• MSN
  • Hotmail
  • More
    • Autos
    • My MSN
    • Video
    • Careers & Jobs
    • Personals
    • Weather
    • Delish
    • Quotes
    • White Pages
    • Games
    • Real Estate
    • Wonderwall
    • Horoscopes
    • Shopping
    • Yellow Pages
    • Local Edition
    • Traffic
    • Feedback
    • Maps & Directions
    • Travel
    • Full MSN Index
  • Bing
  • NBCNews.com
  • TODAY
  • Nightly News
  • Rock Center
  • Meet the Press
  • Dateline
  • msnbc
  • Breaking News
  • Newsvine
  • Home
  • US
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Travel
  • Local
  • Weather
Advertise | AdChoices
  • Recommended: 60 injured, five critically, as trains collide in Connecticut
  • Recommended: Facebook shutters page that taunted lawmaker's push to curb military rape
  • Recommended: Former lawyer contradicts O.J. Simpson, says he knew guns were involved
  • Recommended: 'We saved the ship': WWII vets gather, likely for last time

NBC News reporters bring you compelling stories from across the nation. For more US news, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

  • ↓ About this blog
  • ↓ Archives
    • Icons Email E-mail updates
    • Icons Twitter Follow on Twitter
    • Icons Feed Subscribe to RSS
  • 13
    Sep
    2012
    4:28am, EDT

    Clandestine dentist arrested in Miami after filing teen girl's teeth

    View more videos at: http://nbcmiami.com.

    By Myriam Masihy, NBCMiami.com

    An elderly man, his wife and daughter are in custody after authorities discovered a clandestine dental office in their Little Havana home, police told NBCMiami.com Wednesday.

    The operation was discovered in the 1000 block of Southwest 11th Street, Miami Police spokeswoman Kenia Reyes said.


    Humberto Perez, 81, Maria Perez, 69, and Odalis Hernandez Perez, 38, were arrested at the home, police said.

    Police said they learned of the illegal dental operation from the mother of a 14-year-old girl who was taken by her mother and grandmother to the home for treatment.

    When the family arrived at the home, they were greeted by Maria Perez, who brought them to the rear of the home where there was a "fully operational dentist office," police said.

    Read more from NBCMiami.com

    According to police, Humberto Perez performed dental work on the girl, giving her prescription strength medication during the treatment.

    The girl felt weak, sick and had uncontrollable pain during the procedure, but when she told Humberto Perez about the pain he was reluctant to stop and continued with the procedure, police said.

    The girl's mother Claribel Altamonte said her daughter cried in excruciating pain and Perez injected her gums, filed down her four front teeth and then ended up yanking them off.

    Permanently disfigured
    Days later, the family took the girl to a reputable and licensed dentist, who told them that in his 37 years of practicing dentistry, he had never seen such a case, police said.


    Follow @NBCNewsUS

    The girl is now being treated by a licensed dentist but was left permanently disfigured from the procedure by Humberto Perez. Both he and Maria Perez face charges of unlicensed practice of dentistry, unlicensed practice of the health care profession, aggravated child abuse and child neglect, according to police.

    The girl's mother said her daughter was self-conscious about one chipped tooth but her insurance wouldn't pay for the dental work. That's why she went to Perez who was referred by a friend.

    She said she didn't think anything of the place because such dental offices are normal in her native Dominican Republic.

    Odalis Hernandez Perez faces a child neglect charge, police said. It is unknown whether they have attorneys.

    Detectives believe there may be more victims who have yet to come forward.

    More content from NBCNews.com:

    • Video: Ambassador Stevens remembered in wake of attack
    • That Southern Calif. smell? 'Solid evidence' it came from Salton Sea
    • Storms flood parts of Vegas, Navajo land, Calif. desert communities
    • Drew Peterson fires one of his defense attorneys
    • Chicago teachers union: Don't hold breath for deal
    • Six percent of pursuit suspects escape California police

    Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

     

    240 comments

    Damn hard to find a good dentist these days that accept chickens as payment. What was this guys name? I wonder if he's in the Yellow Pages.....

