Woman Arrested After Pretending to Be a Dentist for 8 Years

We all hate going to the dentist, right? We all get anxious at the notion of sharp objects jammed into our gums only to be scolded by the person cleaning our teeth that we need to floss more.

Now try doing all of that with someone who claims to be a dentist but is actually just some random unlicensed person. That was the case in New York as a Suffolk County woman has been arrested for impersonating a fake dental practice that she operated out of her home.

New York Woman Arrested for Pretending to Be a Dentist

Yolanda Mejia Carranza was arrested last week after officers were tipped off by multiple “patients” of hers, according to WABC.

Upon receiving a search warrant, investigators discovered that the 55-year-old had set up a functioning dental office in her home and was working as if she was truly a dentist… which she was not. There are no licenses or training records for her.

She is facing three counts of unauthorized practice of a profession. Officials are asking for more patients of hers to come forward as they build out the case.

The patients who had already alerted the police realized after going to see her that something was off. She allegedly never used anesthesia. She used antibiotics from overseas. Patients also are dealing with nerve damage and even facial paralysis after having her operate on them.

The worst part of all of this is that this wasn’t some quick pop-up that got busted. She had been doing this for EIGHT YEARS! WABC reports that officers believe she targeted lower-class patients who didn’t have dental insurance or enough money to cover the traditional costs.

My first thought was who the heck would show up at a person’s home and think that the dentist they’re about to see is fully capable of fixing your teeth?