Aspen Dental review: Be weary and do your research! 23

Aspen Dental is the worst place to go. Incompetent, Over priced, Uncaring. My dentures were wrong from the start. Centerlines didnt line up from top to bottom. Had to threaten them with calling the board to get them to try again. Went back numerous times for each denture. The permanents took 4 redo's to get to fit! After the FINAL payment was made(before work was completed) they said I owed them more than 400$. when questioned, they said that was only an estimate! I think when they asked for the final payment,the deal was sealed. THEY S*CK! DON'T USE ASPEN DENTAL!

I am beginning to believe all of the complaints I have read regarding Aspen Dental in general. Again, third time my daughter has had a filling come out within weeks or months after she had one done.

The offending Aspen Dental location... Framingham, Massachusetts. I understand that sometimes things just don't mesh. That things can go wrong, but come on.

This happens to be the third filling placed in the child's mouth by the same dentist and to come out within a year of placement.

I am both frustrated and wondering. It concerns me that I may have jeopardized her health in more ways than just dental by using Aspen Dental

My first experiences with Aspen(Warwick Rhode Island) were pleasant. I changed location due to distance.

In Waterford, Ct the dentist that was doing work on me tried to numb the wrong side of my face and got upset when I told him the problem was on the other side.

He then did the work for the temporary crown and left a hole unsealed around it causing me inexcusable pain and discomfort.

He hurt my daughter twice after I had requested he not be the dentist to see her! I transferred to the Framingham, Mass Aspen Dental office because it was close to my husbands work.

I truly liked the hygienists and the dentist who last saw her there. The endodontist who saw my daughter was excellent and very professional. However, another dentist...linked to these fillings has caused me great concern.

This dentist, interestingly enough... no longer works for Aspen Dental.

I transferred to Worcester, Mass because they sent us there for a dental emergency as NO dentist was available in Framingham, Mass on this day. It is closer to my home.

Thus far, I feel confident in the dentist.

However, I am left wondering about multiple issues with Aspen Dental and if I have jeopardized my daughters health. I also now wonder in general about other aspects of the dental offices in both Waterford CT and Framingham, MA

After reading a multitude of other complaints.. I am concerned about much of the previous work done. Not sure if maybe I should seek advice on this.

However, they cannot give back or undo the stress previously caused can they?

Research before going to Aspen Dental!

I went to Aspen in Bedford NH and had six extractions. In addition, I was also charged for 2 Alveo Per Quad /W Exts ( whatever that means?), for a total of $498, in addition, Extract surg resid root for $345 and the 6 extractions for $265 each Total= $1590. Interesting since all of this was billed before the work was completed. I was told that the Aveo was a smoothing of the jaw bone and yet I was picking out residual tooth. I asked why this could be if the jaw bone was smoothed. The person I talked to simply shugged her shoulders and replied that she didn't know. I believe that I was charged for work that wasn't done and overcharged for work that was done.
BTW, I went back shortly after the extractions and complained of pain (the area that a piece of tooth was sticking out and the dentist claimed it was simply my jaw bone.

Ok.. time to vent a little.NOT HAPPY! i called and discussed/vented to aspen,but to no avail..got nowhere. :(
Wonderful until dentures were done, and had to go in for my first relign.1 1/2 weeks after surgery now.relign.Worcester,ma office.(1 of 2.). skipping back to the past where this all began..I went to an oral surgeon to have my teeth removed.upper and lowers.24 teeth, and Then went to Aspen dental to save money,due to it costing more for them to do other services.I called ahead of time to discuss payment plans,because i am not rich, or wealthy and still have to pay off the oral surgeons office too.you can imagine how much that is!..i applied for carecredit.approved.enough to cover a basic denture.no second set.ok..trusting they'd do a wonderful job seeing as they were so understanding and compassionate given my medical and financial situation.and hearing how wonderful they are,and inexpensive..they knew this would be my only pair.
so i asked them for the most inexpensive plan they have for dentures, and prayed the care credit would cover it.Awesome news..it did! such a weight off my shoulders and my wallets.Instant prepay on first visit.but,this was for permanant basic dentures.no other mouldings for new teeth .these are my first and last.they knew this.

