Aspen Dental
Reviews and Complaints

Do you know that Aspen dental is a member of the Better Business Bureau and will remain so unless people file complaints?
visit www.bbb.org/us

I’m sorry to hear that you weren’t satisfied with your recent experience. Aspen Dental doctors are focused on providing comprehensive care, which means that they not only want to address any immediate problems that may cause pain or discomfort in the short-term, but also recommend dental treatment for long-lasting good health.

Would you be willing to talk in greater detail to the Patient Satisfaction team to see whether they can help address your specific concerns? This team of specialists is trained to help resolve these types of issues. They can be reached at [protected] or patientservices@aspendent.com.

This letter is in regards to my recent visit at Aspen dental, McKinley Parkway Blasdell, N.Y. 14219. At my first visit to aspen dental I had made the appointment for a routine cleaning. When I arrived I was asked to fill out paperwork and have a seat and wait to be called. I waited at least 15 minutes to be called. I was finally called; they took me in back to get x-rays. They had to have taken 25 x-rays which I though would be good considering that I hadn’t been to the dentist in a while. After my x-rays were taken, I was told to have a seat in the waiting room again and they would call me back to see the dentist. Once again it had to have at least been 15 minutes before they called me back. I went back to have a seat in the dental chair, the dentist came in and informed of what she thought I should have done. I was unsure about the healthiness of my teeth and wasn’t sure if I would need dentures. She rudely told me that dentures were out of the question. My teeth were too healthy for that. As I was waiting for the dentist I looked around and saw the filth around me, there was a film of something on the floor in all the corners and there were crumbs and all kinds of nastiness all around the chair I was sitting in. I could have done without the rudeness. After that I was swept away to the office managers office where I had to discuss payment options and pricing with him. He informed me of what the cost of what I needed done. The prices were way too high compared to any charges that I saw on in the booklet that I was given by our Gaurdian rep so I questioned him. He told me the prices were correct and that would be what I would have to pay if I wanted the work done. I left the office at least 2 hours later and had no cleaning done. The first visit is a consultation; I had to reschedule an appointment to have my teeth cleaned. I was very upset when I left. The office manager made me feel like I was poor and had no means to pay for the work I needed. I was also disgusted by the overall cleanliness of the place. It was very poor. I decided I would not go back there. After I got home and thought about it I decided to call Gaurdian and ask if the charges were correct. When I spoke with the rep, we soon found out that the prices were not correct and I faxed over a copy of my estimate. I didn’t hear anything for a long time, at least a month or maybe 2. I then received a letter stating that they needed more info. I was so aggravated by then I did nothing and figured I would pay full price somewhere else just to have piece of mind.

