Aspen Dental — charging us for services covered by insurance
My husband went to Aspen Dental in Belle Vernon, PA as a new patient, as a referral from his insurance, Aetna. He had an abscessed root that was treated and removed by a nice dentist. Then, at checkout time, he was asked to pay $51.80. He paid it, but questioned it and was told, "that is your copay". We then called Aetna whom stated our copay is $18.00, not a cent more, and reviewed with us our benefits, and once we receive our EOB (explanation of benefits from Aetna) to call or show Aspen for a refund. Well, we then received a bill from Aspen for an ADDITIONAL $207.20!!! We immediately called Aetna to again review the EOB and she called Aspen Dental to review it with them. Latoya (a HUGE help!) then informed me Aspen would have a Biller look at the bills and EOB and to call back in 5 days. Well, I just called Aspen and spoke with Sue who was NO help whatsoever. I was told it was being "looked at" by the biller to clear the "confusion" and I would have to wait. (Of course, they didn't have to wait for the $51.80!) I asked to speak with the "biller" and was told I would have to call them back. Of course, I asked how long this process would take and was told "I don't know" and then asked Sue how soon should I call back and was told "maybe next week?" If this is not cleared up by Aspen, I will file a complaint with Aetna, and so on until I have it resolved. I also informed Sue at Aspen that I was owed $33.80. Hmmmm... I wonder how soon I will see that!!!!
Just left an Aspen Dental office in Maine...5 months ago I started the procedure for a top denture as CASH customer. I arrived for my first appt and was kept in the waiting room 30 minutes beyond my appt time. Had some x rays done and was kept waiting another 45 minutes supposedly because they only had one dentist and e/she was running behind. Had to leave because I had other appts that day. Spoke with the "financial" person and signed up for a total cost $560, 399 for a new top plate and150 for a repair to my bottom plate. After my subsequent visits I had to pay 60% of that bill before they could proceed...So believing things were moving along I have them a check for $404, four months later I am still waiting for my denture. Today I find out that they billed my Medicare without my knowledge for charges that were in my original contract as a cash paying customer. So they were getting the money from me, from my Medicare provider and then tried to bill me for the co pay!!! Total scam. I was furious and told them what they were doing was fraudulent billing, and I would be happy to leave without the denture and a refund of my 404. I did not want to be part of their insurance scam. They created paperwork stating that the dentist had agreed to a refund which is highly doubtful I will ever receive...If I don't, next stop is a call to the Attorney Generals office. I hate being scammed and having my insurance co scammed as well.
a verified customer
I made an appointment Dec 3 2018 for a cleaning. got there had xrays, mouth scan, dentist checked teeth thought it necessary to replace 2 composite fillings, and pocket measurements were done. Brought out to front to sit with billing girls. No cleaning today, was not told this before hand. I was handed a print out that totaled over 1900.00. Mind you I have dental insurance which covers a cleaning in full, xrays in full and pays 70% of fillings. They said i needed a deep periodontal cleaning, had some gel crap antibiotic etc. Mind you I have no problems with my teeth. Have probably 3 fillings total and am 60 years old. Told the gal i was not paying that. The bill was ridiculous. She said ok let me take off the gels and the toothbrush and see what we can come up with. TOOTHBRUSH? apparently they added on a $135.00 oral B with out my consent. She refigures and says ok $900.00. i replied my insurance pays 100 % of cleaning and xrays and 70% of fillings so why is it 900.00. She says they dont cover a periodontal cleaning. So i told her i want a regular cleaning and the two fillings (they were charging me $72.00 for each filling after the 70%). We cannot do that we recommend a periodontal cleaning so if we dont do that it would be undertreating you! So basically they refused to treat me at all unless i agreed to the $900.00 estimate. left went to another dentist who looked at the printout and said that's not bad i have seen these as high as $10, 000. and yet these people are still in business.
a verified customer
Billing issues. Paid upfront for crown based on dental discount plan. 5 months later send a bill where they billed our actual insurance (which didn’t cover procedure) and billing us full price because insurance denied claim?!?! Should never have billed insurance because we used the discount plan.
a verified customer
I was going to go to my local Aspen Dental, but now you've all scared the Hell out of me. But I know you're right and this is what was looking for: User Reviews. So, thanks. Sorry you all had so much trouble. I, too, learned the hard way and now I always check online user reviews before I make any purchases, including healthcare.
