About Us

How It All Started …

AFFORDABLE DENTURES^®;  Three Decades and Still Improving Smiles and Lives

October 2009 marked the 34th anniversary of the opening of the first affiliated dental practice providing Affordable Dentures® in Kinston, North Carolina.  The practice now located on Hwy 70 W. is part of a group of affiliated practices totaling over 150 centers, operating in 37 states across the United States.

Dr. George L. Edwards, Jr. and Dr. Donald L. Henson started the practice of offering dentures and extraction services at low, affordable fees in the mid 1970’s because they saw such an enormous patient need as they provided treatment in their own general dentistry practices.  They recognized that primarily for economic reasons, many people could not afford the cost of dental care.  A large number of patients had lost most or all of their teeth, and suffered from poor nutrition because they were not able to chew and properly digest foods important to their good health.

The solution was to operate a dental practice that focused exclusively on dentures and related services, and include an on-site laboratory so that same day service could be offered for the convenience of the patients.  Each denture was fabricated from the patient’s individual impression and as the operation evolved, the streamlining of services became more efficient and cost effective.  Before long additional practices were opened in North Carolina and Virginia using the same model that had been developed in Kinston.

Now over 3 decades later the basic model has not changed very much, it’s just a little more sophisticated.  Affordable Care, Inc., is the dental services organization that provides capital for expansion, marketing, financial, and administrative services.  Affordable Dentures® Dental Laboratories Inc. provides the on-site laboratory services.  In providing these business services, the goal is to allow the licensed dentist and his or her staff to concentrate on meeting the clinical and emotional needs of each patient without distraction.  Word of mouth referrals from satisfied patients are key to a practice’s growth, and experience has proven this operational model helps ensure the focus of attention is on the patient.  And of course, offering a complete set of new dentures for $395 when the state average is $2,500 also makes for satisfied patients.

If you were to ask Drs. Edwards and Henson what is the most satisfying aspect of having developed such a successful organization the answer would be very simple.

“Being able to help an under-served and appreciative patient population with dignity, respect and affordable, quality dental care”.

When you consider that over 5 million patients have been treated across all of the affiliated practices since the opening of the first practice, you know that for many patients, not only did Affordable Dentures® improve their smiles, they improved their lives.”