A man with a suspended dentistry license is now accused in a 15-count indictment of practicing dentistry in Manchester without a license and stealing about $93,000 from patients who were under the impression he was licensed to treat them.
William M. Griefer, 54, of Garden View Terrace in East Windsor, faces seven counts of insurance fraud, six counts of theft by deception and two counts of unlawful practice of dentistry. The indictment was issued last week by an Ocean County grand jury.
Griefer's dentistry license had been suspended in 2008 after his conviction for performing illegal surveillance for purposes of sexual arousal.
The indictment issued last week alleges that between Nov. 1, 2007, and Dec. 1, 2009, Griefer stole more than $75,000 from dental patients by creating a false impression that he was licensed to practice dentistry in New Jersey.
The minimum amount of $75,000 is necessary to charge a person with second-degree theft by deception, though Senior Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Martin Anton said the total amount Griefer received from patients during that time frame was approximately $93,000.
Anton alleged that Griefer also defrauded $9,184 from five insurance companies during that period, in which he treated hundreds of patients.
Griefer's practice was known as Manchester Dental, located at 2120 Route 70, Anton said. It is no longer in operation, Anton said. Griefer also had a practice in New York, but Anton couldn't say whether it is still open.
Initially licensed to practice dentistry in New Jersey on February 17, 2006, Griefer did not renew his license in the state prior to its expiration on Oct. 31, 2007, according to records with the New Jersey Board of Dentistry.
Then, on March 17, 2008, according to the records, Griefer pleaded guilty in Brooklyn to a class E felony: second-degree unlawful surveillance by using or installing an imaging device for sexual arousal. He was sentenced on May 5, 2008, to five years' probation.
According to New York state law, a person is guilty of that crime if, for sexual arousal or gratification, he or she intentionally uses or installs an imaging device to surreptitiously view, broadcast or record the intimate parts of a person dressing or undressing at a place and time when the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy.
The New Jersey Board of Dentistry suspended Griefer's dentistry license on Aug. 28, 2008. It said in order for him to have his license reinstated in New Jersey, he must provide details of his criminal conviction in New York, prove that he is fit to practice dentistry in New Jersey and show that he has an unrestricted license in New York.
Griefer is free on $15,000 bail, posted on Dec. 1, 2009. The most serious charges against him carry a potential prison term of up to 10 years, if he is convicted.
Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother star, Chantelle Houghton, has revealed the agony and disappointment she experienced with cosmetic dentistry when she chose to have traditional veneers fitted.
Chantelle revealed: “I had 20 teeth shaved down to stumps in one appointment. It was hell.”
“When I left the clinic five hours later I was in agony. It felt like electricity was running through my teeth. I got horrific aches in my jaw – it felt like I couldn’t relax the muscles or bite down properly – which began to impact on the nerves around my ears, so my hearing started to go.”
Unfortunately, it emerged that the veneers were too big and the dentist had caught the roof of her mouth with his drill leaving an infection.
“I thought, ‘Wow, a Hollywood smile – yes please,’” she told Now magazine, as she was offered £25,000 of treatment for just £6,000, “But it turned into the makeover from hell.”
It is surprising that so many celebrities still choose traditional veneers, when there are alternatives, offered by cosmetic dentistry specialists such as The Hospital Group. Pain-free veneers are as thin as a contact lens and fit over your teeth without any painful grinding or drilling. They are quick, effective and strong. However, this new treatment is not available everywhere and many dentists still offer the traditional veneers, which are notoriously painful, sometimes for months afterwards.
David Ross, CEO of The Hospital Group, said “We are really disappointed to hear this story. There is no reason why people should have to suffer pain for their veneers when new technology offers a much better solution.
We fitted our exclusive Nu-smile brand of pain-free veneers for Tina Malone and despite previously being a dental phobic, she found we transformed her smile in just 2 sessions with literally no pain or discomfort after the local anaesthetic had worn off.
Because they are custom made for you, our expert dentists can also use the veneers deliver a perfect smile you may not have thought possible, so unattractive and unhealthy dental conditions can also be corrected including chipped teeth, cracked teeth, misshapen teeth, misaligned teeth, discoloured teeth and rotated teeth. Our cosmetic dentists even offer a choice of “white” colours for the teeth and will recommend the right colour to flatter you. We generally advise not to go “brilliant white” – a slightly more subtle shade is often more flattering.”