I just came back from a new Aspen Dental in my area. I was shocked to see that they were going to charge me over $1, 000 for a deep cleaning and scaling. I checked my insurance cost and it's only $33 per quadrant for 4+ teeth. I went in for a toothache, that wasn't really addressed other than sending me to an oral surgeon, who is not in my city. I hate the fact that I had to take 1/2 off from work for basically nothing. I appreciate all the previous comments and a news story that I found about this franchise. I hope I can find a dentist who can help me with the issue I went in about.
I went to the office for a quote on dentures. I brought my xrays from a dentist I had previously visited along with a coupon for a free office visit. After visiting one place to another explaining several times all I wanted was a quote, they finally put me in the office to quote me, which was much higher than my previous dentist. I thanked them, asked if I owed them anything and was told no. My insurance was then billed for the xrays I had provided them, and I too received a bill for $204 representing my deductible. I called them and was told it would be taken care of. Two years later I'm still fighting them, for what they call a service that was provided, but now the amount is only $74. It was turned into collections as I still refuse to pay for "nothing" that was provided other than a quote on dentures, which they would not give me over the phone. The insurance company was never reimbursed by them for what they billed them either, but my insurance just "wrote it off"...By all means, go to someone else!!!
Aspen Dental is like the car dealerships of the dental world. you go in there and they will find a myriad of things to charge you for even if you are healthy. They recommended I have some deep scaling done. I ran their recommendations by my brother who is a dental hygeneist and he said they are coming up with random things to make money. It's a pity my brother's office isn't in my dental network.
I agree, I too have periodontal disease per Aspen Dental and they probed my gums to prove it. Probe is whenthey stick the measuring pick in the gaps of your gums to see the depth. Anything 4 or less is great. 6 and up is bad news.
Intial probing for me was all below 5. They scheduled me back A MONTH later to document chnages of depth since the firs time there was no evidence of gum disease!!
This time, the hygienist decided to shove the probe and creat depth in my gum to read the numbers she wanted. I had no bleeding the first time around, but had 5 suctions will major bleeding and pain the second time around. As a metter of fact i was on 800 mg ibprofene for three days to subside the inflammation and pain.
Of course no surprise all my numbers were 5-7 this time around and I was declared to have periodontal disease.
I since have gone to periodontist and have NO gum disease. My dentist friends suggested I talk to a lawyer.
a verified customer
I have been dealing with these "professionals" for over a year regarding my insurance coverage, and got my first collection call on it today. I'll try keeping this short: My wife took my son's bicycle handlebar to her jaw (a fluke incidental). It cracked one of her molars, and Aspen was close and could get her in ASAP, so we gave them a shot. We got the normal "your wife has 6 months to live if you don't address this fake mouth disease and invisible need for a root canal TODAY"... we should have taken that first hint, but the loving husband that I am would not allow my wife to stay in pain while we could shop around. I did ALL of the communicating with my dental coverage, who informed me that due to the nature of the injury, my major medical would kick in the difference and my 20 dollar copay was all I would need. BTW, my major medical confirmed this, and even gave me the billing code to have Aspen's "billing specialist" plug in to their bill so that there would be no issues with coverage. So here I sit over a year later with a friendly collection agent named Andrea calling to introduce herself. Oh yeah, and this is after I was told the last time I confronted Aspen on the matter that their NEW billing clerk took care of it and I would be receiving confirmation stating it had been resolved. My question to you kind folks... where do I go from here? I hate debt, and I did NOT work as hard as I did on my good credit just to have a company of thieves ruin it over something that should have already been paid. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I went to Aspen dental Clarksville Indiana March 2010 and had a crown done - they did no root canal yet billed me and my insurance for one. They pad the bill every chance they get and over charge for all services they perform.
