http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=3D3333bd8d-8e06-4c6c-8961-=
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OTTAWA CITIZEN (CANADA)
Danger in the 'dentist's chair'
When Jim Hood tried to get a deal on fixing a broken tooth, he got
more than
he bargained for -- a 'massive infection' and even bigger bills to
repair
the damage. An Ottawa man has been charged in the case, and the
college that
regulates dentists says there are hundreds more like him.
Neco Cockburn
The Ottawa Citizen
Monday, March 24, 2008
CREDIT: Pat McGrath, The Ottawa Citizen
Gzim Bytyqi said he was a dentist in Kosovo. 'I used to pull
teeth, extractions, fillings, root canals, bridges, dentures,' he
said.
'When you work like this, you gain the experience and you gain the
ability.'
Nothing indicated that the Toronto house contained a dentist's office,
but
Jim Hood walked down a few stairs and knocked on the side door of a
basement
apartment, hoping to get a broken tooth fixed.
A man who spoke with an Eastern European accent led Mr. Hood into a
converted bedroom containing a dental chair and a tray of equipment. A
noisy
air compressor sat in the corner and the man promised Mr. Hood
beautiful
teeth.
Mr. Hood, a Canadian citizen who lives in New York state, had broken a
front
tooth on a piece of licorice about two months earlier. A family member
told
him about a man who had immigrated to Canada, but was not licensed as
a
dentist and charged 35 per cent of other dentists' prices.
Mr. Hood, 78, had second thoughts after arriving at the basement
apartment,
but believed there was no turning back as the man used a dental hammer
to
break crowns from his teeth in preparation for moulding a bridge.
Soon after the work was finished, an infection engulfed Mr. Hood's
face and
sinuses, swelling his eye almost shut.
"I should have known better, but everybody's an Einstein after the
fact,"
Mr. Hood said.
He complained to police and the alleged illegal dentist, an Ottawa man
named
Gzim Bytyqi, turned himself in in January.
- - -
Gzim Bytyqi says he fled Kosovo nine years ago with his wife, their
children
and a dream of working as a dentist in Canada.
During a pair of interviews, the 50-year-old said he performed dozens
of
extractions a day in Prishtina after graduating as "the youngest
dentist in
Yugoslavia" at the age of 23.
Mr. Bytyqi brought with him old photographs of himself in what appears
to be
a dental office, as well as a document marked "Diplom=EB" that states he
graduated in May 1981 from the University of Prishtina.
He ran a practice with two other dentists and an independent office,
he
said, estimating he treated 10,000 patients over almost two decades.
Mr.
Bytyqi said he also provided volunteer dental work.
"I used to pull teeth, extractions, fillings, root canals, bridges,
dentures. When you work like this, you gain the experience and you
gain the
ability."
But Mr. Bytyqi said he and his wife, who is also a dentist, struggled
to
find their feet in the profession after they arrived in Canada as
refugees
in 1999. They have two children, aged nine and 11.
Mr. Bytyqi said he was involved in Aameeca Inc., a dental equipment
importing business. The relationship ended in a dispute between him
and
another man at the company.
He also failed a Canadian eligibility exam four times despite taking
courses
to upgrade, he said. A letter from the Association of Canadian
Faculties of
Dentistry, dated November 2004 -- after the last test Mr. Bytyqi said
he
took -- states his score was 31 per cent.
Mr. Bytyqi said the exams relied too much on theory, which he had
studied
decades earlier.
But Irwin Fefergrad, registrar for the Royal College of Dental
Surgeons of
Ontario, which oversees almost 8,000 dentists, said the regulator
needs to
ensure there is a "common standard."
"The system is there to keep incompetence out," he said.
Police allege Mr. Bytyqi practised dentistry despite failing to get a
licence. They seized equipment, including drills, dental pics,
mirrors,
tooth moulds and business cards in the name of Dr. Jimmy Connolly from
the
Toronto apartment.
Mr. Bytyqi, who said he's known as "Jimmy" because people have trouble
pronouncing his first name, would not discuss the allegations against
him,
saying he did not want to interfere with the court process.
He said he could not see himself working at another job, such as
washing
dishes or delivering pizza. "Not physically, physically is easy, but
mentally I can't. Mentally kills me. Every year, I become older and
older.
It's been nine years now."
