Horrible Dentures and Service
My father, a 70 year old veteran, went to Affordable Dentures to get a pair of dentures He was seen by a Patrick McNamara. They were refusing to let people go back with their parents, which made me suspicious as several of these were very elderly and obviously needed the help. I insisted on going back with him and they finally let me. When the doctor came in, we asked for the economy denture package, which is the cheapest package at $400 and includes both the upper and lower plates. We had the actual pamphlet with us listing the packages and prices. The doctor refused to give us the economy package, and said that the only way he would do it is if we bought at least the $800 package. He was very rude and said that he could not fix dentures that would fit my fathers mouth with the economy package. So, finally, we bought the $800 package. He took the impressions and sent us back out front to wait. When we came back, he brought out a pair of dentures that would barely fit in dad's mouth. He couldn't close his mouth or lips at all, it looked like huge horse teeth. We think they were someone else's teeth that had been turned back in. The dentist said that if we had bought the economy package that we would have had to leave with them like that, but because we bought the more expensive package like he said, he would now take them back and adjust them to fit better. When he came back again, they were a little bit smaller but still wouldn't fit correctly. He said that it would take a few weeks for dad to get used to them and ushered us on out of the office. We waited. Over the weeks the teeth did not improve. Dad could not wear them without pain. He had to eat soups and broths because it was simply impossible to eat with them. They rubbed wounds into his gums. He took them back and the doctor said they just needed adjusting and took them back again. He came back only a couple of minutes later and there was no discernible change at all. They still were too big and painful. Dad came home again and gave them some more weeks. No improvement. When he went back to the office a third time and asked the dentist to either fix them correctly or refund his money, the dentist took him by the arm and pushed him out of the office and told him not to come back. He was very rude. So, dad is stuck with no money, no dentures that fit, and no way to eat solid food. He gums what he can and has lost a lot of weight. It has sickened me to see him treated this way, and humiliated me that I can not fix the problem or provide him with a better solution. If someone has any ideas for what I could do to help, I would greatly appreciate it.
My advice to anyone considering the service is, DO NOT let your elderly parents go there alone, insist on going back in the office with them, and do not let them talk you into a higher priced package. Make sure you get the dentist's name that serves you and document what happens. It is my opinion that this service has more patients than it can handle, as there were people lined up all the way to the end of the parking lot in the morning waiting to get in, and filled up the waiting room and overflowed outside. You would be better off saving your money and getting your teeth somewhere else.
By the way, if this does happen to you, your only option is to file a complaint, which you do by calling a number. The woman who answered took our complaint but said there was nothing she could do to help. We asked to talk to her manager and were told we would have to wait on a call back. The manager finally called back several hours later and was rude and unhelpful on the phone, twisting my words and refusing to understand or help. She finally said that we could go to another branch, perhaps one in Georgia, and pay for another package to have another set of teeth made. Really? That is the best they can do?
