Aspen Dental

My son and I were looking for a new dentist after our regular one retired. My son chose to try Aspen Dental in Methuen for convenience of the location. My son went through years of orthodontics including a palette expander and braces. For this reason, he takes very good care of his teeth. He saw our regular dentist a month before going to Aspen with no reported problems.

After his first appointment with Aspen, the dentist ended up filling a cavity and set another appointment to fill two more. He also came home with over $150.00 in products such as toothpaste that he said the dentist told him he had to have. I was very surprised. We pushed off the second appointment for the two fillings and set two other appointments with different dentists in the area to see if he liked either of them. During both of these appointments, we did NOT say a word about the cavity findings at Aspen Dental, Both dentists said that my son's teeth looked great and to keep up his dental care as he has been. Both said that if he chose to go with them, the next appointment would be for a cleaning only when insurance allowed.

My son is 19 years old and had recently started to "adult" for himself and be more independent. He is a respectful kid who is trusting of adults. He said that he did not believe he had a cavity but was nervous to question the dentist. In my opinion, his youth and timid demeanor was taken advantage of by Aspen Dental for both the filling and the expensive products.

I paid the bill for the filling and then called the Methuen Office and spoke to Phyllis. I outlined my concerns and she said she would speak to the manager/owner dentist of the practice and would call me back. She never called me so I followed up with her. She did not remember my complaint and I had to go over it again with her. The next day, someone else called me back and stated that in the opinion of the dentist who treated my son, the cavities needed to be addressed. I respectfully disagree and if it is expected that I accept the dentists opinion, I would request the same respect in my disagreement of this answer.

I have reached out to my local newspaper, Eagle Tribune, and to a Boston News station who handles consumer complaints and both have contacted me with interest in this matter. I have all the necessary records from all the practices involved regarding their findings of my son's dental health. I am sorry about this matter but feel I need to advocate for my son as well as others who may be taken advantage of by this practice. Thank you for listening.

Kathleen Jones (Re: Andy Jones)
Methuen, MA
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