Jerald Applewhite was scrolling social media, and longing for a perfect smile, when he learned it was an Atlanta company called A List Cosmetics that social media star Gia “Rollie Pollie” Mayham turned to for veneers.
In one video, Mayham smiles with A List owner Brandon Dillard before he completes her smile transformation.
“He did Rollie’s teeth and I was so impressed with his work, I ended up reaching out to them,” Applewhite says.
Applewhite, 29, works as a truck driver but is also an aspiring rapper. Investing in veneers, he believed, was a worthwhile investment in his overall image. After contacting A List Cosmetics via Instagram and scheduling an appointment earlier in the year, Applewhite traveled from his home in Memphis to Atlanta for his appointment last July.
“It looked like a real dentist’s office. It [had] multiple rooms,” he says. “I never even [thought] to ask questions about a license.”
He paid $7,500 for his veneers makeover. Within a month, Applewhite says, he bit into a graham cracker and several of the veneers fell out.
Credit: Courtesy of Jerald Applewhite
Credit: Courtesy of Jerald Applewhite
When he reached out to the company, he alleges, they told him to pay $50 and booked a follow up appointment in October.
Arriving from Memphis once again, he went to A List and tried to buzz up to the office at 400 Plasters Avenue, but never received a response. He says a bystander eventually told him the company was gone.
“The number was disconnected that day, too. Everything was shut down,” Applewhite says.
“The day of me coming out there was the day [Dillard] got locked up,” he says. “I did not know. All of my friends, everyone was sending me his information. I said, whoa, he’s not licensed? I’m feeling embarrassed because I was telling everybody about his work.”
Credit: WSB
Credit: WSB
Brandon Dillard was arrested on Oct. 3 and charged with practicing dentistry without a license, practicing medicine without a license, theft by deception and violation of the Georgia RICO act. He was released on bond later that month. His attorneys declined to comment on an active case.
The Fulton County District Attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment and Dillard has not been formally indicted. Still, a forfeiture complaint filed by the county in late November provides a glimpse into the crimes they’re alleging Dillard committed and the amount of wealth they say he amassed in the process.
Prosecutors allege Dillard worked alongside his “romantic partner” to illegally install veneers since 2021. Court documents say the pair worked under various company names including A List Cosmetics, LLC, A List Smiles, A List Atlanta, A List Institute, Inc., and The Veneer Collection, Inc.
According to the forfeiture complaint, Dillard advertised services including the installation of composite and porcelain veneers, braces installations, teeth whitening and deep cleanings. He also sold an e-book and offered trainings for those aspiring to become a “veneer technician.”
Dental experts warn, however, that there’s no such thing as “veneer tech.” In a May 2024 blog post, a year before Dillard’s arrest, journalist Phil Lewis referenced a $6,000 two-day composite veneer course advertised by A List Cosmetics and asked an American Dental Association spokesperson about the credibility of so-called veneer tech certifications.
“I want to make it very clear that dentists are the only ones who should be doing veneers,” the spokesperson said.
Credit: StockSnap/Pixabay
Credit: StockSnap/Pixabay
A subsequent ADA press release addressing reports of veneer techs warned that “any dental procedure that may alter the physical structure of an individual’s teeth, gums or jaws, without the supervision of a dentist, has the potential to cause irreversible harm.” The organization lists infection and nerve damage as potential risks.
The Georgia Dental Association notes you can verify whether or not a provider is licensed to practice in the state by visiting the Georgia Board of Dentistry website. The organization says companies that “claim that they do not practice restorative dentistry and say they only provide certain “cosmetic services” is a red flag, in addition to alleged dentists who refuse to provide evidence of their license.
Dentistry can be a lucrative business. In recent years, interest in veneers has specifically increased as people look to obtain the perfect smile.
“The first thing that you notice about someone when you meet a person is their eyes and their smile,” said Dr. Debra Gray King with the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry — a luxury dental office that boasts Kevin Hart, Jeezy, Young Thug and other noteworthy celebs as clients.
“A person’s smile can exude confidence. It can exude education. It can exude health because it’s front and center.”
Credit: Rafael Rocha
Credit: Rafael Rocha
Dr. King believes virtual meetings and social media have likely contributed to an increase in people wanting to alter their smiles. She estimates many licensed dentists specializing in veneers charge between $2,500 — $5,000 per tooth.
“You don’t always have to do every tooth in the mouth. Sometimes you can do a beautiful case with four or eight or 10 teeth,” she said. An inexperienced person who is installing veneers — legally or illegally — may run the risk of removing more of client’s real teeth than necessary, to obtain an “aesthetic result,” she added.
Additionally, veneer techs who aren’t licensed to practice dentistry might not properly access the client’s teeth before installing veneers on top of them. “If you have an infection in your tooth around your gums, that goes through your whole blood system [and] your circulatory system. It could lead to diabetes [and] heart problems,” Dr. King says. “The mouth is very connected to the rest of your body.”
In a forfeiture complaint, prosecutors reference several victims who allege they’ve had their veneers fall out, suffered tooth and gum pain, developed lockjaw and an abscess, and other undesirable outcomes after receiving veneers from Brandon Dillard’s company.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
The county claims the fraudulent activity proved lucrative, alleging $1,000,000 was deposited into a business bank account in 2023, followed by $700,000 in 2024. Nearly a year ago, the complaint continues, Dillard purchased a luxury Buckhead condo for $1,4250,000.
“Most, if not all, of this was derived from illegal acts,” the complaint alleges.
Jerald Applewhite filed a lawsuit against Dillard before leaving town last October. He’s seeking $20,000. He says he’s also reached out to his bank hoping they’ll investigate and issue a refund.
Still missing veneers after several of his fell out last summer, Applewhite is once again in search of his perfect smile.
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