Record number of illegal dentists in N.J.

[AlphaCentauri]

A crackdown on unlicensed persons practicing dentistry yielded an unprecedented number of arrests, New Jersey officials announced Sunday in Newark.

The Newark Star-Ledger reported people duly licensed in their native countries are unable to obtain licensure without undergoing years more education when they move to the United States.

State officials said they arrested 10 unlicensed dentists in a 12-month period, adding these practitioners are dangerous, but are rarely reported.

Some of the illegal dentists hold out their services to those who cannot afford dental insurance, and their offices tend to be makeshift and the tools used rusty and inadequate, the newspaper said.

"We can't possibly track all these individuals. There could be a significant number, but there are no medical records, no patient records, no appointment books. These are bare-bones operations, said David Szuchman, head of the state's Division of Consumer Affairs."

The unlicensed dentists come from countries such as Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/08/23/Record-number-of-illegal-dentists-in-NJ/UPI-64541251065555/



And we still thinking if health care reform should pass

[HopeHoops]

1. Reminds me of the first batman (Michael Keaton)

"But you see what I have to work with, Mr. Napier."

[Botany]

2. Crooks in Jersey .... who would have think it?

Hey you knows we got da best prices going but hey half way through and you want some more Novocain ...... sure dat we can do but it is gonna cost ....
know what I mean?

[Xithras]

3. They're not really "crooks" in the classic sense.

There's a common misconception that all migrant workers (legal and otherwise) are unskilled laborers looking to pick tomatoes or do substandard tile installation. Many people come here who were educated in their home countries but simply couldn't make it for one reason or another.

A guy goes to dental school in Guatemala and spends a year working on the teeth of his neighbors. He doesn't get enough business, and has to close his office. The guy spends a year trying to get work without any luck, and out of desperation heads north to los Estados Unidos hoping to land SOME type of job to get by. Once there, he notices that many of his compatriots have dental problems, but can't afford an American dentist and don't qualify for government aid because of their illegal status. Guy has a eureka moment, and realizes "I can fix this!" Guy starts working on peoples teeth in the back room of his house.

It was a way for him to make a living using the skills he acquired in dental school, and the only way many of his patients could afford dental work.

While there are certainly some crooks in the mix, most are simply people who practiced medicine in their home countries but aren't qualified to practice under much stricter American standards of education.

[AlphaCentauri]

4. exactly, a single teeth cost me 5000 dollars

if I were in need I would search for the best price some where else.