Type of care. I made an appointment for teeth cleaning. Got a FREE check up that was billed to may insurance company. And never got an appointment for the cleaning after 2 months went to another dentist. The stole money from my insurance company for my free exam. read more

PLEASE READ!!! Had some dentures done a while back. Paid for premium dentures, and they are like child's play. After they throw them in your mouth they send you on your way. They are bulging out on 1 side,stick your tongue under them on the other side. THEY are ridiculous, I toss em in to walk in a store then have to rush to take them out as soon as I walk out. For thousands of dollars I would have been better off getting something from a gag store,this is not a joke people,they are terrible. The people working there are friendly,but you are there for the product, I feel like parking near the entrance on a daily,and show potential customers what they make and let them be the judge of the quality of what they would like to put in there mouth read more

You are going to look at these reviews and think there's no way that can happen to me, it will. They told me and everyone else in the office while I was there we have the same gum disease. The office is nothing like the pictures. In the room they have you go in they have posters about gum disease all over. I went to another dentist for a 2nd opinion and nothing was found. Don't risk it, go to another dentist I'm begging you. I feel so bad for the people that fall for aspen dentals scam. read more

This place is a horrible, I would give it zero stars if I could. Two years ago I got my first ever cavity fillings done at Aspen Dental. It was my first time ever having cavities filled so I didn't know what to expect, but even at the time it felt like something was wrong. When they did the novocaine shot in my mouth they only did a single massive shot in one location, rather than spreading it out in multiple smaller shots. The entire team then left to work with other patients and delayed resuming my care so long that the novocaine started wearing off while they were still working on my teeth. They gave me another shot of novocaine, but then went right back into drilling rather than waiting for the new shot to kick in. Having now seen another dentist who is more skilled, professional, and attentive, I feel confident saying the team at Aspen did a rushed, shoddy job on my fillings. They skipped multiple entire steps in the filling process that my new dentist does. The worst part is that only 18 months after my fillings at Aspen, my new dentist told me the previous fillings were done so badly that they shrank rapidly and opened up opportunities for cavities under the filling in almost every single tooth they worked on. I have spent the last 6 months trying to fix the horrible job Aspen did on my teeth. I know that dental work is expensive and Aspen seems affordable, but trust me that getting work done on your teeth at this chop shop will cost you way more in the long run. Do not risk it. read more

This dental business is unethical. They lure you in with free evaluations just so they can upsell you on services you don't want and often don't need. They're no better than a mechanic who lures you in with a free multi-system inspection, then convinces you to get your brake pads changed but doesn't do the oil change you wanted. Also, with each review on here, there is a response from an 'owner' about how they'd like to make you happy. I went in and talked to the office manager who treated me like an inconvenience and couldn't wait to get rid of me. Do yourself a solid and contact a local dentist, not located in a strip mall. Ask them whether they demand payment before they do the work. If they do, keep looking, because no self-respecting dentist requires you to make a deposit before they do the work. read more

Great place to flush your money down the toilet. if they say pre-periodontal disease, RUN. It's a scam, they will upcharge the hell out of you, most of which is not covered by insurance. I have two dental insurance contracts and pay almost nothing when I see a dentist. Arestin is not needed and has questionable therapeutic value, the placement has to be spot-on (clean and dry) and can't be disturbed (if you floss as directed it's gone in a day or two). read more

I hadn't seen a dentist in a few years, so I was glad to get scheduled so promptly at Aspen. That was until I was informed that I had "some periodontal disease going on," which, of course, meant that I would have to finance that $3,000 treatment plan with a new Care Credit line. So I went that route and scheduled my first cleaning shortly after being approved. I was embarrassed about it, but I discussed it with my sister-in-law, a recent dental school graduate. She was surprised, asked me where I had gone, and proceeded to tell me that Aspen Dental is the Only dental corporation that her school is warned not to work for, due to poor professionalism and low standards of quality. I ended up canceling my appointment with Aspen and rescheduling elsewhere. I request my X-Rays from Aspen be transferred to my new clinic. I'm told they'll take two weeks. It's been three months and they still have no record of receiving my X-Rays. The new clinic tells me I have no sign of periodontal (gum) disease. Go figure. Long story short: please take the advice of all the negative reviews and press Aspen is getting. Do not deal with them unless you want to be poked in the gums and told the cost is $3,000. During a pandemic, no less. Shameful. read more

