Patient Discovers Deserted Dental Office in 'Creepy' Video: 'Call the Cops'

In a now-viral video, a woman said she scheduled an emergency appointment at an Aspen Dental office in Mount Airy, North Carolina, but no one was there when she arrived

The woman, JoyMaria, posted the video to TikTok over the weekend, writing: "We showed up at 9:20 for a 9:30 emergency appointment and [were] greeted by a creepy, empty, open dentist's office..." It has amassed over 3 million views and hundreds of concerned comments telling JoyMaria to call the police. Some commenters also warned JoyMaria about Aspen Dental, calling it the "absolute worst."

Aspen Dental

Aspen Dental is a corporate dental chain with 1,000 offices across the U.S. According to its website, each Aspen Dental office is a "branded practice" that is "owned and operated by a licensed dentist." However, a class-action lawsuit filed against the company in 2012 accused Aspen Dental of illegally owning and controlling "358 [of its] dental clinics in violation of laws in 22 states which allow only dentists to own a dental practice," PBS reported. A spokesperson for Aspen Dental told Newsweek that this lawsuit was later dismissed.

In 2021, Massachusetts State Attorney General Maura Healey sued the company for "bait-and-switch advertising campaigns," The Patriot Ledger said.

"Aspen Dental took advantage of vulnerable consumers in need of dental care and used misleading advertising to lure them into their offices under false pretenses," Healey said in a statement via The Patriot Ledger. "We're suing this company for violating both state law and its earlier promises not to engage in precisely these illegal practices, and we're seeking restitution for patients harmed by this misconduct."

Aspen Dental "intends to fight this case."

"Sadly, the Massachusetts Attorney General has brought a lawsuit based on overblown rhetoric that's inconsistent with its own actions. Not surprisingly, we intend to fight this case," the spokesperson told Newsweek.

Several patients also complained to the Better Business Bureau about alleged billing errors and "false diagnoses."

'There's Nobody Here'

In her video, JoyMaria said she'd scheduled an emergency appointment for her daughter at their local Aspen Dental office. When they arrived, however, the office was completely empty...and open.

"Everything's open," she said as she walked past the front desk decorated with pumpkins, opened a door as though she were going back for treatment, walked past two business-use cubicles with computers and phones, and turned left down a hallway that led to the patient rooms.

"We've been yelling and calling for people...[but] there's, like, nobody here," she said.

Walking the other way down the hallway, she called "Hello?" before stopping and showing one room with a single pair of white sneakers on the floor near a patient chair.

Confused, she called Aspen Dental's corporate office, but they placed her on hold.

"We're about to leave because I've watched too many horror movies for this," JoyMaria said as she re-entered the lobby.

Viewers React

JoyMaria's viewers agreed that the situation was weird and urged her to call the police.

"Don't call corporate. Call the police! This could be an actual emergency and corporate isn't going to do anything," cuteusername advised.

"Call the police. Something may have happened," Jenni Lee agreed.

JoyMaria confirmed for Jenni Lee that she did, in fact, call the police.

In a follow-up video posted on Monday, JoyMaria said she eventually received a call from the regional manager, who explained there had been a "scheduling error."

"The office is open one Saturday a month and they had to move the day this month. How this patient was scheduled when the office was closed is an honest mistake. Why the doors were unlocked is under investigation," the company spokesperson said.

Newsweek has reached out to JoyMaria for comment.

More Viral Posts

In July, a woman booked an Airbnb that turned out to be an abandoned villa.

In April, an urban explorer stumbled across a nuclear bunker inside an abandoned mansion.

And last summer, a man shared eerie snaps from a deserted 19th-century farmhouse, which still had food rotting in the fridge.

09/28/2022, 3:00 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include comments from Aspen Dental.