Brothers Get Jail for Illegal Dentistry

Two brothers were sentenced to jail Thursday for practicing dentistry without a license in the San Fernando Valley, where they subjected a woman to hours of agony as they hammered a plastic mold out of her mouth, pulled two of her teeth and drilled four others.

Oscar Moran, 23, of Van Nuys and his brother, Marvin, 24, of Los Angeles were sentenced to six months and three months in jail, respectively. Because of crowding at the Los Angeles County Jail, they can serve their time in a halfway house, leaving only for work, Deputy City Atty. Ruth Kwan said.

The brothers, who pleaded no contest last June to the misdemeanor charges, were also ordered to reimburse the patient, Patricia Cook, for the $3,450 she must pay for a licensed dentist to fix the damage.

3 Years’ Probation

Los Angeles Municipal Court Commissioner Joseph Spada placed the brothers on three years’ probation, during which they must submit to inspections without search warrants to ensure they are not again practicing dentistry. They also must pay $3,250 to the state Board of Dental Examiners and Los Angeles Police Department for investigative expenses.

Cook, a 23-year-old Sylmar apartment manager, went to Oscar Moran on Jan. 12 for treatment of a toothache after hearing about his dental practice from her brother, who met Moran at a car wash. Moran told her brother that he was a dentist from El Salvador who needed work, she said.

When she went to see Moran, Cook said, he told her that he was working from his North Hollywood apartment because he “didn’t have too much money to open an office.” Moran advised her that she needed four crowns and that he would do the work for $500, City Atty. James K. Hahn said.

‘Unsuccessful Attempts’

“After giving her eight injections of pain killer, Moran pulled two teeth--a front tooth and a molar--and drilled four others,” Hahn said. “Then he used several different molds in a series of unsuccessful attempts to get an impression of her front teeth.”

The woman repeatedly questioned Moran about the treatment and complained of pain, but he replied, “I know what I’m doing,” the city attorney said.

“Moran finally put a plastic mold over her front teeth in another attempt to get an impression of her teeth and left the room,” Hahn said. “By the time, he got back, the plastic had hardened, and he couldn’t get it off.”

Moran hammered on the mold and struggled for an hour to remove it. “Meanwhile, the painkiller had worn off and the woman was in agony,” Hahn said.

Worked Another Hour

Moran phoned his brother, who owns a dental laboratory but is not a dentist. He came to the apartment and worked for another hour before finally getting the mold off, Hahn said.

The woman later complained to authorities, and an undercover investigator contacted the two brothers and arrested them after they agreed to perform dental work on him. Kwan said an appointment book seized by investigators showed Oscar Moran had about 50 patients.

Cook, who was in court Thursday, was “very relieved because she knows that she’s going to be getting some money to fix her teeth,” Kwan said.