Then at the end of January my partial broke and I needed a new one asap as the break was in the front and could be seen when I smiled. I called all around before I actually called Aspen because of the poor service I received the first time I was there. However, they were the only ones in the area that could fix my partial while I waited so I decided I would give them another chance. Well, I was wrong. When I got there it was the same thing, had to fill out paperwork, then wait to be called. Waited around 15 minutes before I was called, the girl wanted to take more x-rays. I had just had 25 taken at the end of October, so I declined. She then took me to the dental chair and took my partial. She came back after a short while and informed me the partial could be temporarily fixed but I would have to order a new one. I thought that might be the case because my old one was very old. So I had to talk with the office manager again. But before I talked to him I had to have another seat in the waiting room to be called. He came and got me probably 15 minutes later. He informed me of the pricing again and I told him that I called the ins. Co the last time and that he may have put in the wrong codes because the price quotes were too high. He got very nasty at that point and stated that the prices were correct and that was what I would have to pay if I wanted them to fix my mouth. I then asked him if he could call the ins co. to straiten out this misunderstanding in which he said yes. But he wasn’t going to call, he would have the receptionist call. Well, he left the room for maybe 2 minutes, came back in and said that she had called and the prices were confirmed. They were correct. I had no other choice but to order my new partial and spend well over $800.00 by the time he was finished. The partial was $756.00 and then I had to add a cleaning and fluoride treatment, by the time he was finished, the total bill was almost $900.00. So then came the point where I had to have my old partial fixed so I had something to wear in between. He was going to charge me $100.00 for that. I declined and said I would wear it like it was until my new one was finished. He then said he could do me a favor and only charge me $29.00 since I ordered my new one. I agreed and they took it away to fix it. Then after that came the discussion about payment. He said I needed to pay for ½ at that time. I said I didn’t have that much money with me at that time and I wanted to pay cash, I didn’t want to charge it. He then tried to get me signed up for care credit and some other form of credit. I declined. I wanted to pay cash. So then he really made me feel poor, like I didn’t have any money and I couldn’t pay the bill. But after a while he agreed that I could bring the deposit back in with me when I had my teeth cleaning at my next visit. Then after that I had to have a seat in the waiting room and wait again. They finally came back out and got me and took me to the dentist chair again. They had to take impressions for my new partial. I waited there forever before they came in. As I was waiting I started to look around and again the dirt, film in the corners, I looked up a little farther towards the top of the molding and there was a splatter mark that looked an awful lot like a blood splatter. Then I looked around more and discovered a huge blood splatter have way up the wall in front of me. I was disgusted. I wanted to leave on the spot but I needed by impression for my new partial so I stayed. They took the impressions and then finally I was finished. They took me out to the reception desk where my next appointment was to be made. I asked then if all appointments take as long as the last two did and she said no, it took so long this time because I had the old partial fixed. (That only took 45 minutes) My appointment was at 3:30pm and I didn’t leave there until 6:05pm. Way too long if you ask me for an appointment to last.
I was so disgusted at the cleanliness of this place that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Not to mention the way I was treated. That office manager has no bedside manner and should not be in the position he is in. He should want to help their clients not make them feel the way they made me feel. The Dr. that I saw that day was very nice and so was the nurse assistant.
This was on Wednesday. I waited until Monday and by then I had gotten a chance to read up on Aspen and I was horrified at some of the stories that are out there. I called immediately and cancelled my partial and my next appointment. I will never go back there or to any other Aspen Dental location. I am not the only one at my work that has had bad experiences with them and just not that office. There are worse Aspen’s out there.

Aspen should be fined or closed. For such a big company, they have no customer service all the way around.

Stephanie,

I am so sorry to hear about your experience. Which office did you visit? Also, I am going to pass this on and make sure someone does follow up with you.

Allie

My first visit to Aspen Dental in Rochester NH was for ex-rays of 6 teeth which for new patience is free. Then a cleaning of 6 teeth which took the girl 10 min. That cost me 126.00. Next visit was to replace a cap that had come loose and was lost. He said he had to drill around my tooth for some reason so he gets out the drill. I asked him if this was going to hurt. He said, "oh I forgot the Novocain". Nice huh, good thing I spoke up. My next visit they were going to put on the new cap (this was at 12:15 pm) and then take a mold of my mouth for a bottom partial plate and take my top denture also for a mold. This is didn't understand anyway. If I am getting a new plate why do they need my old ones that do not fit right. As it turned out they could not do the second half of the appointment (molds) because it was time for lunch and it would take over an hour and they would not be back before 3 pm. Does that mean 2 hours for lunch? Why did they give me an appointment at lunch time when they knew what was going to be done at that appointment. I could start the procedure at 3pm if I wanted but I had other errands to get done. My next appointment they will take my dentures from me and put me in the waiting room, ( so as I do not hold up the dental chair for an hour or so) This is all costing me over $3, 000. What am I going to do for an hour without my teeth.

David, I am very sorry to hear about your and your wife's experience.

I am going to pass on your concerns to the patient satisfaction team and have someone reach out to you. If you would like to contact them directly, they can be reached at [protected] or patientservices@aspendent.com

Thank you,
Allie

you got free exam without a single penny ..still complaining

Brenda, maybe ones where you live at have in house financing but the ones I have gone to do not offer any type of financing and expect payment at the time of service. I have dental insurance and one office called the wrong number, called the health insurance part of the company, and was told I had no insurance. I got a call from the office where they demanded I come down there that afternoon and settle the bill. I told the lady I would call the insurance co and she said that I need to come down there that afternoon and pay it anyway until I 'worked' it out with my insurance co.

