A 70-year-old Long Island woman is suspected of practicing unlicensed dentistry out of her apartment kitchen, authorities said.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said Gladys Serrano extracted five teeth from a woman in her Hempstead apartment and only gave her a paper towel to absorb the blood. She also allegedly told the victim she would need a bridge, which was never provided despite molds being taken.
Investigators who searched Serrano’s apartment found a curtain separating the rest of the kitchen from a work area which included a patient chair near a sink and a drawer full of used dental equipment and boxes of medication, like amoxicillin capsules, Relaflex, and lidocaine.
ABC 7 New York reported there are no records of anyone named Gladys Serrano previously practicing dentistry lawfully in the state.
“Practicing dentistry without proper authorization poses an incredibly serious risk to public health and safety,” Donnelly said “This defendant’s alleged home operation endangered the well-being of at least one person in need of dental care.”
Serrano was charged with felony unauthorized practice of a profession. She pleaded guilty but faces up to four years if convicted. She was arraigned Tuesday and released with electronic monitoring, told to surrender her passport and not to leave the state.
Her next court date is scheduled for early January.