They will try to sell you all kinds of dental products and services you don't need. Including a line of of dental credit to finance the fraudualent bills they create. I have been in pain now for over a month after being told they can't perform the root canal they already billed me for. They refuse to give the patient a statement or coding of services rendered. Getting refferals and paperwork from them is like pulling teeth!
They demand pre payment for services then want to cancle your appointment for treatments theat are already payed for!
My advice is don't walk but run from these people! bad company, bad service, bad people! Profits by means of fraud is their goal.
Aspen Dental in any state (I'm from MA) is a rip-off! They will charge you anything and everything. For them it's all about the money. You don't get the same dentist twice and the care is horrible. Everytime I went they stated that I had periodontal disease. I recently went to a real dentist and they said no way do I have any signs of periodontal disease. Aspen should be put out of business for the way they treat the public!!
Aspen Dental in Indianapolis told me that my 17 year old son needed to have a deep cleaning on his teeth(which costs hundreds of dollars and is not covered by insurance). I told them just to clean his teeth normally and they said that they couldn't do that, so I said don't do ant work at all. I took him to a real dental office and they told me that he most certainly did not need a deep cleaning and cleaned his teeth for me. I was told by Aspen that I had a cavity and the dentist recommended that I have it filled. Something about the dentist did not ring true and I told them that I would take care of it later. I went to our new dentist today(6 months later) for a cleaning and exam and guess what-no cavities! aspen must have really big quotas to meet to try and talk patients into unnecessary dental work. Steer cleer of Aspen Dental.
I just went there today to have a tooth extracted... Oral surgeon was unavailable.. so the general dentist attempted the extraction. He numbed the area and attempted to extract the tooth.. he could not get it out after breaking the tooth. He said it was infected and thats why it would not come out... he sent me home with vicoden and antibiotics and said i would be ok... to call tomorrow and he would schedule the oral surgeon.. I went home and my wife called to schedule to have the surgeon remove the tooth.. receptionist would not answer the phone we had to go through the general customer service department and they could not get through to the local office finally a supervisor got through to the office and they transferred her. receptionist did not know anything and was confused... we knew the surgeon was going to be at the other office so we attempted to schedule the appt as the dentist suggested. The receptionist asked us to find the fax number to that office!!! finally dentist got on the phone and said to call in the am and that i should be feeling better... so i sit here in pain with a broken tooth.. and no appt to have it removed...
I agree Aspen dental associate is the worst dental associate I have ever seen. AVOID them by all means.
I made an appointment with Aspen dental associate in Albany, NY as a new patient. When I showed up on time and they told me they couldn’t see me because the doctor was at least one hour behind, so the doctor decided he/she didn’t want to see me. I was upset since I made all the efforts and drove all the way to their office for this appointment. They didn’t even care to call me to tell me that they cancelled my appointment. They just waited till me drove all the way there and told me the doctor won’t see me!
They scheduled me another appointment. When I showed up the second time for this re-scheduled appointment, they told me the doctor couldn’t see me since he/she was at least one hour behind. AGAIN! I was outraged this time. They turned me away twice using the same excuse and both times they didn’t even care to call me to let me know they couldn’t see me. They just let me drive all the way up there and told me they couldn’t see me just like that! They won’t care the time you spent on the way, the money you spent on the gas, and the upset feeling and stress they gave you by turning you away twice without an apology!
I am still very mad and I will never go back to see them again. They don’t respect patient at all! They just cancel appointment as they wish without even bother to notify you in advance. I have never seen any health care provider like them. They are the worst! Avoid them by all means and I do think they should be out of business.
a verified customer
When I left my local Aspen Dental office after undergoing dental work, I told the receptionist to put the total bill on my credit card, which I then paid off. Months later, Aspen Dental begin sending me bills saying I owed $350 more dollars. I have not paid and now they have sent my account to collections. This company is a fraud and will charge you even more after you leave their office. By the way, the same thing happened when I went to Gentle Dental. I put the entire bill on my credit card then months later received a bill in the mail for another $350. I have refused to pay that also. Stay away from these dental chains and go to a private dentist. They are a rip off. How they can get away with charging additional fees after the bill has been paid is beyond me. It's like buying a suit and then, months later, after you have worn the suit to several functions, the retailer calls and tells you the suit now costs $350 more and sends you a bill. Someone should straighten out these dental companies. As far as I can see, they are just trying to con people out of more money -- even after the bill has been paid.
