SUDDENLY SEYMOUR

‘Self-Taught’ Dentists Arrested in Filthy Houston Office

Byron Alberto Zelaya is charged along with his son and nephew with practicing unlawful dentistry.

A trio of “self-taught” dentists in Texas have been treating patients out of a filthy Houston office over the past year, lacking any formal training other than having once worked at a dental lab, police allege. According to court documents, Byron Alberto Zelaya, 58, was arrested on Jan. 31 for practicing dentistry without a license, a felony. Zelaya’s 31-year-old son, Bryant Jesus Zelaya, is facing the same charge. Twenty-nine-year-old Omar Navarrete-Sevilla, Zelaya’s nephew, is also charged with unlawful practice of dentistry, but at a misdemeanor level, KTRK reported. One client “was alarmed by the unsanitary conditions and the absence of diplomas or licenses on the walls,” according to the outlet. A bail document obtained by The Daily Beast reveals the takedown occurred after cops executed an undercover operation after getting a complaint from an unhappy patient. They then “set up a bogus appointment for dental work,” it says, noting that during the visit, the Zelayas “pretended to practice dentistry.”