Aspen Dental

After reading so many negative reviews online, I ignored the warning signs and came here for the sake of convenience to have a standard cleaning; however, I am warning others not to make the same mistake.

This entire office is the equivalent of a desperate con artist and pushy used car salesman all-in-one.

Before I get started, please note that if english is not your primary language, they will take advantage of you at every turn to maximize costs by adding unnecessary procedures and items to your bill (as they did with my partner and I).

Let me begin by saying I was seen by 4 people for a teeth cleaning session: an X-Ray Tech, a Hygeinist, Gum Specialist, and a Scheduling Coordinator.

After seeing these 4 people, I still did NOT receive the original cleaning (which is all I asked for) and was told I would need to come back at a later date for the actual cleaning service, as today was only a “consultation.”

That’s not even the worst part.

After 2 hours in the office with no cleaning and being upsold at every turn, then came time to speak to their “Scheduling Coordinator” which helps set up Part Two for the actual cleaning. Really, this is just a salesperson. The dentists and everyone else awkwardly shuffled and disappeared while this lady prepared to deliver the bad news.

Again, we were only here for a teeth cleaning procedure with great insurance that covers 100% of costs. We were both informed we would be paying over $4,000 for today’s visit, with over $1,000 out of pocket. Shocked, I requested a printed receipt and invoice to see what costs so much when I still have not even received a cleaning.

Aspen Dental added a $140 “special toothbrush”, $70 mouth wash, and $60 tooth paste. When I informed her we declined the offer already, she told us “I can’t take this off, it is included in the offer.” Then we insisted, saying there was no way either of us would be paying for these after declining. We then received one of the worst sales pitches I have yet to witness at any business, being told “this toothbrush is special, it lights up and tells you if you’re brushing too hard or not.” Who cares?

At this point I would have rather paid to have anesthesia, because this 5-minute specialized toothbrush sales pitch almost put me to sleep.

This salesperson was literally telling us this item was “absolutely worth its value” and “don’t wait, buy it now!”

Then we were told we would eventually be charged for the cleaning as well, which would come at a later date weeks down the road. So we were lied to from the beginning, and almost charged for multiple procedures/items that neither of us wanted.

We politely ended our visit by asking them to CANCEL the entire “Part Two” of the visit and walked out in disbelief.

This is far from a dental office, and really just a glorified profit-center. After the ridiculous billing portion, bait-and-switch technique for the cleaning, and shady business tactics, we did not trust a single diagnosis we received that day and will be going somewhere else.

Trust me, you’re much better off being on a 6 month waiting list with another dentist office. Avoid this place at all costs and good luck.

Went to have a tooth extracted, was done very quickly, I didnt feel anything. Staff was great and explained everything to me. Follow up appointments were also right in and out with little wait time. I have been a patient at this location for 8 years, and I'm not going to go elsewhere!

Greatest Dental team I have received services for. The reason why is because from the moment I walked in the door to the moment I walked out every person for Aspen Dental that I interacted with was super nice and helpful (front desk professionals, technical assistants, dentist, scribe, and financial assistance planner). I found it extremely helpful that I not only receive recommendations for treatment but also was asked about any concerns that I might have. Thank you

Everyone was quite friendly and enthusiastic. I especially liked that I wasn't shamed for not coming in more regularly or for not flossing (I try to remember! I really do!). I was a little annoyed by how long I had to wait between seeing the hygienist and then the doctor, but I then overheard that because of Covid-19, they only had one doctor at a time in the office, so that was reasonable.

My visit was very positive. The knowledge of the staff helped educate me on my oral care that I have never received prior to my visit to Aspen Dental. I have been pleased and informed friends and family of the experience I have had in hopes that they too well decide to go to Aspen Dental for their oral care.

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.

The service and people are good, but it seems that they are a bit understaffed. The dentists are very busy and don't have much time to spend with each patient. With that said, I think they do a good job on the actual dentistry, just don't have enough time to explain everything. I would recommend you to read your procedure ahead of time

My name is Andy. For some reason I couldn't use my personal gmail so
I used my band account.

Aspen in Ithaca is great. The staff is friendly, and helpful. They have worked with me to help me keep my teeth healthy and my bills affordable. Nice clean office as well. I never looked forward to going to the dentist till I found this office.

I had a good feeling when I met the dentist but then when I went to check out, they never scheduled the appointment for a couple of teeth to be extradited. I got a call from them to set that up and that's when I was asked why I didn't go to the previous appointment but I told them I had been there. That's when I found out they never made my appointment for the following week. When I had the procedure I was very disappointed by how things were handled. I aso do not understand why you have to pay upfront. I've never encountered that at ANY dentists over my 50 years of going to the dentist or the oral surgeon's and always paid when the procedure was complete.

Staff incredibly friendly and professional. LOVE that they provide range of services—periodontist on site, and I need an implant and they can do that, without being referred somewhere else. The large equipment is pretty worn-looking—chairs, X-ray machine—but it all seems to work fine.