Scammed us out of 2000 for saying I had a gum disease that I apparently do not have after further consultations. Also told me my insurance would pay for a portion of it but that was not the case. Would not recommend. read more

I haven't always been good about my dental hygiene. But I had to deal with this after I broke a quarter off my molar. The staff from the reception to the doc was great! This was my first appointment and I hadn't been to a dentist in over 4 years. My last experience was less than stellar and cost most of an arm and both legs. But seriously it was less than adequate. Theresa was my radiologist and was the best! Not dreading going back. read more

Copy-pasted from my google review: Would give them 0 if I could. Oh boy where to start with these scam artists. (By the way, these guys probably buy 5-star google reviews, if you don't believe me go and look at their actual Yelp reviews.) So let me start by saying I just wanted to get a quick cleaning done for my teeth, that's it, nothing more than that. They lure you in with the promise of free screenings, then over diagnose you with stuff that you don't need done. I have had a lot of dental work done at the University Of Iowa dental college. They would have noticed if I need anything done, let alone if I have anything done that was so severe it needed to be done before a cleaning. All of a sudden I have two cavity's that need to be filled and an infection in my gum line that needs to be taken care of before a cleaning of my teeth. Oh and then there is the pricing scam they got going on; They tell me that for the two pin-point cavity's it will be about $130 dollars after insurance and they need %50 upfront (which I have never had to pay up-front for dental work before it is done by the way). Still, this doesn't sound too outrageous right? Well the $130 was for after what they "estimated" they insurance discount would be. Are you kidding me? Who in the world "estimates" insurance prices? The actual price was $400 for both fillings after insurance. 3X the price of the original "estimate". They then bring me in for a periodontal chart and say I have an infection in the lining of my gums that will cost $500 dollars to fix. Are you going to try to tell me in the 5-years that I've been going to the U of I dental collage they somehow managed to oversee this infection that is required before a cleaning can even be done? I bring this up to them and tell them I'm don't want this and I just want my teeth cleaned. They tell me "I am not eligible for a cleaning." Lady, what in the world are you talking about? What do you mean I'm not eligible? The only thing I can think this means is that this "infection" is so bad that it needs to be taken care of before I even get my teeth cleaned, but the U of I didn't seem to notice this? Yeah, ok. Never go to these people. All they care about is money, and will try to take as much as yours as possible. TL;DR - Got two "cavity's" filled that probably weren't even cavity's, lost $300, almost $900 for nothing, and wasted a months worth of my time. read more

I was pretty excited an Aspen Dental opened until I went and found out that clearly these people don't know the word "professionalism". I took up the free exam offer as I knew I needed work done, but unsure if all I needed was a deep cleaning. The first dental tech took me back for a X-Ray and made lots of nosy small talk. I'm super friendly, so I didn't mind. When she asked what I was majoring in at school and I told her Liberal Studies she says, "well...I'm sure you'll become President one day". Good lord, stop watching Fox News and read a few books. That's not what Liberal Studies is. It's self directed studies. Next thing I know she's talking about "God help us all if Hillary Clinton becomes President". That's one person, I don't let it spoil my visit. Then the hygienist seats me in the chair and small talk with consists of her telling me about her or a relative's Chihuahua and because he's a Chihuahua they speak to him in a mangled broken Spanglish. Really?! And then the dentist finally comes in......chewing gum. What doctor comes in chewing gum???!!!! Then sitting over my face chewing gum. Afterwards I try to discuss how I felt the tech was inappropriate bringing up politics and the receptionist tries to say that she herself (not the tech) isn't anti gay. Dude.....no one went there. I was there with my wife and I didn't feel or say they were homophobic, just generally ignorant and uneducated outside of dental work. Though since they were overtly discriminatory and inappropriate in other areas, I wonder if they are as well. I decided not to receive dental care as I couldn't get past the unprofessional behavior. read more

