Phony dentist accused of running kitchen apartment practice

A woman in New York is accused of illegally operating a dental practice out of the kitchen of her one-bedroom apartment, which had a patient chair positioned near the sink, according to multiple news reports published on December 10.

Gladys Serrano, 70, pleaded not guilty to one felony count of unauthorized practice of a profession during her arraignment on December 10. After the court appearance, she was released with electronic monitoring, ordered to surrender her passport, and is restricted from traveling outside of New York State, according to news reports.

Gladys Serrano. Image courtesy of the Nassau County Sheriff's Department.

A search of New York State records did not reveal a dental license for Serrano. If convicted, Serrano faces up to four years in prison.

Authorities began investigating Serrano after an alleged victim underwent tooth extractions in July. Initially, Serrano's alleged victim scheduled a single-tooth extraction. The victim reportedly went to Serrano's apartment, which had a hanging curtain separating the kitchen, according to news reports.

Serrano allegedly looked into the victim's mouth and told the person she had five rotting teeth that needed to be pulled. Additionally, Serrano purportedly told the patient she needed a bridge.

Serrano allegedly extracted the person's teeth and gave the individual pieces of a paper towel to absorb the large amount of blood coming from her mouth. Also, Serrano reportedly told the person to gargle with salt water. Serrano allegedly told individual to return to see her several times after the tooth extractions, according to news reports.

Police believe Serrano administered dental care to others at her apartment. Between July and December, Serrano reportedly received a total of $1,950 for dental services.

When police executed a search warrant at Serrano's residence, authorities found a curtain hanging in the kitchen and a patient chair positioned near a sink, as well as drawers full of dental instruments that appeared to be used, according to reports.

Also, impression molds, extraction tools, numerous empty vials of medication, and used dental needles were recovered. Boxes labeled as single-use dental needles, antibiotics, pain relievers, and anesthetics were found, according to news reports.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.