The Hospital Group has an expanding network of cosmetic dentistry suites including London, Birmingham and Leeds. They only work with specialist cosmetic dentists and offer a full range of treatments. The pain-free veneers are the most popular, but invisible braces (Invisalign) and teeth whitening are also top choices.
This spring, Dr. John Phillips will spread goodwill and cheer to the local community with his fourth annual Dentistry From The Heart event. Dentistry From The Heart is an annual gift of free dental exams, x-rays, fillings, extractions and cleanings to those who would not otherwise have access to these important treatments. Services will be rendered to adult patients on a first come, first served basis from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, April 1, at the 29th Street Dental Care office located at 2900 Grand Avenue in Chickasha.
During the April 1 event, Dr. Phillips and his staff will offer dental services to people in need, at no charge to them and on a first come, first served basis. Dr. Phillips and his skilled staff hope to make a difference in the lives of those who come to them for help, and they will do whatever they can on Dentistry From The Heart day to relieve pain and fix dental problems. Patients who need ongoing care or have problems that cannot be corrected in one day will be referred to area community clinics, where they can receive ongoing treatment at a low or no cost.
At last year's event, Dr. Phillips and his team of volunteers served over 300 people. For this year's event, Dr. Phillips has recruited additional dentist and assistant volunteers from all over the country so he can accommodate the anticipated increase in number of participants. Dr. Phillips is hoping to serve more than 500 people this year.
Dr. Phillips runs 29th Street Dental Care, one of the most successful dental practices in the country. The office performs a full range of dental procedures, including oral sedation dentistry. For more information about the Dentistry From The Heart event, or for general practice information, please contact 29th Street Dental
Sports drinks are increasingly damaging the teeth of professional and recreational athletes, one of Australia's top sports dentists has warned.
Dr Brett Dorney says he has witnessed a huge increase in dental erosion since the Sydney Olympics, when he was the event's deputy director of dental services.
Dr Dorney says he first noticed the link between damaged teeth and sports drinks when he reviewed the cases of twenty-five elite athletes in his Sydney practice in 1995.
"We were absolutely shocked to find that elite athletes do not have elite mouths," he said.
"They were suffering widespread erosion and a lot of them had decayed teeth, which is something that we did not expect from people that we look up to in the community.
"Normally two mechanisms are involved. One is called dental erosion, which is basically the tooth dissolving. The other one is dental decay [which] occurs because sports drinks are acid, and they allow acid resistant bacteria to build up on the tooth's surface."
Dr Dorney says a product that was developed six years ago could help limit erosion from sports drinks.
He cited a scientific paper released by Melbourne University in 2005 that examined the effects of adding a calcium product called CPPACP to sports drinks.
"When this was added... they found that the erosive potential of that product was dramatically reduced," he said.
"The other important part was that the flavour of the sports drink, according to the study... had not changed."
Dr Dorney, who will present his research to an international conference in the United States, says he is not encouraging athletes to stop consuming sports drinks.
But he insists they should be made aware of the dangers.
"I think modern dentistry is about education - you must give people the information so that they can make choices [about] dental health and what dental risk they are going to be at.
"[Tooth erosion] is multi-factorial, it depends on whether the person is dehydrated, it also depends on the sport they are playing, the intensity of the sport, whether they have had sufficient fluid before they started playing."
Emma Rippon, a sports dietitian employed by the Collingwood Football Club, says sports drinks play a vital role in athletic performance.
"Sports drinks were originally designed to help elite athletes to maintain their sporting performance during activity," she said.
"They provide fluid, they provide carbohydrate for energy, they provide electrolytes, sodium and potassium so they are a really important part of an athlete's nutritional strategy."
But Ms Rippon agrees sports drinks cause problems for some athletes.
"There is a problem with tooth decay and tooth enamel erosion in athletes who misuse or overuse sports drinks. We are aware of that as a professional organisation of sports dietitians, we know [it] can be an issue," she said.
She says one way of minimising harm is by reducing the amount of contact the acidic fluid had with teeth.
"They can squirt the drink to the back of their mouth... [and] they can then follow up with some water to help rinse their mouth out as well," she said.
"And not drinking it while they have a mouthguard in their mouth as well, which would obviously hold the sports drink in their teeth."
Ms Rippon warns recreational athletes and children should also beware.