So i thought.after my first visit with them,for the moulding to be done(5 days before my surgery to have all teeth out).Figuring they'd definatly get it right.LOL.yea..right.ok..new dentures..no biggy..have to get used to them.find the sore spots,go in for a trim,ect ect. i also read up on dentures,how theyre supposed to measure your teeth,and the whole process on dentures.Aspen never once measured my slight overbite,teeth,jaw width,tooth size,back to front,or the spaces within my mouth.though this is SUPPOSED to be done,before doing the moulding.ok..so i think they know what theyre doing ,theyre proffessionals.and i leave, and now After my surgery,they were immediate dentures. though they made some of my stitches bust,(had a mouth full of stitches) i wore them as much as possible,until i got blisters in my mouth, and the pain became severe, i took them out, but while having them in.right after surgery,it is swollen a lot of course,so i attributed it to that as well as whats written below. gagging is normal, but the dentures dont even conform/fit my arches in my mouth.there are spaces between the denture top back, and my gag reflex.but goes to far back as well, so i am constantly gagging!i understand gagging is common for the first few weeks and all the saliva! (yes,that went away)but not the gagging.,not just because im getting used to them.it is hitting my gagging muscle.extremely wide inside my mouth, and look like mr. ed!and they are all the way against my gums.so i know it's not me! the top teeth are way to long but able to deal with,sort of.The bottoms.OH MY GOD!NOT RIGHT AT ALL!right after surgery for 1 week, i had a major Underbite & the teeth are crooked,but theyre against my gums!it's like they sit way to high, or the teeth are to tall, and you can visually see the bottom teeth on the denture goes off at an angle upward. ok..swelling.after the swelling went away and stitches out, i put them back in as well, but they were VERY WRONG.but, i listened to aspen.must wear them.the tops fell out.ok now to the present...my gums shrunk.still look like mr.ed on top, gagging.bottoms, not such a major underbite,but a very noticable one.i cannot close my jaw or mouth WHATSOEVER, unless i push in my bottom jaw(which is very hard to do),as much as possible.when i do that, i can purse/force my lips together,but still cannot touch bottom lip to top lip. i will discuss the tops with them, and my relign visit, they'll be able to fix them.i think. Picture Donkey from the Shrek Movie!but with more Bulk.so i went to aspen for that first relign, and the doctor brushed me off with any questions i had.and alls she kept saying was" keep wearing them, your jaw will move around? and they'll fit better.give it time. all the while i was trying to show or tell her what was wrong with them.I got no response after showing her the underbite.she just looked at me like "oh,crap,it is screwed up,and walked off., . didnt look in my mouth, and she told me"you mustve moved your jaw around while the moulding was being made". and was ready to send me on my way.so i talked with the nurse in hopes she'd listen and help me.She said"well, these ones you'll have to wear for a while, and in a few months, we'll take another casting of your mouth,because these aren't your permanents anyways". Wonderful. thank god ..A sigh of relief. .they put the soft relign in.and said" see how they are over the weekend, and if theyre not right, call us and schedule an appointment to come in".and that was it! they did not even look at my teeth inside my mouth.only looking at my face. they seen me before my teeth were out..how come they can't see the HUGE error now?!?! for god sakes i look like a donkey!,mr.ed, or whatever.ok..fine..i get home and i call aspen again and discuss my issues with the manager because the ever so helpful receptionist who ,on calls previously- could answer any question i did have before, passed me off to the manager for any questions this time. i was dumbfounded,but spoke with her.i told her all the issues with my dentures,my mouth;Everything,and i aslo told her i was told these are not my permanant teeth,so not to worry about it.and i asked her for a Rebase, or a new moulding.She blew around the question,and told me because i didnt purchase a more expensive package,that these are my permanant teeth, and they will have to keep religning them.i Pleaded with her to see if she could have the rebased,or fixed, and explained they were VERY WRONG.though i can live with the top ones in, and the bottoms out, it isnt that cheap for these dentures, and i'd like them fixed, i want teeth .i payed for these teeth!. she was helpful for the moment.she said she'd call me back and in the meantime see what she can do to get them fixed.and she'd talk with the dentist and nurse,to see what they said..um..Why?! i told her i could come in and show her the dentures, so she'd know what i was talking about and not rambling just because i wasnt used to them or whatever. the run around is.she didnt say anything.just said she'd call me back if she "Finagles"something .i'm still waiting for that phone call!
so basically if i dont get that phone call , i get the idea that the nurse slipped on her comment?! so i'm stuck with mr.ed teeth and crooked teeth and dentures;ect,gagging;ect..becaUse even though she assumed without checking that these were only temperary.-these ARE my permanant teeth.So what she's saying is WE MAKE THEM CRAPPY,TAKE YOUR MONEY,AND THEN CHARGE MORE FOR a Descent pair?! Excuse me?.Live with it,until you get your permanants. Um..WHAT?

