I am 53 years old and get my teeth cleaned every six months. After being laid off, I got a new job, and with it came new dental insurance. I had to find a new dentist who took my insurance. Aspen Dental was the closest provider to my home. When I got there I got very anxious as I had to fill out tons of paperwork about payment plans. I had extensive Xrays done, then my exam (without a cleaning first, which to me seemed very odd). Then a woman came in and prodded my teeth with some kind of instrument. I was informed that I needed a type of scraping done, where they numb your mouth and then shoot antibiotics in your gums. Then I was told that my dental insurance would not cover the total cost of the procedure, and that I would have to pay $275 out of pocket. I explained to the office manager that I was only making $15 an hour, and with that I was supporting a disabled husband and a disabled son. There is no way I could afford $275 to get my teeth scraped. Well of course they tried to sell me on the payment plan, but I said No and asked for a regular cleaning. The dentist came out and told me that it was "against his principles" to clean my teeth and that I should find another dentist if I couldn't pay the price. Well I DID find another dentist, and guess what?? He told me that I didn't need any such scraping. I had no bleeding of the gums, and there was no reason in the world why I should have to pay for such a thing. He said he would have been surprised if this was the first time someone came to him with this story, but that he has treated about SEVENTY-FIVE patients that told him the exact same thing. The Office Manager felt so sorry for me that she waived the normal $5 fee for sending me my Xrays to give to my new dentist.