RICHMOND, Va. -- Diabetic patient Jarrett Kinney describes the last few months of his life as an absolute nightmare.
The Richmond resident is in need of a new set of dentures after having his teeth removed and not being able to use the dentures he was given.
"I have diabetes and other things, but I’m losing a lot of weight. It’s messed my life up," Kinney said.
In March, Kinney said he sought help for issues he was having with his teeth.
“I was having problems with my teeth, so I said okay let me go to Aspen," he said. "They said okay, we can help you. So they did Xrays."
Following his X-Rays at the Aspen Dental in Midlothian, Kinney says he agreed to a full mouth tooth extraction to prepare for a set of dentures.
"They said well, we will get you set up and start the procedure, so they did it and took out my teeth," Kinney said.
Shortly after the procedure, Kinney says he received a set of immediate dentures.
"They call them healing dentures, and they said they won't fit perfect, but they'll fit," he said.
According to Dr. Rocio Lopez, who hasn't worked with Mr.Kinney, but agreed to talk to us generally about cases like his, immediate or healing dentures are worn temporarily while the gums are healing.
"This is when they want to have something to get out of the office and smile, that is called the immediate dentures because it is placed the day we pull the teeth," said Lopez.
Kinney said though he knew they wouldn't fit perfectly, he could barely eat with the set he was given.
After several conversations with Aspen Dental staff, Kinney said he was told they could no longer help him. He said he feels embarrassed and defeated with no teeth and now dentures he couldn't use.
"They said something about my gums. I’ve never heard of anything like that before, and I’ve talked to some friends that have the same dentures and stuff and they told me that never happened to them," Kinney said.
We did reach out to Aspen Dental and received this statement from their corporate office.
“Aspen doctors will do everything they can do to satisfy a patient and their needs. In very rare cases, if a patient receives treatment and the doctor does everything they can do to work with a patient, but the patient still isn’t satisfied, there is typically an agreement to discontinue treatment and a patient is notified.”
Meanwhile, Kinney says he is still left without a way to eat properly and isn't sure what to do next.
"Imma have to go months more without eating stuff I like until I get this fixed. The joke's on me. Don't know at all what I'm going to do," said Kinney.
If anyone knows of a dentist willing to donate their services and who may be able to help Mr. Kinney get his smile back, please reach out to me at joi.fultz@wtvr.com.
