North Carolina orthodontist tries to lure new customers by offering them a free GUN when they sign up for Invisalign treatment
- A North Carolina orthodontist bribes patients to opt for $10,000 worth of teeth straightening services by offering a free gun with their purchase
- Gladwell Orthodontics in Wake Forest offered a two-day “Grins & Glocks” promotion
- The promotion offered a free Glock 19 or “silver” membership to a local shooting range combined with Invisalign treatment
Some dentists send their patients away with a free toothbrush or some free dental floss, but an orthodontist in North Carolina sends his clients away with a free gun in their goodie bag.
Gladwell Orthodontics in Wake Forest, North Carolina, partnered with a local gun store to promote their Invisalign treatment.
The two-day “Grins & Glocks” promotion offered a free Glock 19 or a silver membership to Youngsville Gun Club & Range to those who signed up for the teeth racking service.
Despite sparking public outrage, the bizarre advertising partnership is actually legal.
The Silver Tier at the Youngsville Gun Shop – which is typically $735/year – offers members free access to the shooting range Tuesday through Sunday, access to members-only events and exclusive pricing for renting the guns from the company.
Gladwell Orthodontics in Wake Forest, North Carolina, partnered with a local gun shop to promote their Invisalign treatment (photo: Dr. Jason Gladwell)
The two-day ‘Grins & Glocks’ promotion offered a free Glock 19 or a silver membership to Youngsville Gun Club & Range to those who signed up for the teeth racking service
Silver membership holders can rent a pistol for $15, a rifle for $20, a submachine gun for $50 and a belt-fed machine gun for $75.
Glock 19s typically sell for around $500, while Invisalign treatment can cost as much as $10,000.
The unique promotion has sparked nationwide controversy, with many people confused as to how this deal is legal.
“It’s mind-boggling to me that an organization that I think is trying to provide health care to the people in the community would conflate their health care with gun deaths,” Jennifer Copeland, executive director of the North Carolina Council of Churches, told me. WRAL.
She said, “They’re giving away guns that are being stored in a home somewhere, potentially causing gun violence and gun deaths.”
A North Carolina attorney said this promotion is not the first of its kind, but he insists it is legal.
“The concern here is that firearms are not transferred to people who are not eligible to own them,” said attorney Ron Shook.
“These could be people with criminal histories, mental health issues, drug and alcohol abuse issues, restraining orders against them – or in the case of a gun – under the age of 21.
“Guns are like any other property; You can buy them, sell them and throw them away. But the difference is that guns are potentially inherently dangerous. So there are regulations around the transfer of firearms,” he said.
Dr. Jason Gladwell – the manager of the orthodontics company – revealed that they have formed partnerships with other local businesses, but none have received as much attention as this one.
The unique promotion has sparked nationwide controversy – with many people confused as to how this deal is legal – but Dr. Gladwell insists it is responsible
Stressing that the promotion was responsible, he said: “Not everyone who comes to our office is eligible. It is not marketed to everyone.
“It was designed and marketed solely for the Youngsville Gun Club and Range,” he told WRAL.
He also said, “The promotion is non-transferable. The person who actually starts with the Invisalign treatment must actually be eligible.’
But North Carolina’s gun laws don’t actually require any type of firearms training to purchase a gun.
Align Technology – the company responsible for manufacturing Invisalign products – was not happy about their brand being associated with an arms deal.
They released a statement saying: “Align Technology, the makers of Invisalign brand clear aligners, recently learned of a customer promotional ad offering a free gun or gun range membership to qualified new patients diagnosed with Starting Invisalign Treatment.
“Invisalign trained physicians are independent practices and Align was not involved in the development or approval of this action by the dental practice and only learned of it after the fact.
“For more than 25 years, Align has been helping physicians transform smiles and change lives through healthy, beautiful smiles using Invisalign aligners, and this promotion does not reflect our brand purpose.”