I had been having pretty bad toothache pain for quite a few days but had not decided on a dentist…read moreto go to. When I woke up one morning with my jaw swollen to the size of a softball I knew I had to just choose somewhere and get it taken care of immediately. I called up Aspen & they told me, with the size of the swelling they could not do anything right away, but that they would call the hospital and make sure I was seen right upon arrival and treated immediately with an antibiotic for the infection and swelling. I appreciated this, as no one wants to wait hours in a hospital before even being seen. So this helped speed the process of getting my problem taken care of.
Once I got into Aspen for my appointment a few days later, I was taken back for many X-rays first, then set down with Dr. Dietz to discuss what dental work I would need. She was very good at explaining to me what all needed to be done and why, as well as reassuring as I told her I had an extreme fear of dentists & dental work, almost a phobia. She explained the sedative procedures they could use and that they were all very gentle, & wanted their patients to be as comfortable as possible. I loved all of their attitudes and felt very comfortable in their office.
That is, until I was taken back to their financial office to talk about all the payment options. They do estimates of what your insurance will pay for, and then you have to pay for your entire treatment plan up front. They have outside credit options where you can borrow money to pay for it and then pay it back in monthly payments. As I have no savings on hand, I am glad they offered this option and it is what I chose. However, I could not get approved for my entire treatment plan, which included removal of two abscessed teeth, removal of my wisdom teeth, a crown over a tooth I had a root canal on years ago, bridges, and periodontal cleaning. My entire treatment plan, after insurance, was still over $6,000. I had to shorten my treatment plan to just the periodontal cleaning and removal of the two abscessed teeth. I was also charged $135 for an electric toothbrush, which I did not see on my bill before I went through the process of borrowing money, & of course no one informed me of this charge. I do not believe it was a necessary charge and would have elected to remove that one, had I been informed of it.
On to the dental work they did, when I went in to get my teeth extracted, I was given two pills, which they informed me would be a conscious sedation, and would make me very relaxed and sleepy, & not care what they were doing. They said I would not remember the procedure later. Boy, were they wrong! I remember the entire procedure and was not relaxed during it, as the dentist really struggled and was not gentle getting the second tooth out of my mouth. The pills did nothing to relax me. I cannot entirely blame this on them, as I have read many accounts of people being given the drug they gave me and being very relaxed or even asleep during dental work, however the drug did not work on me.
At my first appointment they did half of my periodontal cleaning and the dentist was very gentle, numbed my mouth, and gave plenty of time for it to get entirely numb. On my third appointment, for the second half of my cleaning, she did not give any time after the numbing shots and went straight to work on my mouth. This made the procedure extremely uncomfortable and slightly painful for me. I believe they were all extremely reassuring and gentle on my first appointment, but that seemed to lessen at my second and third appointments and now I am afraid that any future appointments and procedures they will not be as comforting as they had been. I am still very grateful for the work they did, as I am no longer in the pain I was in. But I may look for another dentist for any future work. After my tooth extraction I was not given much after care instructions, such as when and what to eat, how to care for my open gums, or anything else. All I was told was not to drink carbonated beverages. I would have liked more information instead of going home and looking up after care instructions and tips on my own. I also believe that their dental practice may be more expensive than others. I know dental work is very costly, however a practice should inform you of all charges against you and what they are for before you pay them. I may return to Aspen for more work in the future, but I will definitely look around at my other options before doing so.