Local News in Brief : Fake Dentists Plead

Two North Hollywood men accused of subjecting a woman to hours of agony after they allowed a dental mold to harden in her mouth pleaded no contest Thursday to misdemeanor charges of practicing dentistry without a license.

The men, Oscar Moran, 22, and his brother, Marvin, 23, will be sentenced Sept. 15. Under a plea bargain, prosecutors agreed not to seek more than six months in jail for Oscar and three months for Marvin in return for their pleas.

Deputy City Atty. Ruth Kwan said she will also ask that the brothers reimburse Patricia Cook, 22, of Sylmar for the legitimate dental work needed to repair the damage they did.

Cook told investigators that she went to Oscar Moran’s apartment, which he was using as a dental office, complaining of a toothache. He pulled two teeth and drilled four others, then used a mold containing plastic to make an impression for crowns.

When Oscar Moran could not remove the mold, he telephoned his brother, owner of a dental laboratory in Los Angeles, who came to the apartment, and both men worked to get the mold off Cook’s teeth.