<\/p>\n
Dental work is expensive, so underground dentistry is evidently on the rise.<\/p>\n
Inside the unassuming ranch-style house, investigators discovered things like an x-ray machine, grinders, syringes, surgical instruments and anesthetics.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
As shocking as this sounds, Delao’s case is not that unusual<\/a>. And it offers insight into a world of backyard dentistry that caters to those in the country illegally, the uninsured and others who can\u2019t find affordable dental care.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Delao admits he skirted the law, but isn\u2019t remorseful. \u201cJesus Christ didn\u2019t need or didn\u2019t have a license,\u201d Jose Delao told Yahoo News during a jailhouse interview. \u201cPeople hurt and they needed it. People didn\u2019t have enough money to visit the regular dentist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Delao, who says he is a trained dental lab technician, says he couldn\u2019t turn his back.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt broke my heart,\u201d he said, tapping his chest, \u201cbecause I have the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
One of his patients complained.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n