So now i drained the bank and about a 1/2 a year of paychecks to get these teeth, that they WONT FIX? i'm stuck with them, and have to get reallignments,but they wont rebase or trim the inside roof,tongue area of the dentures down either.i was happier with my rotting,disease causing teeth, than i am with these things i cant even smile,i feel so horrible.,let down.i cannot eat with them either,so now i am back to Very Soft foods.YUCK!

These basic teeth even have a warranty.what does that warranty cover.i dont even know. i was never told about Any warranty..i found out about the warranty on the aspen dental website, and need to further check into that.but so far after being in their office 3 times.I have gotten no where, and feel like ive been ripped off already.this is so disheartening.why cant they just redo the bottoms,and trim the tops? is it so hard? they are the ones who screwed them up to begin with.not me. this is not my error.but yet they are quick to say"you mustve moved",you have to wear them for awhile". then the manager says"i'll see what i can do".isnt she the one in charge?!?! how come they wont help me? why finagle? they screwed up.i paid for them. whats not to get?!?

Now i am afraid i may have to shell out another Huge lump of cash i dont have after i pay off the carecredit,and office..for another pair of DESCENT dentures with another office. anyone have any recommendations ? i still have to go back to aspen and use up the money they spent.so i will go for my relines,though i dont know why i should bother.i am going elswhere when i actually see my paycheck again,in hopes i may be able to smile for real,once again.

I look like a freak. has anyone had this happen to them?!?!
if you need teeth out and want to get immediates..wait 2-3 weeks and get dentures somewhere,dont preorder.unless it's an EXCELLENT denturist..save yourself money and hassle.. hopefully.

Do not judge the company by one place. You have different expiernences at different locations.

I would check the Better Business Bureau on the individual locations. I did in Michigan, and thank god I never went there because the complaints were far and away more than any other dentist in the area. It may be some are better than others, but it seems like the whole franchise sends up a red flag. Proceed with caution.

Definitely file complaints with the Better Business Bureau, Attorney General's Office Health Division and the Medical Board within your state. Also, do not forget to file a complaint via email with Aspen at patientservices@aspendent.com because this place is by far the most unprofessional run dental practice, especially the Lebanon NH, Manchester NH and Nashua NH offices. The staff is always changing because nobody knows what they are doing. If you still have the energy also contact the President and CEO Robert Fontana since he boasts "Aspen Dental Management, Inc. President and CEO Robert Fontana said Aspen's growth, from 13 offices in 1998 to 116 (including Fairview Park), has been driven by the demand for high-quality, yet affordable dental and denture services. Aspen Dental locations offer access to quality care through convenient locations, extended hours, affordable fees and a variety of payment options. Aspen also works with all insurance providers.

'The goal of our affiliated dentists is to exceed patient expectations by providing the highest levels of dental and denture care possible while meeting needs of those patients for less costly, less stressful and less time-consuming services, ' Fontana said. 'We're thrilled to bring access to high-quality and affordable dental and denture care to those who live and work in Fairview Park and surrounding areas.'

'Most importantly, we want to provide people with dentists and staff they can trust, who listen to patients, understand their needs, and respect them, ' explains Fontana."
HA! WHAT A JOKE!
I really hope a smart lawyer reads these boards and contacts everyone about a class action lawsuit because there will be big bucks for that lawyer as well as for anyone else who has been duped by this group of incompetent employees!

