A Texas woman was left in agony after an unlicensed dentist broke her tooth and severely damaged her jaw.
Cesar Augusto Perez Mejia, 47, allegedly performed illegal dental procedures inside of his Houston apartment and charged patients at least $250 for his unauthorized services, his neighbors told Click2Houston.
‘He had his little clinic there at his house on the down low,’ an anonymous neighbor told the outlet in Spanish.
On September 30, 2024, the unnamed woman went to Mejia’s home at the La Plaza Apartments complex to get her tooth pulled.
Mejia used pliers to rip out her tooth after putting her under anesthesia, according to reports.
The woman, who is now pressing charges, said she had to be taken to the hospital due to complications with the surgery, where she learned of her serious injuries.
In relation to the botched tooth extraction, Mejia has been accused of practicing dentistry without a license and aggravated assault.
As of Wednesday, the fraudulent dentist was in the custody of Harris County Jail on a $90,000 bond, according to Law & Crime.
Cesar Augusto Perez Mejia, 47, allegedly performed illegal dental procedures inside of his Houston apartment and charged patients at least $250 for his unauthorized services
A Texas woman is pressing charges against Mejia after she said he pulled out her tooth with pliers and left her with a damaged jaw
Mejia was allegedly operating an illegal dental practice from his home in the La Plaza Apartments complex in Houston
Mejia has a history of run-ins with the law, with records showing he was already in custody on an ICE hold after he was arrested in February for an unrelated assault charge.
His neighbor, Alejandra Moncada, told Click2Houston Mejia attacked her with a screwdriver in the apartment complex.
‘I was sitting down, and he came out with a screwdriver and was assaulting me,’ Moncada said in Spanish.
‘We had to call the cops and when the cops came, he was still on a rampage.’
She claimed Moncada had made the attempt to harm her because he confused her with a different woman.
Mejia allegedly told her during the violent confrontation that her daughter had smashed his car windows.
But Moncada was certain this was untrue, as her children are young, she explained to Click2Houston.
The mother said she was aware of Mejia performing illegal dental procedures in his apartment and feels safer knowing he is behind bars.
These accusations against Mejia come as a New York woman is being accused of running at least two dental practices without a license and seriously injuring several of her unsuspecting patients.
Yolany Y. Mejia Carranza, 55, was running a ‘fully functioning illegal dental office’ out of her home in Bay Shore, a town in central Long Island, according to a statement from the Suffolk County Police Department.
Mejia’s neighbor, Alejandra Moncada, said he attacked her with a screwdriver in February after he accused her daughter of breaking his car windows
Yolany Y. Mejia Carranza, 55, was allegedly running a ‘fully functioning illegal dental office.’ Police said she’s been doing this for eight years from two different locations on Long Island, New York
The police commissioner, Kevin Catalina, said the investigation into Carranza began when detectives received several tips claiming she had injured patients.
One patient allegedly suffered ‘severe nerve damage that led to partial facial paralysis,’ Catalina said at a press conference.
Detectives believe that Carranza also had a fake dental practice in Huntington Station at one point. Huntington Station is about a 30-minute car ride from Bay Shore.
‘She did not use anesthesia, but she used a local anesthesia, but no one was getting the anesthesia for the complex dental procedures she was doing,’ Catalina said.
Police believe her illegal practice has been operating for eight years, adding that her clientele were mostly low-income people who lacked dental insurance. She accepted cash for her work, police said.
‘We think she was targeting the Hispanic community, mostly people who did not have health insurance and many of whom may have been in the country illegally,’ Catalina said. ‘I think her patients were in grave danger.’
