Undercover Investigation Nabs Unlicensed Dentist

Mora treated patients, dispensed pain meds despite no training; faces up to 4 years in prison

MINEOLA, NY – Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced today that a Bay Shore man has been charged with performing dentistry without a license after a patient complained that a tooth extraction performed by the defendant left her in severe pain and forced her to go to the emergency room.

Enrique Mora, 64, has been charged with Unauthorized Practice. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted. He is due back in court tomorrow.

Rice said that on January 6, 2009, a Roosevelt woman went to Sunrise Biogenic Dental Lab in Freeport complaining of tooth pain. The woman was referred by a friend to Sunrise, which was operated solely by Mora. She was told by community members that Mora did not have a license to practice dentistry and treated mostly immigrants. Mora numbed the woman’s mouth, extracted a tooth, and gave her several pain killers in a plastic bag.

After several days of severe pain despite taking the pain killers Mora had given her, the woman was forced to go the emergency room where she learned that her mouth was infected. The woman then contacted the District Attorney’s Office in late January to file a complaint. An undercover investigator visited Mora after the complainant had described a filthy office with no water to rinse out her mouth. Mora offered to extract a tooth for the undercover investigator for $100.

Mora worked at Sunrise as a dental lab technician. His duties included manufacturing dental prosthetics including bridges, crowns, and dentures according to specifications dentists send to him. He was in no way authorized to treat patients.

“Mr. Mora’s game of make-believe put real people in real danger,” Rice said. “When choosing a medical professional, do your due diligence and make sure they are licensed professionals.”

Handling the case for the DA’s Office is Deputy Bureau Chief William Wallace of the Government/Consumer Frauds Bureau.

The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.