A convenience store in Milford, Massachusetts, is now the scene of an investigation into an alleged illegal dental practice operated in the business.
The convenience store is on Main Street in Milford, where police said they discovered an “elaborate illegal dental operation” – with people allegedly getting dental work done in a back room of the store.
Police say 64-year-old Juan Hermida Munoz is now charged with unauthorized practice of dentistry.
Investigators said Munoz rented a room in the rear of the convenience store, where he allegedly provided dental exams and cleanings, tooth extractions and anesthetics.
"When they were in there, they noticed something wasn’t quite right, there were dental implants and people coming and going," Milford Police Chief Robbie Tusino said. “They had everything, from the drills, to the water picks, to the suction device, local anesthetic, it was all there.”
Police detectives and the board of health determined Munoz is not board certified and holds no license to practice medicine in the United States.
The owner of Alternativa Convenience Store, Maria Magdalena Guaman-Castro, faces a conspiracy charge.
Investigators argue the operation put people’s lives in danger with “unsanctioned and unsanitary conditions.”
An employee at the store told NBC10 Boston that Munoz has been a longtime dentist in Ecuador, where he also teaches at a university. That employee said that Munoz was only trying to help people in the community who needed it.
“We don’t know exactly what this gentleman’s credentials are in another country, but we know he’s not credentialed here,” said Chief Tusino. “We don’t think at this point that any were harmed, but for us, anybody knows, you get dental work done, I mean that opens you up to a plethora of infections, sepsis, and is it being done right?”
Police say if you went to the dentist here and have any issues, you can contact them. It’s unclear when Munoz and Guaman-Castro will be arraigned on these charges.