Every office I have been to expects payment at the time of services. Some have even made you pay your portion of the insurance before you even see the dentist.

If you don't have dental insurance nor have money to pay for it, it may be the only option. Root canals are mighty pricey.

The first thing you should have done when the dentist told you he wouldn't do anything about the tooth that actually hurt until you got a root canal was to leave and make an appointment with another dentist. BTW, if the pain in question was referred pain coming from the tooth that needed the root canal and you could not afford the root canal, the dentist could have offered to pull the tooth.

I am a student at MSU and have been to Aspen dental, but I take good care of my teeth. So no big problems. But everytime I have been there I have been there I have been treated with respect. Maybe call them and talk about it instead of holding a grudge. If you go there see Dr. Gil. Your opinion might change.

when was the last time your daughter saw a dentist...could be they were making aware of all the problems..Was she referred to Oral surgeon..Not all dentists can take out wisdom teeth. It appears she didnt get any treatment. I know Aspen has free exams. Did she pay anything.
If you dont agree with the TX PLan, seek a second opinion

Katy,

I’m very sorry to hear about yours and your daughter's experience at the Lansing office. Every Aspen Dental practice strives to provide care in a welcome and comfortable environment and I apologize that your experience was anything less.

There is a team of Patient Satisfaction Specialists who would be happy to try to address your specific concerns. This team of specialists is based at the Practice Support Center in Syracuse, NY and can be reached at [protected] or patientservices@aspendent.com.

Again, I apologize for your recent experience.

Allie

Robin,

I'm very sorry to hear about your experience at the Biddeford office. I will reach out to the patient satisfaction team, as well as the office, and have someone get in touch with you.

If you would like to call the patient satisfaction team yourself, you can reach them at [protected]. Or you can e-mail them at patientservices@aspendent.com.

Again, I apologize. Every Aspen Dental office strives to create a welcome and comfortable environment for patients.

-Allie

Ralden,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Aspen Dental doctors are focused on providing comprehensive care, which means that they not only want to address any immediate problems that may cause pain or discomfort in the short-term, but also recommend dental treatment for long-lasting good health.

Although I know you are now seeing your old dentist, please don't hesitate to call the patient satisfaction team here. They can answer any questions you may have about your initial visit and experience. Or, you can send an e-mail to patientservices@aspendent.com

-Allie

All of Allie's fine customer service boilerplate aside, I do feel that this chain, overall, scams patients into unnecessary "deep cleanings." I have very good teeth. One cavity from 20 years ago. Regular cleanings every six months. I went to Aspen Dentail because my current dentist would no longer be able to see me on Saturdays. My visit began with a consultation, because they will not do a regular cleaning without the consultation, which is really because they need the opportunity to impress upon you how much you need their more expensive services.

I was told that I needed to have a deep cleaning/scaling 5mm below my gumline to save a tooth that was deemed a "4" (all the others were 1-2s). I asked if there were steps I could take that were less drastic, before moving on to this procedure. I was told no, and that I was in dire need of immediate treatment. I was then instructed to wait in the waiting room for an office manager who would figure out what my bill was going to be for this cleaning before I could schedule an appointment.

After waiting an hour for the office manager, I decided something just didn't feel right. I left without meeting her or scheduling an appointment. I then want to to see my old dentist, and told him about the experience. He reassured me that this gum area was fine. No deep invasive procedure was necessary. He did say that the pocket was about a 3, but could be easily reduced by regular use of a waterpik.

I went online and saw dozens of complaints about basically the same experience--pressure to have a deep cleaning at great expense, questionable billing practices, etc. I am glad I sidestepped this practice.

I’m very sorry to hear about your frustrations. I will pass on your note to the patient satisfaction team. However, since I do not have your name or the specific office you visited in NH, you may want to call the team directly at [protected].

The patient satisfaction team is trained to help resolve these types of issues. They can also be reached at patientservices@aspendent.com

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help

Thank you,
Allie

Darnell,

I’m very sorry to hear about your recent experience. Every Aspen Dental practice strives to provide patients with high quality denture and dental care service in an atmosphere that is welcoming and respectful, and I apologize for your visit.

