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Off Probation, Ocala Dentist Gets In Trouble Again

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
The Florida Channel
Ben Spivey

Dr. Ben Mac-Ryan Spivey, an Ocala dentist who was suspended and heavily fined in 2012 based on complaints from at least 10 patients, completed his probation only to find himself in trouble again.

The Department of Health has filed administrative actions against Spivey  for poor treatment of two patients, saying he pulled out most of their teeth when that wasn’t necessary and delegated to an assistant important tasks he should have performed himself.

The patients were referred to only by initials, but one of them, Willett “Renee” Bryant, notified Health News Florida of the pending actions because ofits coverage of Spivey's troubles in 2012.

“That’s all he knows, is to pull teeth,” Bryant said.

She went to Spivey because he was the only dentist she could find who would see her right away when she had a toothache. After many trips to his office, she said, she was left in great pain and $30,000 in debt.

In the cases that went to the Board of Dentistry in 2012, some patients said they paid Spivey a lot of money for work he never performed. In other cases, he was accused of substandard work and sloppy record-keeping.

Spivey is listed as practicing at Cala Hills Dental Clinic in Ocala. More details about the pending cases can be found in the Ocala Star Banner

Carol Gentry, founder and special correspondent of Health News Florida, has four decades of experience covering health finance and policy, with an emphasis on consumer education and protection.