Dental work is expensive, so underground dentistry is evidently on the rise.
Inside the unassuming ranch-style house, investigators discovered things like an x-ray machine, grinders, syringes, surgical instruments and anesthetics.
Police say the homeowner, 63-year-old Jose Santiago Delao, had been running an underground dental clinic in the aging suburban Dallas neighborhood for years: pulling teeth and filling cavities, among other procedures.
As shocking as this sounds, Delao’s case is not that unusual. And it offers insight into a world of backyard dentistry that caters to those in the country illegally, the uninsured and others who can’t find affordable dental care.
Boy, I can’t imagine all the odd things that could happen if an unlicensed person fiddled with my teeth. I know dentistry is expensive but honestly, it’s quite worth it to keep the mouth healthy, IMHO.
Delao admits he skirted the law, but isn’t remorseful. “Jesus Christ didn’t need or didn’t have a license,” Jose Delao told Yahoo News during a jailhouse interview. “People hurt and they needed it. People didn’t have enough money to visit the regular dentist.”
Delao, who says he is a trained dental lab technician, says he couldn’t turn his back.
“It broke my heart,” he said, tapping his chest, “because I have the experience.”
But authorities say Delao, a native of Costa Rica, has never been a licensed dentist in Texas. If convicted, he could get two to 10 years in prison.
One of his patients complained.
Delao’s secret unraveled in mid-January when a woman complained to police about a $75 molar repair that had left her unable to open her mouth and caused a clicking sound in her ear for several days.
The woman, who had gone to Delao on the recommendation of a church friend, also told officers the man kept her from leaving his makeshift clinic once she arrived.
“Jose S. Delao refused to let her leave after he had her in the dental chair,” a detective wrote in a police warrant. “She raised her hand to indicate she was feeling pain and Jose Delao pushed her hand back down and told her to stop complaining.”
Any possible assault-related charges are still under investigation. Delao denied the accusations in an interview with Yahoo News.
Assault. Clicking noises. Pain. Yup, bad stuff.
In September, Miami police arrested an 81-year-old illegal dentist whose shoddy work at his home left a 14-year-old girl’s mouth permanently disfigured. Her mother, who had no dental insurance, hoped the man could fix a chipped tooth for cheap. Instead, police said, he filed four of the teen’s front teeth to the gums and left her with a serious infection.
“It just looked awful,” said Catalanotto, whose students and faculty cared for the girl after the incident.
Filed teeth? Ugh. I have to wonder about his infection rate. This is a sad story and it’s unfortunate that he preyed on his local congregation for clients. Jesus may not have had a dental license, but he didn’t practice dentistry either.