Do not go to Aspen Dental, the convenience of the appointment is not worth the inconvenience of the malpractice. Read below. I am in Ames for school and thought I would go here due to the ease of getting an appointment. During my appointment (end of September) the hygienist kept telling me how great my teeth looked. The only dental problem I have ever had was 3 fillings 10 years ago. During the appointment the hygienist applied a fluoride treatment to my teeth without receiving my informed consent. This treatment ended up not being covered by my insurance and cost an unexpected $46. At the end of the cleaning, the dentist comes in and says all of the old fillings are bad and need to be replaced, and one may end up being a root canal. They quickly took me to the office manager to talk about financing options and when to schedule an appointment. Instead of doing this, I got a second opinion from my dentist at home who confirmed what I thought which was that my teeth are completely fine. Furthermore, immediately after my appointment I got an email asking me to fill out a survey about my experience. I filled this out, explaining my issue with the treatment without my consent (this was before I got a second opinion on the fillings). At the end of the survey you can request to be contacted to discuss your complaints which I requested. It has been 4 weeks and I have not been contacted. I also requested my x-rays to be sent to the office where I was going for a second opinion and was assured they would be there within a week. Three weeks later, the x-rays had never shown up. Extremely dissatisfied and upset with this experience. Going from a routine cleaning to possibly needing 3 fillings replaced and a root canal (for hundreds of dollars), was a terrible experience and created a lot of stress. Looking at reviews for this location as well as others around the country, I am not the only one with this experience. Do not go to Aspen Dental, the convenience of the appointment is not worth the inconvenience of the malpractice. read more

Just got back from pulling my final wisdom tooth. Dr. Hansen and team provided me with yet another great visit (which is really saying something when you're having your tooth pulled). At my appointment last week, he remembered that I needed to have my cavity filled (which I mentioned in my previous post). I am scheduled to go back next week to have it done. I watched TV while waiting. The entire process was painless and I am pleased. I strongly recommend giving them a chance! read more

Went in for 3 fillings and ended up with 3 fillings and 2 crowns after the dentist cracked one of my teeth. Ended up having to pay full price for all the work even though they messed up my teeth forever. Then the crowns only lasted 3 years. Ended up having go to an alternative dentist to have it replaced. read more

I feel terrible leaving a bad review, but I do feel strongly that people should not waste their time here. As a healthcare worker myself, I was disappointed to see the lack of customer service and long wait times with no updates provided or acknowledgement of the inconvenience. I didn't feel welcomed nor did anyone go out of their way to introduce themselves or explain much of what was going on. I've found a far better dentist in Ames luckily! I don't blame any one person, I think Aspen as a company likely doesn't foster a good working environment and this leads to the poor service. read more

They have been handing my dental needs wonderfully. Until my partial plate broke. They fixed it. 3 days later it was broke in the same place. I get told that even though I prepaid for all my dental work that I owe an extra $600. Fuck these guys. They are liars and crooks. All they want is your money. Nothing more and nothing less. 0 out of 5 for me if it was possible read more

Zero! If I could give them zero I would, treat patients like nothing, like trash or like they do the job for free, worse place for treating people I had gone in a very long time, I got a bottom retainer broken during a cleaning I was told they would calm me to solve it, I go to my second cleaning no one still called, asked the doctor about it, called the other told me they would solve it very simple and would called in two days, I spent two weeks calling until the doctor finally answered and told me he can't do it and I had to see someone else, they give me the referral but no one would take me for that with the covid, I asked them to talked to a colleagues as it would be more easy for me still as today I just was ignore, like They didn't do anything or I'm not they patient, and also said they probably would not pay for it, so if you had a problem cause by them just solve it yourself they're not help, don't go these place! Sure they're better places with better human treatment! So sad I didn't came and see the reviews before going looks like is their way! So if you care about how they would in the future treat you, find another place read more

