Hempstead woman practiced unlicensed dentistry in her kitchen, prosecutors say

A Hempstead woman who allegedly pulled five teeth from a patient after setting up a dental chair in the kitchen of her one-bedroom apartment was charged Tuesday with unauthorized practice of a profession.

Gladys Serrano, 70, appeared Tuesday in Nassau District Court for arraignment on the felony charge. Serrano pleaded not guilty before Judge Charles McQuair, who released her with an electric monitor and an order to surrender her passport and not travel out of New York State.

Serrano's attorney could not be reached for comment. If convicted, she faces up to 4 years in prison.

Prosecutors allege Serrano, who has never been a licensed dentist, according to New York State records, had turned the kitchen of her one-bedroom apartment into a makeshift examination room, complete with a dental chair, tooth scrapers, molds and related instruments.

In July, a woman with a cracked tooth went to Serrano’s Greenwich Street apartment for treatment, according to a court complaint. Serrano had been recommended to the woman by someone she spoke with at a grocery store, the complaint showed.

The woman arrived and Serrano examined her in the kitchen, separated from the rest of the apartment by a  curtain. 

Prosecutors said Serrano told the woman her teeth were rotting and five needed pulling. The woman responded that her other four teeth were pain-free, but Serrano scolded the patient for questioning her professionalism, according to prosecutors. Serrano also injected a numbing agent in the woman's upper gums, according to court records.

"The defendant allegedly extracted the teeth, gave the victim pieces of paper towel to absorb the large amount of blood coming from the area, and told her to rinse with salt water," prosecutors said.

The patient said Serrano told her she needed a bridge and to return several times for follow-up appointments. The woman returned to have molds taken of her mouth and the impressions filed down. She paid nearly $2,000 for the dental work, but never received a bridge, prosecutors said. The woman reported the dental work to authorities, who served a search warrant at Serrano’s apartment.

Investigators found a patient chair near the kitchen sink, with drawers full of used dental instruments, impression molds, extraction tools, tartar scrapers and multiple empty vials of medication and used dental needles, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.

Investigators also found boxes of single-use dental needles, Amoxicillin, painkillers, Relaflex muscle relaxers, and lidocaine anesthetic.

An arrest warrant was issued for Serrano on Friday, according to court records. She turned herself in to district attorney investigators Tuesday, authorities said. Prosecutors said they are looking for additional patients who may have received dental work by Serrano.

"Practicing dentistry without proper authorization poses an incredibly serious risk to public health and safety," Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a statement. "This defendant’s alleged home operation endangered the well-being of at least one person in need of dental care. We encourage anyone who believes they may have been victimized by Gladys Serrano to contact my Office of Immigrant Affairs at 516-571-7756."

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.