- - -
After breaking his tooth in July, Mr. Hood said he was told by his
regular
dentist that it would cost $1,750 for a root canal, post, crown and
gingivectomy.
Mr. Hood, who lives in Youngstown, New York, thought the price was too
high.
A relative in Toronto suggested he contact a man who charged less.
Mr. Hood said he thought, "if he's a dentist, he's a dentist." He and
the
man got in touch.
"I will give you exellent (sic) work with very good price. ... I wish
you to
contact me," the man wrote in an e-mail message.
Although police said Mr. Bytyqi mainly advertised services through
word of
mouth, an ad in the 2007-2008 Albanian-Canadian Yellow Pages, which
can be
found online, lists "Gzim-Dent," with a Toronto-based phone number, as
providing examinations and checkups, as well as selling dental
equipment.
Mr. Bytyqi would not answer questions about whether he ran underground
offices in the Ottawa area, but did talk about other aspects of his
past.
After problems at the dental equipment importing company, Mr. Bytyqi
declared bankruptcy in 2005. He appears to have tried for almost any
dental
job he could find and claims to have sent r=E9sum=E9s as far away as the
Northwest Territories and Maritime provinces.
Dr. Bill Williams, who runs a dental clinic in Suwanee, Georgia, said
Mr.
Bytyqi asked him for information about a dental and medical mission to
Kenya
about three years ago.
"He said he was in Canada, not working as a dentist yet," said Dr.
Williams,
adding he believed Mr. Bytyqi wanted to join the group "to be a
humanitarian, help people out."
Mr. Bytyqi said he couldn't go after he found out that team members
had to
pay their own way, Dr. Williams said.
In an online posting in June 2006, Mr. Bytyqi commented on a news
report
about a shortage of dentists in Scotland: "Family Dentistry from
Ottawa-Canada with 25 years experience looking if is any possibility
to work
in Scotland like a dentist. Thank you in advance."
Police believe Mr. Bytyqi had been renting the Toronto apartment since
late
last summer, but said records were not kept to indicate how many
people may
have been treated there.
Mr. Hood, the only person to lodge a complaint about the Toronto
operation,
said he had arranged through e-mails and phone conversations to meet
the
dentist during a trip to Toronto on Sept. 21.
He said the man told him he would need other work done. The man said
he
could make a four-tooth bridge and claimed he also completed six minor
fillings, Mr. Hood said. The fee would be $1,200, in cash -- more work
than
Mr. Hood's dentist had suggested, but still cheaper.
Mr. Hood said the man broke two crowns to make a mould.
"Though I thought there was something wrong with his methods, by now I
was
stuck on stupid and since I was now almost committed, thought that he
better
finish the job."
Mr. Hood claims he paid the man $200 and was told to return in a week
to
have the bridge installed. After receiving the bridge, the man drove
Mr.
Hood to the bank, where he claims he withdrew the remaining $1,000.
Within days, severe pain in his gums had not stopped and his face
started to
swell. His doctor put him on antibiotics, saying the infection could
be
life-threatening if not stopped before it reached his brain.
- - -
Mr. Hood returned to his regular dentist to have the problem fixed,
which
led to surgery and eight visits between Oct. 16 and Jan. 28 at a cost
of
$3,300, he said.
Mr. Hood's dentist told police that his patient's eye was swollen
shut, his
bite was open to the point where he could not get his left teeth
together
and that his gums had a "massive infection."
Mr. Hood said he called the Toronto dentist to discuss the problems
and ask
him to contribute money to the repairs, but the other man hung up.
Mr. Hood filed a complaint with the Royal College of Dental Surgeons
of
Ontario. He said the college told him it could do nothing because the
man
was not licensed, and advised him to contact police.
On Jan. 24, Toronto police executed a search warrant at the basement
apartment. Mr. Bytyqi was later charged with six offences, including
criminal negligence causing bodily harm, fraud and false
representation. The
charges are before the courts.
Toronto police Det. Glenn Emond said it's believed Mr. Bytyqi may have
operated underground offices in Ottawa and Gatineau and treated at
least one
person in the Montreal area.
Police have spoken to at least two other people who claim they had
dental
work done by Mr. Bytyqi, but further charges are not being laid at
this
time, Det. Emond said.
Despite his legal troubles, Mr. Bytyqi said he still hopes to work as
a
dentist in Canada and plans to write a book about his struggles.
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