I went there because they had a payment plan and they accepted my insurance. And let me say my experience was awful. There is this one Doctor I can't stand. He was the first to look at my x-rays and tell me my dental plan. Which ended up being, 8 filling and 1 root canal. Now I knew the root canal had to happen but 8 wow.. and he did all that in 5 minutes? Anyway, I had the root canal done first. It was sore, really didn't think anymore of it because I had never had one. But after a week went by and my tooth still hurt. I knew something was up. So I mentioned it to one of the doctors working on my teeth (now note I had 3 separate doctors for my teeth..3!). And go figure the first one to look at it is the one that did my dental plan. Well I had to wait 20 minutes for him to even come in. And when he does he sort of acts like he doesn't understand me. I tried telling him ( because at this time it had been 2 weeks) that it still hurt and I could feel it. And what does he do, hits my tooth and says "does this hurt?" NO not all! sheesh... anyway He couldn't figure out what was wrong and said we will keep an eye on it. Yeah he said keep an eye on a root canal that hurts... so stupid me I waited...and at this time I got the 8 fillings done. Well now i have a total of 3 teeth that hurt. And when he did the fillings they were not fun. He's the type of doctor that doesn't give any numbing stuff before he jabs the needle in you. And the last one he did, my tooth still hurt and he wanted to continue anyway until I was like, um it hurts! and then he injected the rest of the numbing stuff. Yeah thanks.
So the last doctor I had was a girl, I asked her to look at my root canal and she gets the doctor that did the root canal to look at it (jee that probably should of happened first). So that doctor told me that something is wrong and that it should be looked at by another doctors that they refer to me at another dentistry. I was like why? and they said they don't have the equipment there to do special root canals. UM THAT WOULD OF BEEN NICE TO KNOW BEFORE HAND! So yeah I get to spend more money at a different place to get my root canal looked at. Since I was there I also told her about my other 2 fillings that were huring. She said it's "normal", man they love throwing that word around. And to watch it for another week. ( by this time it had been 2 to 3 weeks since they were done). So here is another week later and the pain has gotten worse. It wakes me up at night and just burns. Now I'm thinking I bet you they want root canals done. I sware if they say that, they are paying for it because I am not paying for something they should of seen before hand. And actually took the time to LOOK at the X-rays, and the time to LISTEN when I said something was wrong. This place is so fast paced, and money hungry they just don't take the time like they should and listen to their customers. Because soon they just won't have any. And I also agree with the lady above. They are headed for a serious Suing...

Not to sound like a broken record but I wish I would have read this before going. I too went there just becuase it was close and because my insurance was accepted. I went in for a routine checkup and xray. They told me all four wisdom teeth needed removed, that I had 4 cavaties and taht I needed a deep cleaning because I was getting periodontal disease. Before I could even ask questions they whisked me away to an office to talk about payment. they made me pay for all of the services at once prior to the treatment which was weird to me. To make a long story short, every visit was horrible, from doctors leaving to eat kunch in the middle of a procedure, to doctors watching soup operas while I am worked on, to doctors saying ni the middle of a procedure "this is harder then we thought so we are going to have to charge you more" while I was under local anesthesia (nitrous). Now I am finding out I overpaid them and and they owe me over $500. It doesnt seem like its going to be easy getting that back. Take warning and go somewhere else

Be aware that if you go to
ASPEN Dental
7 Colby Court
Bedford NH

You have a very good chance of getting ripped off, If you visit the BEdford NH office.

I went to this office because I had an infection in my gum and my insurance company listed them as the closest dental provider. After given an exam and prescription I was asked to meet with Julie the office Manager. Under the pretext of finding out what credit was available should I agree to treatment she enrolled me in a credit card program and billed me for $2000. A week later I returned for a filling and asked 3 times what the cost was and each time I was told it was covered by my insurance. I later received another bill fore $2239. When I called Aspen Dental to complain about these out rageous charges. Julie denyed ever putting through these charges.

Be warned if you walk into this office and speak to the office Manager do not believe a word she says do not sign anything. It seems that ripping peole off is a standard practice at this office.

