Office & Staff

1. Hours :

Treatment hours: Monday through Thursday: 8AM – 5 PM. We close for lunch from 12:30-1:30 PM. If you should call during lunchtime, please leave a message and we will return your call at 1:30.

2. Directions

Townsend is in North Central Massachusetts just south of the New Hampshire border, about 20 minutes northeast of Fitchburg. My office is located at 208 Main St. (Route 119), ¼ mile east of the route 13 intersection in the center of town . It is in the Townsend Professional Building, between the Sterilite plant and the Townsend Cafe, both of which are easily identifiable. The map below is interactive. You can move the map by dragging it, as well as zooming out or in using the map controls in the upper left. This allows you to view the location of the office on a map of the United States or even the entire world. You can also switch to satellite view to see what the building looks like.

View Larger Map

3. Some Basic Office Information & policies

Payment: IS due when services are rendered. We accept cash, check and major credit cards.   For large balances, and with prior approval, we can arrange a payment plan for you. Seniors (age 60+) are given a 10% courtesy on all services.

Insurance: I accept Delta of Mass Premier, Blue Cross of Mass and Tricare.   Many PPO/PDO plans that we do not participate in will still pay us, however, payments may be made differently than if you see a participating dentist. WE WILL submit to any insurance plan on your behalf, HOWEVER, because insurance payment issues can be very complex, I suggest you check with your insurance company and ask specifically if they will cover services rendered at my office, even if my name is not included in your employee handbook.  Because every plan differs, and there is no way we can keep up with the changes, your insurance company is the best source of information for questions regarding coverage and payment. I do not accept Mass Health, and Medicare does not provide for dental services.

We will submit your insurance claim to your insurance company. However, submission does not infer payment, and we can make no guarantee of payment on any dental service rendered.  NOTE: Even a written pre-estimate, from your insurance company, stating that benefits ARE payable, DOES NOT guarantee that payment will be made by your insurance company. The patient is responsible for payment regardless of insurance coverage or implied benefits.

Scheduling: I DO NOT double book my patients**. Your time is specifically set aside for you alone. If you do not show up I am unable to give the time to another patient who may be waiting. I pay my staff even if they have nothing to do. Therefore, I do not have much patience with late arrivals and “no- shows.” Yes, I do charge a fee ** if you do not give 24 hours notice for a cancellation, and yes, I will generally excuse you the first time it happens .

**I respect my patients and show this respect by treating them properly, and not keeping them waiting to be seen (as often happens in other medical offices). A patient who arrives late causes us to be late seeing the patients who follow him or her. Patients who chronically arrive late or fail appointments altogether are seen as disrespectful to us, and are not welcome at my office.  I know you are busy, and I will work very hard not to keep you waiting for your appointment. Admittedly, I do occasionally have a procedure that becomes more difficult than originally expected, or I have to add an emergency patient to the schedule. This is the only time I might “run late”. In this rare circumstance, I would ask that you do understand, because if you were the patient that needed those few extra minutes, I would not leave you in the middle of a procedure.

EMERGENCIES: If you do have an emergency, it’s important to call as early in the day as possible. This helps my schedule run more smoothly, and insures you can be seen if necessary.

A note on emergency “squeeze in” patients: Except in extreme cases, I see my scheduled patients on time, and accommodate emergencies between patients.

AFTER HOUR EMERGENCIES: I share an emergency “on call” with several other local dentists, so in general, we have 24 hour coverage for patients.

This is our reception area. You can see that we are a small office. 900 square feet of space with three operatories a lab, and a business office. We have one dentist (that would be me), one hygienist, two dental assistants, one receptionist and Diana, my wife who is the office manager.

Marty & Diana 1995

(Diana's the one with the rose in her mouth)

Marty & Diana doing dentistry in Honduras 1995

(Taken immediately after Diana had chased a rooster out of the operatory)

Our Staff

My staff consists of Diana, my office manager, one full time assistant, one part time assistant, one full time receptionist, and two hygienists. All of them are loyal women who have been with me for years. Originally, I posted their pictures, along with other information, on this page. However, after receiving several creepy emails and even one creepy phone call, my assistant requested that I take her information down. In light of the decision to remove her information, I decided to remove the images and personal information on the other members of my staff as as well. A vast majority of people viewing this page are good, honest souls who live in the light. A minority, however, are of darker bent and live in the shadows.

We are sad to report that our long time receptionist, Kerry Speckman passed away after a difficult surgery in January of 2009. She was 36. Kerry was one of the most wonderful people I ever met. We will miss her forever.

Kerry Speckman
July 30, 1972 - January 19, 2009