"There's a level of education for these young kids who are again drinking these things because there's a marketing hype, or they have just stopped into the milk bar on the way to school, and I do see it myself and it is a concern, because that is the misuse of these products," she said.
"Also, we are not encouraging our kids and not giving them the right messages if they are having these types of fluids instead of having proper nutritious food."
Sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade play a major role in sponsoring elite sports teams and individual athletes.
Ms Rippon says it is not the role of the manufacturers of sports drinks to educate consumers about the dangers of misusing sports drinks.
"But again there is an element of education and seeking the right advice from professionals in the industry and in the area to help people get an understanding about whether sports drinks are right for them," she said.
Powerade, owned by Coca Cola, states on its website: "The combination of carbohydrate in a somewhat acidic environment can cause dental cavities and/or erosion, however sports drinks are no different to many foods and fluids".
"Minimise the contact time between the sports drink and teeth (for example by swallowing immediately and rinsing with water regularly whilst using a sports drink). also, don't wash your mouthguard with a sports drink before putting it in your mouth."
Gatorade, owned by Pepsico, said it employed a nutritionist to work closely with sports bodies, including the Australian Institute of Sport, to ensure the best use of its products.
WASHINGTON, March 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Dental Association today announced the opening of a fourth education and training site for students in its Community Dental Health Coordinator (CDHC) Pilot Project. AT Still University Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health (ASDOH) this week finalized an agreement to open a CDHC program based at that institution's Mesa, Ariz., campus. The program will host Cohort 3 CDHC students—the final class in the CDHC pilot project—who are training to work in American Indian Communities.
The CDHC pilot project will create a new dental team member trained to improve the oral health of people who, for economic, geographic or cultural reasons, lack access to regular dental care. In their initial phase of training, students complete 12 months of online coursework administered by Rio Salado College in Tempe, Ariz. Upon successfully completing the didactic portion of their training, the students begin six-month internships.
Temple University's Kornberg School of Dentistry trains students to work in inner cities; the University of Oklahoma trains students to serve in remote rural areas. UCLA School of Dentistry hosted the first two cohorts of students training to work in American Indian communities. Students in Cohort 1 completed their coursework in fall 2010. Cohort 2 students, also training at UCLA, will complete their training in fall 2011. The third cohort of students in the American Indian track, who will train in conjunction with ASDOH, will enter the program this month.
"We're excited to open this final phase of the CDHC project," said ADA President Raymond F Gist, DDS. "ASDOH Dean Dr. Jack Dillenberg is committed to creating the best possible learning experience for them. And the school's numerous ties to the American Indian community offer unique opportunities for our students."
ASDOH's Dentistry in the Community program provides services in Apache, Hopi and other American Indian areas in Arizona and New Mexico. The school has the nation's largest contingent of tribally enrolled American Indian Dental students and boasts a 100 percent graduation rate for those students. All of ASDOH's American Indian graduates practice in American Indian Communities.
Dr. Gist also cited the presence of Dr. George Blue Spruce, the nation's first American Indian dentist and a former U.S. assistant surgeon general, who is ASDOH's assistant dean for Indian Affairs, calling him, "an eminent member of the dental community at large and an incalculable asset."
"Cultural competence is a key to the CDHC's success," said Dr. Gist. "Too often, people entering communities with which they aren't familiar can encounter cultural or language barriers that impede their abilities to serve those communities. Among the target population types—urban, remote rural and American Indians, the latter may present the greatest challenges to outsiders. The American Indian CDHC track has always taken this into account, recruiting students from the same communities in which they will serve."
Dr. Gist also praised the faculty and administrators at the UCLA School of Dentistry, who were instrumental in launching the American Indian CDHC track and will complete the course of training for CDHC Cohort 2 this fall. Cohort 1 students completed their coursework at UCLA last year.
About the American Dental Association
The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing more than 156,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The monthly Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA,
Introduction
Dental professionals may be at risk for exposure to numerous workplace hazards. These hazards include but are not limited to the spectrum of bloodborne pathogens, pharmaceuticals and other chemical agents, human factors, ergonomic hazards, noise, vibration, and workplace violence.
There are currently no specific standards for dentistry. However, exposure to numerous biological, chemical, environmental, physical, and psychological workplace hazards that may apply to dentistry are addressed in specific standards for the general industry.
OSHA Standards