### aspen.

Hello, I am from Mansfield, Ohio.
I have to agree Aspen Dental is the Worst of the Worst. I wouldn't recommend them to my worst enemy! I have been dealing with this for over 3 months now and still do not have a "immediate" upper denture.

They are on their 3rd remake (the first ones made me look like Mr ed, mid line off center, crooked, bucked, huge horse teeth that didn't fit at all and made be gag and they were so thick i couldnt even swallow! They were so big i could not even close my mouth! I was told to just get used to them!
The oral surgeon hurt me terribly and yelled at me to "STOP IT" and told me i didnt feel anything when i cried out in pain because I wasnt numb (then the heart monitor started going off because i was in such horrible pain!) I was so black and blue (from my eyes to my colar bone was black) and i was swollen horribly. ( this is NOT normal for me!)

I was charged for things I didn't approve (aveo..and i swear he only did that on one side) and also things they didnt even do (like pulling a tooth that I had pulled 8 years ago) I am at a loss as to what to do.

The level of incompetence is just mind blowing.

I just cant afford to shell out another 3-4 thousand dollars ..my husband is down to 3 days a week and how the heck am I suppose to work with no freakin teeth ..im sorry im a bit frustrated.

Anyway Im panndoria on yahoo if anyone wants to chat about it give me a buzz sometime.

I went to Aspen Dental today. They did a full set of mouth x-rays and a panoramic x-ray before I even saw the dentist to determine if this is necessary. This is not recommended by the American Dental Association (see quote below).

"3. Radiographic screening for the purpose of detecting disease before clinical
examination should not be performed. A thorough clinical examination,
consideration of the patient history, review of any prior radiographs, caries risk
assessment and consideration of both the dental and the general health needs of
the patient should precede radiographic examination (6-12)."

The full document this quote was obtained from can be found at http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/topics/topics_radiography_examinations.pdf.

As I met with the dentist, I asked a number of questions to find out how informed the dentist was about the actual dental risks I faced. I found that she was quite underinformed and seemed lacking in scientific reasoning abilities. I will not be returning.

Aspen Dental doctors are committed to providing our patients with the most complete information that they need to make the best decisions possible about their oral care. We are sorry that your experience did not achieve this goal. If you would like to talk with our doctor who oversees clinical services at Aspen Dental, please call our Patient Satisfaction team at [protected] or email us at patient services@aspendent.com. We will be happy to help resolve your concerns as quickly and completely as possible. Aspen Dental is committed to your oral health education and total satisfaction. Thank you.

The other day I went to Aspen and some of the staff seemed really indifferent; like they were exhausted. Never real busy in there, that I can see. Is it such a horrible place to work that it sucks? Could we have anoymous feedback from staff? Do they have a hard time keeping good help? The staff were all different than I had seen when I was there several months ago. I also overheard one lady really having to grill the dentist to get information about how to take her meds and why she was having pain. He should have been explaining to her without her having to ask him every question that one would naturally explain to a patient who had just had a procedure or new dentures.
Also, when I was led to the examining room, the dental assistant barely spoke to me and did not offer me even a place to hang my full-length coat. He seemed to not like his job?
They said I needed a crown, but I do not feel real good about getting it here.

is that allie at aspen dental a [censor]ing auto response, [censor]ing [censor]s can't even get a real person to review these, someone needs to take all these victims and take aspen to court, the business needs to be shut down.

I have seen comments on other websites from former employees claiming they are paid by commission. This seems an unethical practice in a health care office.
The office where I was seen do not truly have separate treatment rooms and you could hear everything going on with the patient in the other half of the room where I was treated. This is borderline in regards to compliance of HIPPA regulations.
Very unprofessional in all aspects of their care.
Reminded me of assembly lines.
The place needs to be shut down. How can a place with this many complaints still be in business?

