After graduating from the University of Connecticut Dental School in 2014, Dr. Secola underwent a general practice residency before relocating to Dallas. She enjoys providing high-quality dental care to all patients. Dr. Secola's residency training was at the same facility where Dr. Damon and Dr. Blankenship were residents as well. This program is through the VA hospital system and only allows for 2 residents per year.
Partial dentures, or partials, are dentures that replace only a few missing teeth in the patient’s mouth. Partials rest on a metal framework that will be latched onto the patient’s natural teeth for support. If the patient’s existing teeth are insufficient, dental crowns are usually used to augment the natural teeth and serve as more stable anchors for the partial dentures.
For many years, partial dentures have been used to replace groups of teeth or a few teeth scattered across the lower or upper jaw. There are a variety of removable partial dentures available to patients and each one comes with its own set of benefits and disadvantages. All partial dentures attach to remaining teeth and have a gum–colored portion meant to blend into the existing gum, with prosthetic teeth to replace the missing teeth.
I had a really great experience with Affordable Dentures and Implants. My mom has always been afraid of dentists and didn't take care of her teeth. She also had a stroke a few years back which has created a few more barriers to treatment. It's difficult to explain to anyone who doesn't personally know a stroke survivor, but she gets antsy pretty quickly and can be a bit difficult to work with at times. She's also physically handicapped and can't use her left side, plus is having trouble transferring from her wheelchair to other seats, getting into a helpful position, and following directions, so it's a bit of a unique situation. She underwent major oral surgery in this office- multiple extractions and bone augmentation- in order to get dentures. This is something we've seen a couple different dentists for, but she has always refused treatment because she didn't like something about the office or wanted to be put to sleep in a hospital, which was out of our budget. Given her limitations and dental anxiety, I wasn't sure what to expect this time around, but I couldn't have been happier with how this office behaved. The front office has been great in terms of explaining processes, scheduling, and billing. I've also had to coordinate paratransit to get my mom to the office, and they've worked with me on times to make sure everything lines up right. Something you can probably only appreciate if you've been in a similar situation. They've also worked with us on fixing issues and missed appointments due to unforeseeable circumstances. Not only did they not scold us for missing an appointment, but they worked with me to resolve the problem that caused it- my mom's assisted living facility biffed it and didn't give her pain medicine after her surgery. :/ But, like I said, this office came through and helped- always making her care the top priority. As far as back office goes, Carlos the assistant has the patience of a saint. Seriously. We had to do a full series of x-rays because my mom couldn't stand up for the pano. My mom had trouble holding still and repeatedly failed to follow instructions. Carlos never stopped smiling and encouraging her. He had a lot of positive energy and kept joking with her throughout, which I know went a long way to making her feel good about the office. He did the same during the other visits, but the x-rays I'm sure were the biggest challenge. Jennifer assisted with the surgery. She was incredibly kind, gentle, and thoughtful. She was always doing what she could to keep my mom comfortable and looking out for her. She even went and grabbed my mom a pillow to make sure she was comfortable. Dr. Athari has an amazing sense of calm about him. He walked us through everything and talked to us throughout the procedure. My mom needed frequent breaks during the surgery and he always gave her the time she needed to regroup. He was very gentle and mindful with her throughout the procedure, and I'm certain that's what got my mom through it without issue. I cannot stress how difficult this process could have been considering the amount of care needed and the limitations of the patient. However, these folks rolled with everything we threw at them and never missed a beat. Always helpful, knowledgeable, kind, and gentle. If I had to find one negative about the office, it would be the wait times. On our first visit, one woman in the waiting room said she'd been waiting 30+ minutes. It took a day to get a call back to schedule. We waited a little while in the office too. However, when you consider that they're working with people like the person I brought in, and that it's totally impossible to predict the needs and behaviors of some of the patients who go in there, it's totally understandable. I have no doubt they took a little longer because they were treating someone else exactly as they treated us- with patience and understanding. That's worth waiting for. So, if you do go, be prepared for some short delays, but also know why those delays happen. Overall, they work like a well-oiled machine. We got to meet the whole team, including their on-site lab techs. Every single person met us with a smile and kind words. I cannot thank Dr. Athari enough for creating an environment like this. Before I close, I'd like to add a word on fees as well. I almost hesitate to call this an affordable dental office, simply because they obviously put care first. All dental offices should do what this office does and provide options, but few do. It's that commitment to patient care and letting you choose what's right for you that makes them more affordable, versus the offices that cut corners to save you a buck. That's a major difference worth noting. They also have an on-site lab, which saves costs as well. Anyway, again, sending a huge thank-you to Dr. Athari and his staff. You guys are beyond awesome.
No matter your role, you will find the rewards of working with us to be, well, extremely rewarding. As the nation’s largest affiliated dental practice network of its kind, Affordable Dentures & Implants is able—and proud—to offer the array of benefits someone of your abilities deserves. So whether you’re a dentist or lab professional or part of one of our practice or business support teams, you will be supported and rewarded for what you do.
If you are in need of replacing an entire arch of teeth, a full arch denture is going to be the most affordable tooth-replacement option. Additionally, not having any teeth causes mild to severe physical changes in your face mouth and lips. A full arch denture can restore some biting and chewing functionality and bring back a more attractive appearance.
Acrylic partial dentures are more affordable, but they tend to feel more bulky. This partial has an acrylic base into which the denture teeth are set and is attached to your natural teeth with small metal clasps. The acrylic partial may be available with more durable, natural-looking teeth. The practice staff can inform you of availability in each office.
After six months you receive the final denture, which locks into place, making it a long-lasting smile solution that will restore not just your smile, but a higher quality of life. From there, you’ll worry no more about smiling, eating or speaking, meaning you can focus on simply maintaining good oral hygiene to ensure the dentures last for many years to come.
I will ask to see the dentist when I return and tell him that if the permanent denture is not going to be formed with any more care than this, I want the remainder of my money back and I will go elsewhere. Even for an "affordable denture" the quality of this temporary is not worth the mouth pain and I will never be able to wear it for 6mo to 1yr while I wait for the permanent one. If you can afford better, then please do, as you will not be happy with the poor quality results.
I had 16 teeth pulled and plates made for under $1,000. I went in in the morning and had new teeth the early the next morning with the main cost being $40 a tooth for pulling which took about a half hour. The upper fits well and I have been getting by with lower, need it refitted but do not have the doe re me at present. It is just crazy what dentists and doctors charge for routine proceedures here in the US.
Our practice owner is Cameron Blair, DDS, MICOI, MAAIP, a general dentist and member of the Academy of General Dentistry, the Dallas Dental Society, the American Dental Association, and the Texas Dental Association. He�s a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry and a Master in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. Using industry-leading technology in his practice, he�s able to provide patients with a wide range of denture and implant solutions.
Needless to say that I am going to a different dentist. A man who has been in this community for a long time and has a spotless office with people who treat their patients with respect. Charges more, but worth it to be treated right. I have gone to Affordable Dentures for a while because of the pricing but every time I went, new doctor, new office people, but these people at my last time there, they are really nasty. I am also going to contact the board of health because while I was sitting in the dental chair I looked up at the light and it was filthy, nasty with what looked like old spit or blood or whatever it was. It was not clean in my opinion.