THIS IS A LONG ONE BUT READ IT ALL!!! I wish that I could give this place zero stars. I am not from Iowa so trying to find a dentist that I can trust to not screw me over has really been a process. I will just walk you through my experience so hopefully this doesn't happen to anyone else. I made an appointment for a cleaning which was very easy to do but was scheduled on a Saturday which I thought was weird. Well I went to call to make sure they were even open on Saturdays and it turns out they had been trying to get a hold of me to reschedule my appointment. No biggy. So I made an appointment for a different time and day. That day rolls around and I show up and end up waiting 45 minutes past my appointment time. Someone finally comes back and takes me quickly through this process of getting X-Rays and then they take you to another area and someone comes in and checks your gums for gum disease which up to this point is not a huge deal... Then the doctor comes in and right away from looking at my X-Rays tells me I have 4 fillings that need "redone" because he doesn't like how they were done. So I thought that was weird and seemingly money hungry. It gets even better. So they tell me I am done and I asked when I will be getting my teeth cleaned? The girl says swiftly "not today." Which I was never informed that I wouldnt be getting my teeth cleaned that day. She then takes me to this ladies office to talking about financing my 300 plus dollars I will have to fork out for my filings to be redone. Now mind you everyone is very very nice that was the one plus so I thought it turns out they were very very nice to get me to trust them. I am a broke college student now freaking out over needing to spend over 300 dollars on my fillings that are supposed to last a lifetime. Well long story short I got bamboozeled into opening a freaking credit card... After going home and calling my mom she told me to cancel the credit card and to cancel the appointment to have them redo my fillings. So I did both of those things. I had to call twice and leave two voicemails before anyone called me back about canceling my fillings appointment and just keeping my cleaning. My insurance covers 100% of my 6 month cleanings. The lady on the phone told me my visit was going to cost 45 dollars. When I asked why she said because they add fluoride when they clean your teeth. So I asked to not have that and they said okay no problem. I show up to get my teeth cleaned and I asked again to make sure they didn't add that and she said "oh no one made a note ill take it off now." MONEY HUNGRY!!! So after my cleaning is done I receive a bill from the credit card company telling me I have a balance of 326 dollars with a payment due on the 15th. They charged that credit card for something I never had done. When I called to have them credit the money back they never answered and never called me back so 5 days goes by and I figured I would call again. Finally I got a hold of someone and she told me it was already taken care of at the start of the week. NO ONE CALLED ME BACK ABOUT HAVING TAKEN CARE OF THIS. And all I got was attitude from the lady on the other end of the phone. Never in my life have I experienced such a money hungry company it is really sad and I feel bad for the people who continue to go there and be ripped off by them. read more

How can I go from good gum depth ratings to losing a tooth due to bone loss in 3 months??? Plus I asked for my previous x-rays and they "couldn't find them"!!!!Then I got a follow-up email to see how I was doing with a "Chris" to call if any questions. When I called he didn't answer professionally plus he said he had to leave my call for a previous one...? Of course didn't call me back so I feel my business doesn't matter. Sketchy outfit don't go!!! read more

These people are crooks. First they tell me I have a cavity so I go in for a cleaning and a filling. Before they do my cleaning they tell me I have periodontitis and don't do my cleaning and send me into the business office where they tell me I'll have to pay $2500. And tried to get me to buy an electric toothbrush. I told them I didn't want to do that and they sent me back to the dentist who told me I didn't have a cavity and then didn't do a cleaning. So I left my appointment having nothing done and thinking I had gum issues. So I went to a different place and got a second opinion and this dentist said I had no issues at all and I finally got my cleaning. Never ever go to aspen dental unless you like getting ripped off. Turns out they have a lot of lawsuits against them for this periodontitis scam they have going read more

