Ok, a real quick story. My wife had been wanting to get her teeth checked out but it is hard for her to get time off of work to get an appointment at a normal dentist. We had an Aspen Dental open up in town a few months ago, so she decided to set up a first time appointment since they offer the first visit for free, insurance or not (we do not have any), and they take x-rays and check out your teeth and everything and then set things up for your first proper appointment. I asked if she wanted me to go with her both to just be there for her and also to see how it worked since I have a wisdom tooth that has been giving me trouble lately that I'll need to get taken care of eventually. At this point, I had no thought at all of it being a scam.
Anyway, we get in there and they call her back and all seems fine. They took x-rays then had us go to another room for them to check out her teeth and to talk to her about the x-rays. It was a weird area, the examination room was more like one big room with small dividers between patients in the typical dentist chairs. It came across as a madhouse, very disorganized to me. I was starting to think something was odd here. they walked over and talked to her and after checking out her teeth for a second the lady sat down and told her out of the blue that she had a slight infection in part of her gums and it would soon be to the point where she would get a full blown disease, I forget what she called it, but that it would lead to her teeth falling out entirely. She then started what was an obviously scripted spiel about how she needs a multi-visit cleaning plan to take care of the infection, and in addition she needed a powerful prescription toothpaste and mouthwash. I really thought something was up now. After that she pitched to her two electric toothbrushes saying it was needed to take care of everything.
I was in the corner already searching for scams at these places and found numerous hits online but I didn't say anything.
The actual dentist came in, said she had one cavity, and that she needed to take care of everything just how the other lady previously explained.They then took us to another room in an office where a lady in a business suit sat us down and started another obviously scripted deal on showing the breakdown of everything, the cost, and so on. She had a total for the cleaning plan set at over $500, and I asked what that included. She acted like she hated that I was there with my wife asking questions, and finally told me that included the prescriptions. I asked if it included the toothbrush also, and she said yes that it was automatically added to the total price. I then asked if they automatically add the more expensive of the two toothbrushes and she finally admitted yes to that as well.
She then was already trying to get us to set up the first paid appointment and then wanted our IDs to go over the various payment plan offers and all of that. I said no thank you and we would think it over and we left.
I have never felt so strongly that I was in the middle of a huge scam in my entire life. It was so slick, so smooth, but felt so wrong and dirty.
I assume it goes where they give you the free visit to get you in and essentially tell you all kinds of things that are wrong, that aren't actually wrong, and that then scares people into just doing whatever they say. My wife doesn't have anything wrong with her teeth, certainly nothing that extreme. I have looked up different things online and I've seen where lots of other people describe the same type of experience.
Have any of you guys ever had any experiences with Aspen Dental or any other place like that?
EDIT:
Here is an article on them from PBS titled "Patients, Pressure and Profits at Aspen Dental"...
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/front...atients-pressure-and-profits-at-aspen-dental/
Anyway, we get in there and they call her back and all seems fine. They took x-rays then had us go to another room for them to check out her teeth and to talk to her about the x-rays. It was a weird area, the examination room was more like one big room with small dividers between patients in the typical dentist chairs. It came across as a madhouse, very disorganized to me. I was starting to think something was odd here. they walked over and talked to her and after checking out her teeth for a second the lady sat down and told her out of the blue that she had a slight infection in part of her gums and it would soon be to the point where she would get a full blown disease, I forget what she called it, but that it would lead to her teeth falling out entirely. She then started what was an obviously scripted spiel about how she needs a multi-visit cleaning plan to take care of the infection, and in addition she needed a powerful prescription toothpaste and mouthwash. I really thought something was up now. After that she pitched to her two electric toothbrushes saying it was needed to take care of everything.
I was in the corner already searching for scams at these places and found numerous hits online but I didn't say anything.
The actual dentist came in, said she had one cavity, and that she needed to take care of everything just how the other lady previously explained.They then took us to another room in an office where a lady in a business suit sat us down and started another obviously scripted deal on showing the breakdown of everything, the cost, and so on. She had a total for the cleaning plan set at over $500, and I asked what that included. She acted like she hated that I was there with my wife asking questions, and finally told me that included the prescriptions. I asked if it included the toothbrush also, and she said yes that it was automatically added to the total price. I then asked if they automatically add the more expensive of the two toothbrushes and she finally admitted yes to that as well.
She then was already trying to get us to set up the first paid appointment and then wanted our IDs to go over the various payment plan offers and all of that. I said no thank you and we would think it over and we left.
I have never felt so strongly that I was in the middle of a huge scam in my entire life. It was so slick, so smooth, but felt so wrong and dirty.
I assume it goes where they give you the free visit to get you in and essentially tell you all kinds of things that are wrong, that aren't actually wrong, and that then scares people into just doing whatever they say. My wife doesn't have anything wrong with her teeth, certainly nothing that extreme. I have looked up different things online and I've seen where lots of other people describe the same type of experience.
Have any of you guys ever had any experiences with Aspen Dental or any other place like that?
EDIT:
Here is an article on them from PBS titled "Patients, Pressure and Profits at Aspen Dental"...
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/front...atients-pressure-and-profits-at-aspen-dental/
