“We paid for our children’s treatment, and the clinic closed”: the Oralis dental crisis reaches Almoradí

2 hours ago

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Hundreds of patients in Elche and Almoradí have been left with unfinished dental treatment following the sudden closure of two clinics. Among those affected are families who paid in advance for their children’s orthodontic care. In Elche, patients have organised a WhatsApp group with more than 660 members. They are now trying to obtain their medical records, clarify their loan obligations and find out who will continue their treatment.

For some families, it all began with a routine wait for another appointment. A child is wearing braces, treatment has been under way for several years, the payments have already been made, and another adjustment is due. But instead of seeing the orthodontist, parents found the clinic closed and a notice announcing the suspension of its activities.

This is the situation facing patients at the Oralis dental centres in Elche and Almoradí. The closure of the two clinics is part of a wider crisis affecting the Aestes group, which owns the Oralis and Vivanta networks.

The question is no longer simply who will refund the money for services that were never provided. For many families, more urgent questions remain: who will complete their children’s treatment, where can they obtain X-rays and medical records, and who will take responsibility for patients who cannot simply stop an ongoing course of treatment?

More than 660 people have joined forces after the clinic closure

One of the clearest examples of the impact has emerged in Elche. According to Radio Elche Cadena SER on 28 October, affected patients created a WhatsApp group that already had more than 660 members. They are sharing information and documents and discussing the possibility of taking joint legal action.

The accounts given by individual families illustrate the different financial and medical consequences of the closure.

Paqui Juan Campello said that her son had been receiving orthodontic treatment since 2023. The family had already paid for the treatment, but the child was still attending monthly check-ups. His next appointment had been scheduled for 9 November. His mother learned about the closure through social media.

Ana Vanesa Ferrández said that her daughter had been wearing braces since before the pandemic. Although the treatment, valued at around €2,900, had been paid for, the braces had not yet been removed. The family will now have to find another specialist and may have to pay again to complete the procedure.

María Jesús Gómez said that her nine-year-old daughter had been left with the first stage of her orthodontic treatment unfinished, despite the family having paid €1,500. According to her account, she has so far been unable to obtain her daughter's medical records. Other clinics have also warned her of possible difficulties in continuing treatment that was started at a different centre.

The situation facing Natalia Antón’s family is particularly difficult. She says that in early September she paid €3,080 to begin a new orthodontic treatment for her son. In total, she estimates that the cost of treatment for her two children has come close to €5,000.

These accounts are testimonies from the patients themselves; they are not an independent audit of all payments and contracts.

Why did the clinics close? Dr Follana’s account

On 30 October, Dr Mariano Follana issued a public explanation. He stated that he is no longer the owner of the clinics in Elche and Almoradí and said that the centres had been sold to companies belonging to the Aestes group.

Follana claims that after the sale he continued working at the clinics but no longer had management responsibilities or decision-making authority over their operations. According to his statement, the decision to close the centres was made by the insolvency administration.

The dentist also said that he had tried until the last moment to prevent the closures and had asked the insolvency administrator to ensure continuity of treatment and give patients access to their medical records.

He links the situation to the financial crisis affecting the Aestes group, which, according to his statement, has impacted more than 100 dental centres in Spain.

One possible way out of the crisis had been the sale of 61 clinics. According to the information presented by Follana, the proposal included retaining 656 jobs and completing treatment for more than 30,000 patients. However, the deal did not go ahead because of disagreements over who would repay the €40 million in public aid granted to the group.

All these details reflect Follana’s own account. A full understanding of the situation requires a response from the insolvency administrator and access to the official documents relating to the insolvency proceedings.

Who is responsible for patients now?

The official Oralis website currently carries a notice announcing the temporary suspension of clinical activities. The company acknowledges that it is unable to provide dental care and advises patients experiencing pain, inflammation, infection or bleeding to seek help from other healthcare professionals.

However, the notice does not answer the key questions: who will ensure that orthodontic treatment continues, who will provide the medical records, and how will services that have already been paid for be dealt with?

The Spanish Consumers and Users Organisation (OCU) has urged affected patients not to delay filing complaints. It recommends keeping all contracts, invoices, quotations, proof of payment and correspondence with the clinic.

A written complaint should be sent to the company itself, requesting the medical records and an explanation of which procedures have been completed and which remain outstanding. If the clinic is closed, the complaint can be sent to the company’s registered office.

If the treatment was paid for through a specific loan, patients should also contact the finance provider in writing. The OCU points out that when a contracted service has not been provided, consumers may have grounds to seek a resolution and cancellation of the linked loan. It is important to submit a formal complaint rather than simply stop making payments.

If the company is insolvent, claims for the recovery of money should be addressed to the insolvency administrator. However, the OCU warns that recovering money paid directly to the clinic may be difficult because consumers generally do not have priority over other creditors.

What should patients in Almoradí do?

For residents of Almoradí, several practical steps are particularly important:

Gather all contracts, quotations, invoices, bank statements and proof of payment.
Request a complete copy of the medical records, including X-rays, photographs, treatment plans and details of procedures already carried out.
Ask a new dentist for an independent assessment of the current situation and a safe plan for continuing treatment.
If treatment was financed through a loan, submit a separate written complaint to the finance provider.
Contact the OMIC — the Municipal Consumer Information Office — or the relevant consumer protection service of the Generalitat Valenciana.

Families with children undergoing orthodontic treatment need particular attention. Even if the financial dispute takes a long time to resolve, medical care should not be postponed because of a conflict between the company and its creditors.

A story that is far from over

The Oralis case shows how vulnerable patients can become when they pay in advance for expensive treatment and the service depends on a company facing a serious financial crisis.

It is not yet known exactly how many residents of Almoradí have been affected, how much money they may have lost, or whether another dental provider will be able to take on patients whose treatment remains unfinished.

For families, the immediate priority is to obtain their medical records and ensure that treatment can continue. Recovering the money is a separate problem and may involve a lengthy process.