    Show more
    Explore related topics: arrested, miami, pain, dentist, teeth, featured

Browse

  • featured,
  • featured,
  • crime,
  • crime,
  • military,
  • military,
  • weather,
  • weather,
  • california,
  • california,
  • florida,
  • florida,
  • updated,
  • updated,
  • environment,
  • environment,
  • us-news,
  • us-news,
  • shooting,
  • shooting,
  • new-york,
  • new-york,
  • texas,
  • texas,
  • education,
  • education,
  • chicago,
  • chicago,
  • police,
  • police,
  • gulf-oil-spill,
  • gulf-oil-spill,
  • kari-huus,
  • kari-huus,
  • nbcnewyork,
  • nbcnewyork,
  • los-angeles,
  • los-angeles,
  • murder,
  • murder,
  • new-jersey,
  • new-jersey,
  • guns,
  • guns,
  • afghanistan,
  • afghanistan,
  • obama,
  • obama,
  • colorado,
  • colorado,
  • sandy,
  • sandy,
  • nbclosangeles,
  • nbclosangeles,
  • trayvon-martin,
  • trayvon-martin,
  • barack-obama,
  • barack-obama,
  • crime-and-courts,
  • crime-and-courts,
  • politics,
  • politics,
  • gay,
  • gay,
  • veterans,
  • veterans,
  • connecticut,
  • connecticut,
  • fire,
  • fire,
  • religion,
  • religion,
  • boston-marathon-tragedy,
  • boston-marathon-tragedy,
  • crime-courts,
  • crime-courts,
  • snow,
  • snow
Also
Advertise | AdChoices

Archives

  • 2013
    • May (267)
    • April (608)
    • March (548)
    • February (510)
    • January (563)
  • 2012
    • December (457)
    • November (460)
    • October (477)
    • September (432)
    • August (525)
    • July (519)
    • June (508)
    • May (566)
    • April (538)
    • March (576)
    • February (471)
    • January (417)
  • 2011
    • December (455)
    • November (190)
    • October (9)
    • September (3)
    • August (51)
    • July (8)
    • June (3)
    • May (12)
    • April (5)
    • March (3)
    • February (1)
    • January (8)
  • 2010
    • December (5)
    • November (1)
    • October (2)
    • September (28)
    • August (40)
    • July (35)
    • June (177)
    • May (50)
    • April (9)
    • March (2)
    • February (2)
    • January (4)
  • 2009
    • December (5)
    • November (5)
    • October (2)
    • September (11)
    • August (4)
    • July (12)
    • June (1)
    • May (1)
    • April (1)
    • March (3)
    • February (3)
    • January (2)
  • 2008
    • December (3)
    • November (2)
    • October (6)
    • September (30)
    • August (26)
    • July (10)
    • June (4)
    • May (8)
    • April (13)
    • March (9)
    • February (7)
    • January (6)
  • 2007
    • December (10)
    • November (6)
    • October (22)
    • September (11)

Most Commented

  • Obama calls IRS flap 'inexcusable,' announces resignation of acting IRS chief (3660)
  • At least 19 injured in New Orleans Mother's Day shooting (2758)
  • NTSB recommends lowering blood alcohol level that constitutes drunken driving (1576)
  • Benghazi, IRS, AP: A guide to the 3 storms confronting the White House (2509)
  • 5 unanswered questions about the IRS targeting of conservative groups (1958)
  • Abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell convicted of first-degree murder (1639)
  • Fired lesbian teacher: Catholic educators union won't back me (2014)

Other blogs

  • The Body Odd
  • Cosmic Log
  • Red Tape Chronicles
  • PhotoBlog
  • Open Channel

NBCNews.com top stories

3147,10
© 2013 NBCNews.com
  • US news on NBCNews.com
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Help
  • Site map
  • Careers
  • Closed captioning
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Advertise