I was initially attracted to Aspen Dental because of its appointment availability and ease of scheduling appointments online, but be forewarned: this is not a dentist office but a pack 'em in rip 'em off dental corporation. It seemed easy: schedule online, confirm online, print out new patient forms ahead of time. Never during this time was it explained that I would not be going a cleaning, a standard in any in-take dental procedure, during my first visit. Two weeks later, I arrived to my appointment on time, and around the time of my appointment I was brought to the back for my X-rays. During this time, I explained that I wasn't having any issues with my teeth; I just wanted a cleaning. After the X-rays it was explained to me that the office was full and they did not have a room ready for me yet. Ok, fine. I waited in the X-ray area for about 20 minutes for a "room" (I say this because its just an open space with corporate-feeling "yay! smile!" quotes on the wall with a half wall dividing you from the next patient). Once in said room I waited OVER AN HOUR during which time nurses came in and out but never even acknowledged me. I overheard from one of the nurses that there were two patients ahead of me. Knowing how long cleanings and exams take, it was looking as though I would not be out of there by 8pm, nearly 3 hours after my appt time. FInally the dentist, a seemingly right out of dental school ink still fresh on the diploma sort of gentleman, came out and apologized for the wait. He then poked at my teeth and asked what brought me in. I AGAIN explained that I just needed a cleaning. That's when the assistant in the room informed me that I would not be getting a cleaning: the hygienist had gone home for the evening and that's not part of the first appointment. So, after waiting for nearly two hours they expected me to come back for a service that should have been part of any normal in-take procedure? No way. The dentist apologized and said it should have been explained to me because unlike normal dentists that see "one patient an hour [he] sees 8." I promptly asked my for X-rays and stated that I would not be wasting any more of my time in the office waiting for anything. If you want to be treated like less than a human being, herded in, and never given service, then check out Aspen Dental. If, however, your time is of any value to you and you expect at least decent customer service, go elsewhere. Trust me. read more

RRRRUUUUUUNNNNN!!!! They will try and inflate prices to get you to finance, They wanted $5,000 AFTER insurance for partial dentures and MUCH more for a bridge ($15,000)...Check the average prices and you see this is CRAZY!!! The website states reasonable rates...that they do not acknowledge or offer!!! https://www.aspendental.com/dentist/ia/ames/806-s-duff-ave-ste-104/pricing-and-offers... I had to ask them twice to confirm the absolutely crazy rates... read more

Worst experience.of my life. ever. Had to wait 2hrs past my appt time then another 1hr in the chair until I was seen and they did not even clean my teeth just tried to set me up for another appointment read more

TLDR: STAY AWAY. I chipped a tooth and went to the first dentist that popped up on Google, just so happened to be Aspen. I get in five minutes early, but apparently that just wasn't enough time as every person i saw made at least one passing comment about how late i was and how i cut into people's lunch breaks (So why even have that time slot available then you quacks) I go in for a chipped tooth, but right off the bat they tell me i have a bacterial infection (My gums didn't bleed when i brushed, i wasn't in pain, but they're the dentists i figured). Before i leave, im bright to the managers office (which is never a thing most dentists have you do) and he tells me the hygenist recommends a state of the art Bluetooth enabled power tooth brush and antibacterial wash. $150. I find it peculiar but if the professionals say so. The next day i come in for my filling and cleaning. Right off the bat the hygenist starts applying anasthetic to the wrong side of my mouth, and when i correct her she blamed it on Fridays. So she finishes up, and i go to the dentist himself. Miraculously, he finds a cavity in every single tooth. I look and i can barely see anything, but he swears they're there. I ask that we just deal with the chipped tooth and he says hed like to deal with the tooth right next to it since the area is numb. I agree. While operating on me he bitches and moans about the hygenist i was just with and would get up and walk to other patients while my anasthetic wore more and more off. By the time he would get back to me i could feel him operating on the tooth, and i told Gonn as such. He said that the painful parts were over and kept going. At the end of this whole ordeal, the manager tells me that he wants to deal with all the cavities and yelled me that my next visit will be a grand out of pocket. I suddenly feel sketched out, and told him that i would like to table this for now. I was scheduled four another visit and he made it very clear he would bring it up again next time (the dentist himself said the cavities were so miniscule that it could wait a year for my insurance to renew, but the manager wanted my money now) I felt very weird about this whole thing, so i did more research and found out that these people are essentially con artists. Now everything they've said is in question, and the filings they've given me hurt (which I've never had happen). Getting a second opinion from a different dentist this week. read more

These people are a bunch of ripoffs. I would give them no stars if I could. Not only did they charged me a lot more than the other Dentist in the surrounding area but they did not even worked on my teeth right. DO NOT GO HERE. read more

Great experience. I had all my teeth done there. Very nice service, no problems, no pain. I'd definitely recommend this to my friends. read more

I had an awesome experience they where all wonderful and treated me with kindness and I really felt that they cared. And I couldn't be happier with my new smile ILOVE IT! read more