ASPEN Dental are a bunch of money Hungry [censor]. I go to the Chelmsford, Ma "Practice" though I think it's more of the bussiness of dentistry to me. I've been going there for the past year cause I don't drive and it's a walking distance from my home and work place. I had x-rays taken and they told me that I had 4 route canals and 17 fillings needed to be done at an estimate of 13, 250. I don't have insurance only a discount card. With my card, I should have only paid $600 for the route canal. They sent me a bill $1000 just to cut the nerve. I asked the manager what the f&*k was going on with the outragous price. She told me my benifits were changed. I contacted my card provider and they told me that my treatment was never put through. I work in retail and get crap pay, not enough funds to afford the treatment I needed but they seemed more egar to do more treatments then they were about my financial situation. Now I go to a better practice am not ever going back again.

Be warned, if you need a RC or any other mjor treatment done, go somewhere else. They'll Milk you for everythin its worth!

Aspen Dental, Framingham, MA is a big fraud, Thank God they are closed now ! I was regularly over charged, though I do not have any dental issues. I went for routine cleaning, which is covered fully by my insurance, but they charged to Insurance as "perio maintenance" for $129 with $35 as my co-pay!

They usually charge for Flouride, without asking if we need, which is not covered by insurance.

When I got couple of teeth extracted, they charged me for Nitrous Oxide, inaddition to the IV sedation and the extraction charges. I am sick and tired of verifying every charge they make with the insurance and correcting with them. When you ask them about the charges, they argue that they performed additional work blah blah ...

Aspen Dental is the least professional, most crooked company I ever dealt with. They performed an unauthorized "perio" cleaning, despite my very professional independent periodontist telling them in writing that he performs my periodontal services. The dentist at the Raynham Mass. office was not even present when the "perio" cleaning was performed by at hygenist. I checked the hygenist's name on the web, and the only indication I found was that her license had expired about 6 months before my appointment. Aspen has repeatedly charged me for "covered" services, and has even submitted charges for work done on my listing my wife and the patient. They did this twice, despite my informing them of their "error". I had continued to go to them for a few years because of a wonderful dentist, Dr. Mohammed Khan, who was superb! He has since left the local Aspen office. I then found myself with incompetent, uncaring dental care at Aspen. I am now getting excellent care from an independent dentist and my original periodontisst. Avoid Aspen Dental!

I used to work for Aspen Dental in Bedford NH - 6 months after working there I left. Trust me, as someone who worked for an ethical company prior to going there was the biggest mistake I could have made. The Doctor was nice, but he was right out of school. I was reading the comment about Julie - she is [censor] of the earth. She was the "trainer" but felt the need to push everything off on her staff, even when they were not trained. She treated her PSR Stacy so poorly that she would hate going to work every day. She would talk poorly about each of us to a different person working there. I finally stood up to her and said no one day while I was "training" because she was walking all over me, making me feel stupid, and talking down to me. She was the most miserable person I've ever met. She would talk down to patients, and talk in a baby voice and just be obnoxious. As far as the dental work - I felt so bad for the patients because they wanted to come in for a cleaning and then had to have an exam first. Isn't this backwards? Any private practice has you come in for a cleaning and the doctor does an exam at the same time. The regional manager Kelly Marcinkowicz (sp?) was also terrible. She was just like Julie - minus the baby voice. She loved having people fear her which was not a good way to run a business. Aspen Dental is all about the pressure sale. Dentistry shouldn't be a sale, it's a medical issue, people do not take care of their teeth which can lead to heard disease, but if someone doesn't have the money or the ability to do the whole treatment plan don't make them feel guilty.
My advice - stay far far away from any of the Aspen Dental offices.

Wish I would have read these posts before going to the south port indianapolis aspen. Thank God all they did was rays and a lame exam. I recently moved and unfortunately aspen was in my network. The young dentist had an attitude when I questioned a bone scanning or something that sounded bogus needing done before I could get a much needed crown. The young female dentist got all bent out of shape when I said this doesn't seem right to me. I would think you would fix this tooth as son as possible instead of trying to sell me a 130.00 dollar toothbrush and some kind of bone therapy. Aspen should be shut down the dentist could have cared less about my healthcare concerns and more about her fragile ego. That just shows your incompetence lady. Again I thank God they did not do any work and am very concerned about the patients who go there. I have two girls with braces so thank God they never had a chance to do anything to them. Aspen dental prey on the poor and uninsured. Hope they get shut down.

### you Allie from Aspen Dental.