R.I. woman who allegedly posed as a dentist charged with practicing without a license

PROVIDENCE — An alleged fake dentist who caused real agony when she removed a woman’s molar and drilled her teeth has been now charged with a felony.

Altagracia Adames had outfitted her house on Murray Street in the Silver Lake neighborhood like a dentist’s office, complete with a waiting room, a treatment room with a chair and lights, and a room with teeth moldings, a propane pressure cooker, and industrial equipment, according to an investigation by state police and agents from the Food and Drug Administration.

The investigation into Adames began last fall, after a 36-year-old woman visited her for dental work. Adames removed her molar, stitched the wound, and drilled several other teeth, according to the attorney general’s office.

The patient wound up in extreme pain, with swelling from an infection, the attorney general’s office said. She was hospitalized and required intravenous antibiotics.

The state Department of Health was notified and contacted the state police, which led authorities to search Adames’ home on Dec. 20 and find the fake dental office.

Adames, 57, was charged on May 10 in Superior Court with practicing dentistry without a license, a felony that carries penalties of up to two years in prison and between $2,000 and $5,000 in fines.

She is scheduled for a pre-arraignment conference on Aug. 10 at Providence County Superior Court.