Aspen Dental

Reviews 3

KR

Kris Stark

Went in on a Friday afternoon - not a horrible experience at first but rather about what you would expect from a dentist. Knew I had an infection, so needed a prescription for antibiotics. When asked where to send it, I specifically asked as to how long it would take for the script to get to the pharmacy, and was told that it would be there before I was, so chose to get one close to my office. Lo and behold, it was not there by the time I got to the pharmacy, but I wasnt too worried about it. Decided I would go back to pick it up before I left for home, but they still did not have it, and showed no pending prescriptions coming from Aspen. Instead, they recommended that I call the doctor back and ask about the status. So - I tried to call, but this was now after 5 pm, and the office was closed. There was an option to get to the answering service, so I decided that it was worth calling them to see if they could get an answer. First call to them was at about 5:30, but when by 8 I had not heard anything back, I called them again. In each case, I had to repeat myself multiple times to the answering service as to who I was, where I had been seen, birthdate etc., supposedly since this had been my first visit, and their computers apparently do not update globally. This time, I did receive a call back from the answering service about 30 minutes later, but it was just them checking to see if a doctor had called me yet. Since they had not, the answering service said they would try again. Another 30 minutes later, I get a similar call, again asking if a doctor had reached out to me - nope. Finally, by about 9:30pm I received a call from the answering service stating that a doctor had called the to inquire as to the telephone number of the pharmacy where I had the prescription sent to. At this time I had to explain yet again that it would be extremely difficult for me to go to the pharmacy near work (a good 40 minutes of highway driving one way) to pick up my prescription over the weekend, and to instead send it to a pharmacy nearer to me. This was a different pharmacy entirely, since the first national chain did not have a location near my home. Again, I was asked for the phone number, and I had to further explain that a phone number was not necessarily going to do them any good at that late hour of the night, since all the pharmacies around here were closed by then. I did receive a final callback about 10 minutes later, stating that they would most likely have something for me at the closer pharmacy by the next morning, but even then they had managed to get the prescription wrong in that the pharmacy never got a full name or even a phone number - they were able to get the prescription filled for me nevertheless... Not to mention that till now, they still have not fixed my name in their computer system - the name that they had spelled correctly on the initial consultation with the receptionist, but had then somehow misspelled it after she and I spoke. I noticed it while sitting in the dentists chair, looking at my X-rays on their monitor, and mentioned that the spelling was incorrect... Apparently attention to detail is lacking - I wonder what else is going to come up... I was somewhat leary of going there at first, from other stories of bad experiences, but needed something in a hurry, and this was one place that took my dental insurance. I may end up going elsewhere instead though... (2 stars instead of just one, since they did take care of me as a new patient quickly, and the staff were truly helpful and nice.)

LA

Lancya Hutchison

Let me begin by saying that the staff and dentists have all been very kind, polite, and professional. They are excellent about getting me in at my appointment time and I have run into no issues with using my dental insurance at this office. The only problem I have lies in having my teeth cleaned (the only reason I have been there, I have not needed any cavities filled or other dental work done as of yet). The hygienists are very sweet and friendly and I’m not willing to call anyone out, but you have to state exactly what you want addressed instead of assuming that they’ll do everything that comes with a normal cleaning. This is not a problem I’ve experienced with any other dental office. Normally you would assume that all of the staining that could be scaled off would be scaled off without having to request special attention to any particular teeth (stains are hard to miss). My most recent visit I mentioned that I was concerned about the granulation tissue building up around the base of my teeth due to my braces (which prevent a very thorough cleaning with a toothbrush). I’d had the wire removed (the brackets remained on) so that the hygienist would have easy access to everything except the surfaces of the teeth that the brackets covered. On telling them my concern, they were very thorough about scaling around the bases and corners of my teeth and even the brackets, for which I was very grateful. However, I assumed that the staining that comes with normal wear and tear would be addressed as well as part of a normal cleaning and so I didn’t mention it. Perhaps it was an error on my part not to mention it. The new stains I had acquired since my last cleaning six months ago were not touched and stains that were left behind during the previous cleaning were also not touched. This is an extremely frustrating experience for me as I have always been religious about keeping up on my biannual cleanings everywhere I’ve lived and never have I had to specify obvious problem areas in order for them to be addressed. I’m on the cusp of just having them done elsewhere without insurance, which leads to greater annoyance since I should not have to go out of network for an accurate cleaning. Aside from that, the office is clean, modern, and professional. Make sure you clearly state what it is you want or need and you likely will have little issue.

A

A Private User

Rude and Greedy people working here: My last visit at Aspen Dental in Ithaca NY (South Meadow Square 324 Elmira Road, Suite 200) on 12/27/10 at 2pm was shockingly unprofessional. The person acting as office manager on this day (called herself Walla) was rude to me from the very beginning. Since she couldnt verify my insurance ( First Ameritas my insurance company was closed this day) , it seemed fair for her to behave and talk inappropriately and in a rude tone. When I requested her to do the insurance billing later, she refused citing it as her company protocol and asked for a payment of $923 upfront before the treatment can be carried out ( by the way this fee is too much just for 2 wisdom tooth extraction). When I told her that it was too much for me to pay in one shot and she should present me with some options, she was uncompromising, uptight and rude again in saying that in my first appointment too they couldnt verify the insurance( that is true as my Companys HR had sent the paperwork just a few days before this time and the insurance was supposed to be retroactive, but I dont see why it should be a problem for them since anyway their first exam is free). When I asked her the name of the regional manager and her full name, she turned red and rudely told me "please leave". Seems like its this greedy companys protocol for handling people whom for whatever reason you dont believe have insurance. I was totally shocked. I have called and emailed their customer service to take appropriate action against the employee (Walla) and let me know if you need any more info. Also to pass this info to the regional manager or whoever is in charge of Ithaca, NY region and request them to get in touch with me either by email or phone. For the record my insurance has been retroactively active , a letter stating this from my companys HR was also presented to Aspens reception. I still have to hear from their customer support personnel.I dont think they care! Please avoid this place if you can, their rates are way too inflated and the caregiver seem unprofessional. This seem like a greedy business model at work at the cost of innocent people who need basic dental care. I wont be going there again and will advice anyone else to avoid them as well.