Fake Florida dentist 'pulled 10 teeth without anesthetic'

Robert Rheinlander is depicted doing what appears to be dental work on a male patient in a Facebook photo. He was only licensed as a dental technician in South Carolina between 2004 and 2006.

An unlicensed Florida dentist faces criminal charges after police say he extracted 10 teeth without anesthetic and made dentures during house calls to save people money.

Robert 'Robbie' Rheinlander, 53, claimed he was a dentist in South Carolina before moving to Florida, according to investigators.

He was arrested last Thursday on a charge of practicing dentistry without a license.

A couple told a Manatee County Sheriff's detective in late September that Rheinlander extracted the woman's tooth, leaving a tooth fragment that caused medical complications, reported the Bradenton Herald.

The extraction was performed at Rheinlander's home and not at a dental office because the man claimed he wanted to keep the costs down for his patients.

When the couple looked up Rheinlander, they discovered he was not a licensed dentist.
The husband and wife told the authorities that before they found out the truth about Rheinlander, they had introduced him to another potential client.

When interviewed by police, that patient said that Rheinlander had extracted 10 teeth without anesthesia and made dentures for him.

Rheinlander was apprehended after an undercover detective arranged to meet him for dental work.

The 53-year-old suspect was released from jail on Friday on bail.

Records show Rheinlander was licensed as a dental technician in South Carolina between 2004 and 2006. He has no dental license in Florida.

A photo that was first posted on his Facebook page in 2013 depicts Rheinlander in a white lab coat and gloves, doing what appears to be dental work on a male patient reclining in a dental chair.