Aspen Dental breaks ground on new mall clinic

Posted on Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at 2:19 pm

By BRIAN JUSTICE

City Editor

 

With ground being broken Monday on a new Aspen Dental Clinic on Northgate Mall property, company officials are optimistic the facility will be open for business in June or July.

Kasey Pickett, Aspen Dental Management Inc. director of communications, said in an e-mail to The News that Aspen is excited to soon be serving southern Middle Tennessee.

“We’re thrilled to be expanding into Tullahoma,” she said. “The goal of every Aspen Dental practice is to help patients get the care they need, particularly in markets where there’s an unmet need.

“It’s about providing access to quality, convenient, affordable dental care.”

 

Ken Keller, Northgate Mall’s general manager, said the mall is glad to have Aspen as a new tenant.

“Aspen Dental is committed to offering quality service with a ‘patient first’ mentality that will serve our community and surrounding neighbors well,” he said.

Pickett said most of Aspen’s team will be hired locally, although there’s a possibility that some employees will re-locate from other Aspen dental facilities.

She the staff will include between eight and 10 employees and one to two dentists. The support team will include a hygienist, dental assistants, lab technicians, an office manager and a patient services representative.

The new practice will provide dental services that range from dentures and preventive care to general dentistry and restoration, Pickett said.

In addition to offering patients the choice of eight styles of Aspen Dental’s exclusive “ComfiDents” brand full and partial dentures, the clinic will provide comprehensive exams, hygiene services, treatment of periodontal (gum) disease, extractions, fillings, oral surgery, whitening, and crown and bridge work.

An onsite denture lab, which helps facilitate quick turnaround, will also be available.

Pickett said the office will be open extended hours, including evenings and select Saturdays, so that patients can see a dentist at a time that works best for their schedule. Walk-in and emergency patients will be welcome, she added.

The Tullahoma Planning Commission recently approved a site plan that allows a 3,200 square-foot commercial building to be constructed at 1600 N. Jackson St, which is on the Northgate Mall property. Joe Lester, Harton Realty general manager, made the application. The property is zoned C-2 general commercial.

Information Aspen Dental has provided on the Internet says the corporation serves about 1.5 million patients at more than 250 office locations in 21 states, including Tennessee, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

Aspen Dental’s history started in Syracuse, N.Y., at a dental lab called Upstate Dental, which began operations in 1964.

In 1981 Upstate Dental merged its lab services with centralized management services to initiate the new dental practice management concept. The company became Upstate Dental Management, LLC in 1997 when an investor acquired Upstate Family Denture Services, Inc., Upstate Denture Labs, Inc. and East Coast Dental Management, Inc.

The last step in the creation of Aspen Dental came in 1998 when Upstate Dental and East Coast Dental merged and agreed on a common name: Aspen Dental Management Inc.

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