Aspen Dental to pay $3.5M settlement over claims of deceptive advertising

Photo | Courtesy of Google Street View The Worcester location of Aspen Dental, in Lincoln Plaza

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By Isabel Tehan

Aspen Dental, a national dental care company with four locations in Central Massachusetts, has reached a $3.5-million settlement with the state’s Attorney General’s office. The settlement resolves claims that Aspen Dental used a series of bait-and-switch tactics on thousands of Massachusetts consumers, according to a Thursday release from the attorney general.

The settlement follows a December 2021 suit filed by then-Attorney General Maura Healey against the Chicago-based company. The claim alleged Aspen Dental violated the Consumer Protection Law and engaged in deceptive marketing campaigns, including charging patients for services it had listed as free, according to a December 2021 release.

The lawsuit included claims these deceptive tactics harmed consumers at Aspen Dental’s 25 locations in Massachusetts, including Worcester, Leominster, Auburn, and Natick.

“Deceptive advertisements like these can harm our most vulnerable patients looking for affordable dental care,” said Acting Attorney General Bessie Dewar in the Thursday release. “Today’s settlement prevents misleading advertising by Aspen Dental and puts money back in the hands of impacted patients.”

In addition to marketing paid services as free, Aspen Dental, according to the AG’s lawsuit, claimed to accept all insurance, when it did not accept the Massachusetts Medicaid program MassHealth, which includes dental. An April court order prohibited the company from continuing any all insurance campaigns without sufficient disclosures.

Terms of the settlement will require Aspen Dental to return up to $750,000 to patients who paid for what they were told were free new patient examinations, x-rays, and oral cancer screenings, according to the release.