| Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  |
| Ubaldo Bittencourt |
A Florida man was arrested for treating people out of a cramped laundry room, despite not having a license.
The Boca Raton resident, Ubaldo Bittencourt, 62, was arrested and charged with a felony charge of practicing without a license.
Florida records show that Bittencourt has never been licensed to practice dentistry in the state. According to the arrest report, Bittencourt was running a dental office hidden in the laundry room of his Boca Raton bungalow.
Deputies said that Bittencourt had about 6000 patients and used the money he made from his job to build a mansion in his native country Brazil, where he is licensed to be a dentist.
In fact, Bittencourt mostly provided dental care for fellow Brazilians who speak Portuguese. Bittencourt was very cautious not to attract outside attention to his illegal practice.
He did not answer his phone, instead people had to leave a message and he would return voicemails within 24 hours, the police report said.
An undercover sheriff called Bittencourt , and left a message in Portuguese. Bittencourt returned the officer’s call and identified himself as Dr. Ubaldo. The undercover officer made an appointment with the unlicensed dentist.
The officer had a recording device with him at the time of the appointment. The officer was taken to the laundry room where there was an examination chair, dental equipment including an X-ray machine, dental tools and dental molds.
"These items were being stored and used by Bittencourt, with no known radiation safety protocol and no instrument sterilization equipment," according to the arrest report.
Bittencourt did an oral examination on the undercover officer, putting his fingers in the officers mouth without gloves.
The unlicensed dentist told the officer that he can do a dental bridge at the cost of $2,500, but he only accepts cash as payment.
Bittencourt was arrested and taken to the Palm Beach County Jail and was later released after posting $3,000 bail.
