Long Island woman illegally practicing dentistry put patients in grave danger, police say
A Long Island woman is accused of performing dental work without a license, operating a practice out of her home for nearly a decade.
Yolany Mejia Carranza, 55, was caught after several patients reported injuries, police say.
Yolany Mejia Carranza accepted cash for dental work, police say
Inside a Bay Shore home on a quiet section of Heckscher Avenue, investigators discovered a fully functioning dental office adjacent to the kitchen.
But Carranza, who was practicing dentistry with drills and Novocain, was an unlicensed imposter, police claim.
"We have one person that suffered partial facial paralysis ... I think her patients were in grave danger," Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said.
Catalina says for at least eight years, Carranza called herself "Dr. Yolany," accepting cash for dental work.
Three alleged victims later came forward, all saying the dental work Carranza performed resulted in serious injuries, prosecutors say.
Carranza pleaded not guilty to three counts of unauthorized practice of a profession. She surrendered her passport and is due back in court April 1.
She did not speak in court.
It's unclear if Carranza had a dental background in her native Honduras. She has lived in the United States for 20 years.
Police encourage potential other patients to come forward
Police say Carranza had a previous practice, which was also illegal, in Huntington Station on Broadway.
"We think that there's probably more complainants out there, and we would strongly encourage them to come forward," Catalina said. "We believe that she was targeting the Hispanic community, mostly people who did not have health insurance."
The fire marshal has closed and condemned the office at Carranza's home.
"She is like a normal neighbor, just walking around here and there, and never said nothing about dentist work. We didn't know anything, so it's like wow," neighbor Steve Contreras said.
The judge has ordered Carranza to stay away from one of the patient witnesses. Her attorney said the order was unnecessary.
