Fake Dentist Botches Root Canal, Charged with Serious Crimes

0:00On March 8th, a 49-year-old woman from Old Bridge, New Jersey, faces serious charges after police say she pretended to be a licensed dentist and botched a root canal on a patient. Anna Amato allegedly took a $300 deposit and started drilling the man's tooth on September 22nd, 2025, but stopped halfway through leaving him in severe pain and bleeding. The patient had found her services through a WhatsApp grew bad and showed up at her office in South River for the procedure. After injecting anesthetic, she abandoned the work and later suggested other dentists to finish it, but refused to return his money when he came back. Still suffering with gauze in his mouth, the man went straight to police headquarters to report her, sparking a quick investigation by officers and detectives. This turned a simple dispute into a major probe, highlighting risks from unverified online services. Detectives obtained a search warrant for her main street business on February 19th, 2026,

1:00seizing key evidence. She's now charged with unlawful practice of dentistry, aggravated assault, and financial facilitation of criminal activity. Salvera Police Chief commended the team's thorough work in protecting the public from such dangers. The case remains active, with detectives encouraging anyone with tips to reach out and help wrap it up.