a verified customer
Aspen Dental is committed to providing all patients with exceptional service and care. Chrisi, we sincerely apologize if your visit to our office was anything less. We want to do everything we can to address your concerns. I have forwarded your message to a member of our Patient Satisfaction team who will get back to you shortly. Chrisi, we are committed to your total satisfaction and we look forward resolving any issues quickly and courteously. Thank you for letting Aspen Dental serve you
a verified customer
Just an update, since I haven't been on here in a long time--
TO ANYONE READING THIS AND HAVING THE SAME COMPLAINTS! FILE COMPLAINTS WITH YOUR BBB, YOUR STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL, AND YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY! THEN, SEND A LETTER DETAILING YOUR COMPLAINTS, WHOM YOU HAD COMMUNICATION WITH, WHAT YOUR ACTIONS ARE (FILING COMPLAINTS) AND WHAT YOUR EXPECTED RESOLUTION AND REFUND TO BE, SEND IT TO THE CORPORATE OFFICE, AND GIVE A COPY TO YOUR LOCAL OFFICE WHERE YOUR WORK WAS DONE (FOR THE OFFICE MISMANAGER). This was the ONLY way I got resolution, and I am not out thousands of dollars like some people on this discussion/complaint forum.
Good Luck to all of you.
a verified customer
Great come-on ads of free X-rays & exam + no interest financing for 12 months. Those of us on fixed incomes without dental insurance certainly would think this is a health care company providing good service to their customers. After X-rays & exam you are put in the box (Finance managers office) where you are told a series of lies about the condition of your teeth & gums in order to have you commit to exorbitant fees for unneeded procedures. Scare tactics of disease and tooth loss along with false concern for your health are used to prompt you to act now and sign on the dotted line. ( Press hard, there's three copies) The no interest for 12 months disappeared as it only pertains to amounts under $1000. I wonder how many customers see any estimates under $1000? Your credit ceiling has been determined prior to you going into the box by accessing your credit report with the information you provided in the new patient forms you filled out and guess what? You have been approved for that amount by the in house financing company partner of Aspen Dental. A finders fee is hidden in the financing charges that will be kicked back to Aspen on each contract adding additional costs to your dental care. Amounts of 5 to 10 thousand dollars are not uncommon for total dental care from this company and assurances your dental HMO will pick most of the costs are empty promises. The Aspen vultures know they have their payday since the funds from the finance company is placed in their account before they do any procedures and you signed an agreement stating you are fully responsible for payment regardless of any refusal by your HMO. Just another corporate predator preying on senior citizens, the working poor and the gullible.
Aspen Dental, greed based opportunists.
a verified customer
@G Martin They knew I had a mental disability and at first was soooooo sweet and then when I had issues with the horrible physical and emotional pain and distress the dentist said I was to hard to talk to because of my anxiety ( they assured me this would be no issue, ) these people have no soul, my mom went bankrupt 25, 000 later I have horrible teeth, no wedding for me now I am so traumatized, 12 yellow crowns covered healthy teeth, I was promised a bright shade and they knew that from day one. Even lied and called what I was getting was the "beautiful smile package" more like the " I thought my life was going to be so much better, not being able to smile is soul crushing, we are going to lie and lie and then make fun of your disability because your vulnerable " well I do my research and my caregiver is now speaking on my behalf, we have so many recordings of so many lies and ughhh... this place is evil, don't go here, they ruined my life, I can't leave the house
a verified customer
Funny, the same thing is happening to my husband and I. Aspen has overcharged me by $1635.00 according to my insurance company and I complained and now they are doing an audit on my account which could take anywhere from 5hours to 5 days. Everyone I talk to who has gone to Aspen has periodontal disease.
a verified customer
@Yvonne Are you serious? I've recently been told that and they pre-billed almost 400.00 for services I never received. When I requested a refund so I can go to another dentist since they refuse to submit paperwork to my insurance, they claim the money will be used to cover X-rays that were covered by my insurance.