Just had my teeth cleaned and they look and feel great! Love, love, love Ashley! She is the best. read more

I couldn't believe all of the negative reviews. Then I saw they were all from years ago. When I fractured a tooth Aspen dental was able to see me within a couple of hours. Since I was in the most pain I've experienced in my life I definitely appreciated it. After making sure I could close my mouth without pain and prescribing antibiotics to fix an infection that occurred I went back and was told I need a root canal. I thought great. Here comes the pain. Maybe I was lucky but after Dr. Hansen deadened the area I didn't feel any pain at all. He and all of the staff and assistants were nice and helpful also. I am so glad I chose Aspen dental. read more

Awful Service. I was left in the dental chair in the exam room for 30 mins. I could see the dentist who eventually came to see me out in the hall on his phone texting. When he finally came in he said "Ooops, sorry I didn't know you were in here." I came to find out it was his last day and they were having a going away party for him that afternoon. He had already mentally checked out. It would've been nice to know that it was his last day prior to scheduling with a new dentist. I wouldn't have gone in to someone who was leaving. He then talked to me for 10 minutes, said that I have no cavities but I had a discolored spot on my tooth that could be filled in white. This is not a necessary procedure but they tried to convince me to have a filing done in a tooth that doesn't need it, without explaining the purpose. The office manager apologized, I think she was mortified. My husband has had some fillings and a crown over the past 3 months and each time he has had a DIFFERENT dentist without them informing him of it. One of them even filled the WRONG tooth! She apologized as well and said they would do the right one and he wouldn't be charged! UH DUH!! He only stuck with them because they convince you to do their finance plan and prepay! I just think this is really sketchy service and business practices. It's pretty much like the Great Clips of Dentistry. You just don't know what you are going to get. read more

Not a dental office I will ever go back to - high pressure sales tactics, "giving" you fluoride and mouth rinse then quietly charging $26 for each item, and an office staff that openly makes fun of patients (the patient was still closing the door when the receptionist burst out laughing about the blood stain on the patients cheek...no compassion!). read more

Worst experience and most uncomfortable situation I've been in for a dentist office. I decided to give aspen dental a try because of the availability they have for night hours so I wouldn't have to take off work. The first appointment I had scheduled for a cleaning. They asked me to come a few minutes early to fill out paperwork. I got there 10 minutes early, filled out paperwork and sat in the lobby waiting for a whole hour after my scheduled appointment time. During this time many people who came in way after me went in before me and some even came out before I even went in, one who didn't even have an appointment scheduled. When I finally got back to the room they told me they were just doing a checkup, I said no I scheduled a cleaning. They told me they didn't have time for one. I was pretty upset. I waited about another half hour before the dentist came in to talk to me. I then had to wait about another half hour or longer before the hygienist came in and said she could give me a quick cleaning (all together it was less than ten minutes, very sloppy job). The whole time she was very rude to me and constantly saying I need to stop drinking pop right now. All together I was there for 2 hours and 40 min for a quick 10 minute cleaning.. I decided to give them another try, but when I found out you have to pay 60% of your services up front just to make an appointment I was turned off. Ive never heard of paying upfront for costs that have not been done yet. Will not be going back. read more

The only reason this institution received ANY stars is because the dentist and tech who initially took my x-rays were very kind and professional and seemed to have a genuine interest in my well-being. After the dentist took a look around in my mouth and at the x-rays, the hygienist came in to take some "measurements". Aka, stab a miniice pick into the gap between my gums and teeth in order to try and sell a gum-scaling and antibiotic treatment that would ultimately cost $1900 out of pocket. Not covered by insurance... Sketchy? I think yes. After discussing the cost of this procedure with the manager, as is protocol, and after I politely declined, he continued to try to sell me this procedure. He then brought in the hygienist who told me I " have to" have the procedure and that if I'm not going to have them scrape out my gums I might as well not even get a cleaning. Uhm, excuse me? She was not only very unprofessional but borderline disrespectful. The manager then proceeded to continue trying to sell me the procedure after I turned the hygienist down. I will absolutely not be returning to this establishment. I'm not going to go to a place where I'm treated like a cash cow as opposed to a patient. read more