I am passing on your concern to the patient satisfaction team and will have someone reach out to you shortly to discuss in more detail.

Thank you,
Allie

I’m very sorry to hear about your recent experience. Would you be willing to talk in greater detail to our Patient Satisfaction group to see whether they can help? This team of specialists is based at our Practice Support Center in Syracuse and is trained to help resolve these types of issues. They can be reached at [protected] or patientservices@aspendent.com.

Thanks,
Allie

Hey Colleen,

Your previous (& probably old dentist) did not have your best interest at heart if your teeth were cleaned without an examination & actual diagnosis. Let me guess, no one even measured your gum depths at your previous dentist either (another sign of inept care). The aspen dentist walked you to the desk to probably increase the level of customer service for you instead of passing you off to some lackey. Wow, you really are ignorant. I bet you probably also think your insurance company is looking out for your best interest as well when they say they will not pay for expensive treatments but only the silver fillings & basic cleanings. Keep following the rest of the herd little lamb.

Colleen,

I’m very sorry to hear about your frustrations. We strive to make the billing and insurance process as smooth as possible. I apologize that this hasn’t been your experience.

Would you be willing to talk in greater detail to our Patient Satisfaction group to see whether they can help? They are a team of specialists based at our Practice Support Center in Syracuse and is trained to help resolve these types of issues.

They can be reached at [protected] or patientservices@aspendent.com.

Thanks,
Allie

Aspen Dental opened an office in Columbus Georgia in September 2013. I am in the process of getting a partial, When they pulled the 2 molar's I was told the partial was 500.00 plus almost 400 for pulling the 2 teeth. I had already paid in full for the teeth that were pulled before they pulled them. After the 2 teeth were pulled I was told the bill was now a 1, 000.00. I said that can't be right, they were going to charge me 500.00 for a temporary ( that I could not have used as the jaw bone was showing ) plus the 500.00 for the partial. I told them no one had mentioned charging me for a temporary that I could not use. The charge for the temporary was removed, then they made it for the next week to make a mold. I called 2 days before to cancel as my mouth was too sore and had to almost argue with the girl to cancel.
. When I did go, the Dentiist told me I need 2 months to heal before the mold is done. I got my visit for June 10 on a card they give you/. Now I am getting letters telling me to make my appt. I called and was told that I am not scheduled for another visit There is also a sharp piece of tooth that was left that has to be removed.. I am getting a a lot of doubts about the place and it is aggravating.

I went to aspen dental 12/08. I had a tooth extracted and was fitted for a temporary partial. One of the clasp had to be cut off because it did not line up with my teeth, one tooth on it had to be cut down it was nothing like my original tooth. After having a cleaning, my permanent bridge fell out.nothing to hold the temp. partial in. I went in and asked them to cut off the existing clasp sitting in my mouth attached to nothing. They had no one to do this. So I went home and removed it myself. Upon getting fitted for a cap it was discovered my tooth that was extracted was not completely removed. They had to remove the rest of the tooth. I did not even get a "sorry about that". I was notified my cap was in, low and behold it didn't fit. I have notified the BBB and will be seeking out a lawyer. Stay away from Aspen Dental.We need to file a class action law suit.

I went to Aspen Dental on Illinois Road in Fort Wayne Indiana on 11/28/08. This was my first visit, I decided to try Aspen Dental because it was close to my home and my other dentist was clear across town. My appointment was for 10:00 am. I filled out my paper work and wait for about 25 minutes. I was going in for a cleaning however was told that i would have to get x-rays first and then come back at a later date for my cleaning. During the x-ray process i was hit with the x-ray machine several times and it was even dropped on my clavicle bone. After the x-rays I was taken to a room and told to wait for the doctor. In the room beside me a lady was throwing up non stop. Why would anyone want to hear that. Her husband was in the room with her and was telling someone on his cell phone that she was very sick due to getting an infection after having a crown done by Aspen Dental. I thought maybe this was a bad choice coming here. I waited and waited, 30 minutes later the office manager came in and told me the doctor would be in shortly. It was now 11:30. I asked her if shortly meant 5 minutes or 30 minutes. She said she wasn't gonna lie to me and it was probably not going to be 5 minutes. She said she knew I was probably upset because I had to listen to the poor women in the room beside me throwing up but they did not have any other rooms to put me in. She asked me if i would like to reschedule. I told her no, and that i would just go to the dentist i have been going to for years. She told me she understood and there would not be any charge. This was the worst experience ever. I have been sure to tell everyone how awful my Aspen Dental experience was and I will continue to tell everyone.

