Aspen Dental comes to Albany to provide relief to ‘dental desert’

ALBANY — A new dental practice is hoping to fill the access to care gap in the Albany area while offering a little something extra to its patients.

Aspen Dental opened in Albany on Oct. 6 at 2630 Dawson Road, in the new four-unit strip center at the intersection of Dawson Road and North Westover Boulevard, under the leadership of Dr. Chukwujindu Nwaigbo.

Nwaigbo, who received his doctor of dental surgery degree at the University of Minnesota, is working with a team to provide dental services ranging from dentures and preventive care to general dentistry and restoration.

The office is one of 29 Aspen practices in Georgia, a state in which 128 of 159 counties have dental health professional shortage areas as designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Those areas are referred to by those in the dental industry as “dental deserts,” which is defined as a region where there is a great need for dental providers.

Like with medical care provider shortages, such “deserts” are most common in rural areas.

“There is a need in this region,” Nwaigbo said. “It is unique not just to Georgia.”

Nwaigbo said he likes working in such an area, in part because people are more appreciative of what a provider does when there are fewer to choose from.

The “desert” designation is among the reasons for bringing an Aspen practice to Albany, company officials said.

“This is a nice community,” the dentist said shortly after the practice’s opening. “We have been open a week, and we have not had a reason to say the patients have been rude to my staff.”

Some people living in a place where dental services are scarce might not get an appointment at an existing practice. Individuals need to be in a dental office for preventative care every six months, and when appointments are hard to come by, some individuals may wait two or three months just to get in the door, Nwaigbo said.

“Some have not been to a dentist in 10 years,” he said.

A physician’s visit is warranted on an annual basis, and with the mouth being the “window to the body,” a dentist appointment is just as important — even if it is just for a cleaning.

Beyond a cleaning, signs of hypertension and thyroid disease are among the conditions a dentist might be able to see signs of when a patient opens their mouth, Nwaigbo said.

“Sometimes people get bad news of systemic disease when they go to the dentist,” he said. “Something not right in the body could (be reflected in the mouth).”

Aspen Dental officials said its practices offer programs and services meant to make it easy for patients to get the dental care they need, including personalized treatment, friendly service, affordable care, on-site denture labs and a denture money-back guarantee.

To offset costs, the Albany practice offers free new-patient exams and X-rays and welcomes walk-in emergency patients, Aspen officials said.

Nwaigbo said the Albany practice accepts most insurance plans while also working with those who are uninsured through a payment plan. Treatment is personalized in that a way is found for all of a person’s specific needs to be met in a short period of time so patients can address the business they have away from the dental chair, the dentist said.

“There has been a very good response,” he said. “The schedule is really full. We like it, it keeps us busy. The response has been phenomenal.”

Nwaigbo said there is something at the practice for everyone needing dental care.

“Over time, with the clinic here, we will have an impact on the community,” the dentist said. “We are already having one, I believe.”

Aside from Nwaigbo, an office manager, two front-desk employees, a hygienist, two assistants and a lab tech are staffed at the Albany practice. A third assistant is expected to come on board within the next two weeks, and there are plans to bring in an oral surgeon, the dentist said.

Aspen Dental practices number more than 550 across 35 states. In 2015, Aspen Dental-branded practices recorded more than 3.7 million patient visits and welcomed nearly 785,000 new patients, officials with the company said.

The Albany office is open 7:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday and on Saturday by appointment only. The closest Aspen location outside of Albany is in Valdosta.

To learn more about Aspen Dental practices or to schedule an appointment, visit aspendental.com., or call (229) 349-6257 or 800-ASPEN DENTAL (800-277-3633). To learn more about careers at Aspen practices, visit aspendentaljobs.com.