf readily agrees with the suggestion that our investigators should take a closer look at the dental laboratory.

 

The very next morning, colleagues from Kurtz Detective Agency Dresden set off for Ludwigsdorf and reach their destination in under an hour. As it turns out, it is a very charming little village with fewer than 800 inhabitants – and with almost absolute certainty not the site of a dental laboratory. The address listed on the website turns out to be an inconspicuous rental property. Nevertheless, the name of the laboratory appears on the letterbox and doorbell. No one seems to be present, so the detectives from Kurtz Detective Agency Dresden decide to keep an eye on the property for a few hours, in the hope that the mystery might resolve itself. And indeed, shortly afterwards, in the early afternoon, a rather unremarkable VW estate car pulls up and stops in front of the house. However, its Polish number plate immediately attracts the attention of the Dresden detectives. The driver gets out and enters the building, only to return to the car a few minutes later with a stack of envelopes under his arm before driving off again. The idea of questioning the driver about the listed dental laboratory is immediately abandoned. Instead, our private investigators pick up the trail and follow the vehicle. The suspicion is confirmed. The journey leads back to Dresden and then on via Leipzig to Frankfurt am Main, where the car visits various dental practices, remaining at each for around half an hour. When the fourth practice in Frankfurt turns out to be that of the target person, our detectives have seen enough. It is obvious that the seemingly low-cost dental prosthetics are indeed not being handled above board. The client of Kurtz Detective Agency Frankfurt is informed of this on site.

It is now certain that the target person and at least three other dentists in Dresden, Leipzig and Frankfurt have in fact had their inlays, crowns and bridges produced cheaply in Poland, while billing health insurers and patients at the higher rates applicable to German-made dental prosthetics. The client of our Frankfurt detectives will not only soon be able to look forward to more patients, but can already take satisfaction in the knowledge that it was not envy or resentment, but the right instinct that led him to commission Kurtz Detective Agency Frankfurt with these investigations

To protect the discretion and personal rights of clients and target persons, all names and locations in this case report have been altered beyond recognition.

 

Author: Gerrit Koehler

 

Kurtz Detective Agency Frankfurt

c/o AT Büro Center

Mainzer Landstraße 341

60326 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Tel.: +49 69 1201 8431

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-frankfurt.de

Web: https://www.kurtz-detektei-frankfurt.de/en

Google: https://g.page/kurtz-detektei-frankfurt

Image Credits

1. SunnyView Dental Georgetown operatory_1, author SunnyView Dental:  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
2. Pic 3, author NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
3. Metal Ceramic Fixed Bridge Prosthesis, author Partha S. Sahana: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/