My poor experiences with this company occurred over the course of 2007. I finally was enrolled with dental insurance, so I picked a dentist and went for it. They priced out all my work to be a little over 1500 dollars. And signed me up for care credit without fully explaining that I would be billed by care credit before any work was even done! So that was the first issue. Then finally I began having work done...and the trouble REALLY begins. I went for a routine cavity filling, the guy drills into a tooth i never even felt any pain in, and stops after a minute and says that the cavity is too deep and that I need root canal! WHAT?! So he put a temp filling in it and sent me on my way, it fell out that night and I still have not been able to have it fixed. The next time I went I had extreme pain in a tooth that I know needed to either be pulled or have root canal. I couldn't afford a root canal and asked them to pull it. They refused to pull it and did a pulpotomy to "hold me over". Well, the infection never went away and the reason I wanted it pulled was because I was losing my coverage soon due to an upcoming move. I called to say that it hadn't worked and the woman I spoke with told me that they had told me I needed a root canal and this was just a temporary fix. It wasn't a fix at all! She got an ear full from me and I haven't called back since. On top of the bad service, the people who work for aspen dental are not compassionate or understanding of any fears a person may have of the dentist and made me feel childish and stupid for having trouble with that, when on their website they claimed to be very understanding of that sort of thing. My suggestion if you are looking for a good dentist, use the tried and true word of mouth method to find one, because people are honest about service when it comes to someone working on their mouth!

I came in to have my teeth pulled because of periodontal disease and they said they would not pull my good teeth only the damaged ones. They said they could fill the ones with cavities and put crowns on, and make and upper and lower partial. I only have 3 upper real teeth, and wanted dentures for the top. But they insisted that they would not pull the good teeth. Isn't it my choice since i will be paying for them. I think they just wanted to do all the fixes so they could charge me more money. I have a temp bottom partial that I can wear but have to remove to eat cause it pops out as soon as i bite down. But this is the only dentist that my insurance will pay for. What a pity.

I went to see a Dr. at Aspen dental in Waterford CT. After giving them a lot of money and not getting any work done I tried to go to another Aspen office to get the work done. I went to the office in Lisbon CT. I went in they did a whole new exam and charged me even more money since the two outcomes were not the same. I went for a series of appointments to get my dentures made before I had my teeth pulled. On the day I got my teeth pulled the Dr was an hour late and then she pulled out the wrong bottom teeth. It has been 4 weeks and they are still making me the right bottom denture since I now have different teeth than I was supposed to and I have been walking around without bottom teeth in the front.

The whole office lies and says it was because they were bad teeth well someone could have stopped and consulted me if that were true I think the Dr didnt look at her notes and just started pulling.

I have used Aspen Dental in Waterford for a few years and they have done 'ok' work, but nowhere near as good as Bridgeworks in Groton. The only reason I went to Aspen was they were one of the few places covered by my insurance. Anyways the problem I have with Aspen is they make it difficult to go in and get work done without always playing above and beyond what insurance pays. Even when they do agree you come in and find out they scheduled you for the extra work anyways. If you refused they will give you a 'tell it to the hand' attitude and to just go away and reschedule for another day. Of course scheduling with Aspen is a very time consuming process because you have to more than meet them half way and deal with arm twisting with the work they want to do. Bottom line, if you are not ready to pay all kinds of extra money to get work done, expect decent customer service, and don't like people wasting you time -then don't go to Aspen dental.

