Can aluminum wheels be repaired?

Good evening!

I have an '06 Nissan Sentra SE with 17" aluminum wheels. I have always liked how they looked, but one of them has fallen victim to a pothole.

Hitting it left a dent on the outside lip(1" long by 1/4" wide). This is causing an ongoing rim leak. Two tire shops have told me that it is impossible to repair aluminum wheels because heat cracks them.

After doing some research online, I've found that there are a number of companies that do repair alloy wheels using equipment that you wouldn't find at a neighborhood tire place. This option is 1/4 the price of a new wheel.

Any experience on whether these repairs work and/or are safe?