A complaint from a patient to a legitimate dentist led to the arrest of a woman who was practicing dentistry illegally from her apartment in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The patient realized the woman was a fraud when they visited a licensed dentist and learned the previous care they’d received was done incorrectly.
When the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) received the tip, they sent an undercover agent to visit the illegal dentist. This led to the arrest of Carol Gutierrez Herrara and her husband. The arrest was a joint undercover operation conducted by the OBN, Oklahoma Board of Dentistry, and Homeland Security.
Oklahoma is one of four states where the Board of Dentistry can take legal action against fraudulent practices.
The OBN agents had to kick down the door to serve a search warrant and gain entry to the apartment, where they found a dental chair, dental instruments, and drugs. According to Susan Rogers, executive director of the State Board of Dentistry, “We believe there are at least 40 more patients that we know of who have been treated here.”
Rogers said that cases like this are a big risk to the public.
“You have unsanitary conditions, no health history taken, and all kinds of bad things can happen,” she said. “Chances are, if they are giving you medication, it’s illegal medication. And who knows where it came from or what’s in it—it could have come from outside the country,” she told NewsOn6 in Tulsa.
Charges against Herrera and her husband include practicing dentistry without a license, and other charges are to be determined. NewsOn6 reported that both are facing charges of having a gun while committing a felony and obstructing justice. Herrera is also charged with having a gun while being in the US illegally.
Many of the comments in the online discussion on the OBN Facebook post about the arrest defend Herrera.
The post from OBN on July 16 about the arrests gained 1.2 thousand reactions, 1.8 thousand shares, and 779 comments as of July 22. Many of the comments mention that dentistry is so expensive that some people feel their only option is to visit an unlicensed dentist to take care of their oral health issues.
OBN director Donnie Anderson sees it much differently, telling NewsOn6, “For someone to perform medical procedures and administer drugs in this manner is an extreme and potentially life-threatening disregard for the health and safety of the vulnerable patients in their care.”
Visit NewOn6, FoxNews, and 2NewsOklahoma for more coverage.
