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Former dentist charged again for unlicensed dentistry scheme, botched work

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Posted at 1:29 PM, Oct 01, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-01 16:37:14-04

BLACK CANYON CITY, AZ — An Arizona man has been charged a second time for performing unlicensed, botched dental work.

The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office says 69-year-old Denis Froehlich was arrested Thursday night for performing dentistry without a license and aggravated assault.

Two alleged victims in Black Canyon City contacted YCSO and said that Froehlich claimed to be a retired dentist and had charged them to perform dental work. The work was performed out of his home and left both people “disfigured and in pain.”

YCSO says one victim had 13 teeth removed and another had 11 faulty crowns put on. Both were then allegedly abandoned, with Froehlich refusing to fix or finish the work he had started.

Froehlich was also previously charged in 2019 for defrauding an 86-year-old man with faulty dental work and practicing without a license.

In 2019 ABC15 spoke to the victim from Froehlich's first case who said he knew immediately after he had work done that something was wrong.

“As soon as I got out of the chair and looked in the mirror, I thought I looked like the remake of Frankenstein," the man said.

Froehlich’s dentistry license was pulled in 2013 after he failed to respond to a board investigation into patient abandonment and concerns over substance abuse and his prescribing practices.

Froehlich’s wife, Debra Lord, was also arrested for allegedly helping Froehlich restart his fraudulent business in 2020.

YCSO has not specified what charges Debra Lord faces.