SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A San Diego man’s toothache was nothing compared to the financial headache he said he experienced after a procedure meant to improve his quality of life.
Willie Brown is a musician who often parks his RV by the San Diego Embarcadero and plays his music. When Brown needed dental implants in late 2023, he said he found a dentist through a TV ad.
According to Brown, he paid Mini Dental Implant Smile Center $7,000, which included two $500 checks made out to a company called “An American Dream.”
Brown said the initial implants caused more pain, so six months later he said new implants were put in. His discomfort continued, and Brown said he had a temporary partial implant put in in the meantime.
When the pain did not go away, Brown said he “came to an agreement that after the second implants didn’t take,” he was going to receive a refund.
What complicated matters was employees told him in early May 2024, the dentist who performed the procedure had recently suddenly passed away.
He said he tried to give the office some time following the passing to show “a little respect,” but then Brown said all he received after that was excuses.
He shared with ABC 10News multiple text messages between him and who he said was a dental office manager talking about the potential refund and delay.
“All I want my money back,” Brown told ABC 10News.
Attorney Brian Gonzalez, who is not affiliated with this case, said when dealing with the death of a healthcare provider, patients can try to go after the corporate entity, the dental practice itself, or the estate if they feel like money was wrongly taken from them. However, he said that process can be tough.
“The ability to recover is going to be limited by the fact that there's still funds in the estates in the practice, in that corporation, and those funds would probably be deleted pretty quickly once the person passes away,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez emphasized that written documentation is key, and that text messages can also be helpful.
At the office building on Linda Vista Road, the signs for the business are still up, but nobody answered the door during ABC 10News’ visits.
As of March, the company’s website said the office is in a “state of transition.” ABC 10News anchor Melissa Mecija called the phone number on the website to try to get answers for Brown. A representative said they would pass along the requested information, but she has not heard back.
She also called the phone number for the office manager Brown said would help process that refund. The woman said she no longer worked at the office and hung up the phone.
Brown filed a complaint with the Dental Board of California, but the board said there was “no violation of the Dental Practice Act.”
The business was dealing with other legal issues.
ABC 10News spoke to another former patient who filed a small claims case in San Diego in December against Mini Dental Implant Smile Center. Joseph Conway said he had a different dentist than Brown. He wrote in the lawsuit that the “ business was negligent and put in dental implants incorrectly.”
Attempts to reach the person who filed the business license with the State of California have also been unsuccessful.
“I’m on a fixed income — 73 years old — so I wanted to be able to chew and have a nice smile,” Brown said.