I called Aspen Dental in Concord NH to get an emergency appt for a broken tooth. They did fit me right in the next night after 5pm. When I got there they took me back for x rays and then I moved to another room. The dentist came in, looked at the xrays and then my tooth. He said that should hurt since the nerve is exposed. The hygenist then took me up from to speak with the lady in credit. I was confused, I made the appointment because I was in severe pain, I was already in the chair- fix it or pull it. I sat with the credit lady and gave her my insurance info and she gave me the cost, I said fine and can I go back now? HA HA! I had to make an appointment. I almost fell out of the chair. At this point, I was in tears. They gave me an appointment for a week laster, I expressed to her my disbelief at this whole procedure. She replied with it simply being the policy. I was able to get the appointment moved to to two days later. The tooth was pulled and I was charged a higher rate, but what do you do when you are in agony, looking at the chair and the dentist that will fix ti all for you? You pay it. The free cleanign and xrays were charged to my insurance. Complaining to Aspen Dental doesn't help. The policy is that if you have insurance, you pay, if you don't have insurance, it's free. I asked if I was better off not giving my insurance information. No response to that from them. Absolutley horrible company to deal with with.

I went to Aspen Dental back in April 2009...the service was terrible. The dentist who performed the evaluation on my teeth was nothing but a high minded arrogant buffoon. The office I visited is located in Mayfield Hts., Ohio...I will never again go to that office, neither would I ever recommend anyone to go there. I would never again let anyone with the attitude this fool had do any work on my mouth again...he just plain old did not know how to talk to people. I don't see how they let him continue to practice dentistry!

my lawyer told me to have no contact I tried that route already.

I’m very sorry to hear about your recent experience at Aspen Dental. We strive to provide all Aspen Dental patients with high quality denture and dental care service in an atmosphere that is welcoming and respectful, and I apologize if your visit did not meet those expectations.

We have a team of Patient Satisfaction Specialists who would be happy to try to address your specific concerns. This team of specialists is based at our Practice Support Center in Syracuse and can be reached at [protected] or patientservices@aspendent.com.

I’m very sorry to hear about your recent experience at Aspen Dental and that your calls to our emergency line were not returned right away!

We strive to provide all of our patients with high quality denture and dental care service in an atmosphere that is welcoming and respectful, and I apologize that your visit did not meet those expectations.

If you would like to share your concerns with our Patient Satisfaction team, and see how we can help you resolve any remaining issues, please call them at [protected] or e-mail them patientservices@aspendent.com.

Thank you

we were a little slow we have done paid the money up front so we are hooked lined and sinker-ed

I’m sorry to hear that you weren’t satisfied with your recent experience at the Hamden office. Aspen Dental doctors are focused on providing comprehensive care, which means that we not only want to address any immediate problems that may cause pain or discomfort in the short-term, but also recommend dental treatment for long-lasting good health.

Would you be willing to talk in greater detail to our Patient Satisfaction team to see whether they can help address your specific concerns? This team of specialists is based at our Practice Support Center in Syracuse and is trained to help resolve these types of issues. They can be reached at [protected] or patientservices@aspendent.com.

I’m very sorry to hear about your frustrations. We strive to make the billing process as smooth as possible for every Aspen Dental patient and apologize if that hasn’t been your experience.

Would you be willing to talk in greater detail to our Patient Satisfaction group to see whether they can help? This team of specialists is based at our Practice Support Center in Syracuse and is trained to help resolve these types of issues. They can be reached at [protected] or patientservices@aspendent.com.

I’m sorry to hear that you weren’t satisfied with your recent experience at Aspen Dental. Our doctors are focused on providing comprehensive care, which means that we not only want to address any immediate problems that may cause pain or discomfort in the short-term, but also recommend dental treatment for long-lasting good health.

If you have any questions at all please feel free to contact our Patient Satisfaction team to see whether they can help address your specific concerns. They can be reached at [protected] or patientservices@aspendent.com.

I’m sorry to hear that you weren’t satisfied with your recent experience at Aspen Dental. Our doctors are focused on providing comprehensive care, which means that we not only want to address any immediate problems that may cause pain or discomfort in the short-term, but also recommend dental treatment for long-lasting good health. This is why your doctor did not perform a cleaning on your initial visit, he needed to first examine your mouth and determine which type of cleaning would be the best fit for your needs.

Would you be willing to talk in greater detail to our Patient Satisfaction team to see whether they can help address your specific concerns? They can be reached at [protected] or patientservices@aspendent.com.