'Veneer Tech' Influencer Arrested, Accused of Posing as Dentist

The rise of so-called "veneer specialists" and "veneer technicians" on Instagram has led to unimaginable dental damage to patients, but the law is catching up with those posing as dentists looking to make some money. 

On October 3, investigators and Atlanta police officers raided the dentist office of A-List Smiles Atlanta, a purported dentist's office where authorities say Brandon Dillard has been practicing dentistry for years without a license. The company's Instagram page has more than 160,000 followers and Dillard has been performing veneer procedures since 2021. 

"Brandon Dillard is not a dentist. He’s never been a dentist. And as much as he may want to play one on Instagram, he is not one," Fulton County deputy district attorney Will Wooten told WSB-TV. "It does look reputable. It does look professional. And that’s part of the scam."

Getting veneers involves having your teeth shaved down and fitted with custom-made coverings. It's a cosmetic procedure that has exploded in popularity in recent years, especially among celebrities. But Dillard wasn't just allegedly putting veneers on people without a license; he was also teaching classes across the country to train others to become "veneer techs." 

"Many, many people paid this defendant to receive training on how to do this illegal conduct. I am not interested in prosecuting those persons. I am interested in them stopping this work and finding out who they are because they are also victims," Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis said. "They were enticing people to come in to take these classes so that you could get rich too. But you were getting rich doing something that’s completely illegal."

Needless to say, having your teeth permanently shaved and covered with non-sanctioned veneers can lead to a bevy of dental problems down the road. Dillard's customers were already seeing issues in their mouths. 

"We have had dentists not just locally, but from outside of the state, also come and report that they were concerned about their patients who had received services at this location and the long-term effects of damages," Willis said. "If you went to this and you thought it was a dental office and you looked at the equipment, it appears to be legitimate. But that’s what the best fraudsters do, is they do everything they can to make themselves look legitimate. And in this case, this is an illegitimate operation. The problem is the consequences are to one’s health."

Dillard is facing eight felonies including practicing dentistry without a license, practicing medicine without a license, and theft by deception.