State Gets Permanent Injunction Against Tulsa Man Who Performed Dental Work In His Apartment

Monday, December 11th 2006, 4:52 pm

By: News On 6

It's a news story state authorities heard about from the News on 6 and Monday afternoon, the state Dental Board won a permanent injunction against a man who was performing dental work in his apartment.

News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan says the injunction is basically a court order preventing Francisco Franco from doing dental work for the public. He can at least temporarily continue doing dental lab work for other dentists because he does have a license for that - but not for the kind of routine dental work he was providing out of his south Tulsa apartment.

Francisco Franco was confronted at his apartment by News on 6 anchor Lori Fullbright - investigating reports of an unlicensed dentist offering services out of his living room. Lori Fullbright: "You can't talk to us for a few minutes? So, you must not have a license. Yes, I would love to see your Oklahoma license please."

After some convincing, the man who calls himself "Doctor" Francisco Franco showed the News on 6 an Oklahoma license, which according to the state dental board - is a fake. The diploma, according to the University of Louisville, is also a fake.

Franco offered cut-rate services for a mostly Hispanic clientele. And according to his patients, he wasn't even a very good fake dentist. One patient told investigators - she had to go to the hospital because of a problem that developed from an injection Francisco had given her.

His patients say Franco's "New Smiles Clinic" offered crowns, tooth extraction and medication, but the state dental board says he doesn't have the authority to do any work for the public. Franco maintained he's legal - and did the work from home to save his patients money. "If I would be practicing in other places, prices would be probably twice."

But several patients said the savings wasn't worth the cost, $1,300 dentures that didn't fit and dental work that made their teeth turn yellow.

The state pursued the injunction against Franco - and is now looking into other legal action - to protect his patients from his unlicensed dental work.

In Oklahoma, practicing any kind of medicine without a license is only a misdemeanor, but he's also facing the forgery and fraud charges, which could amount to some jail time.