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AG: Illegal dentist arrested in N.J.

A Springfield, N.J. man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly performing dentistry without a license.

A Springfield, N.J. man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly performing dentistry without a license.

Diego Perez Cedeno, 39, was taken into custody at an office he ran from a single-family home on South Elmora Avenue in Elizabeth, according to a news release from the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.

Prosecutors said Cedeno only accepted cash for the dental work he performed. Investigators allegedly observed him charge $100 to tighten brace wires.

More than 100 doses of prescription anesthetic lidocaine were found at the time of Cedeno's arrest, according to officials.

Cedeno is charged with illegally performing dentistry without being licensed by the state board and unlawfully possessing prescription drugs and hypodermic needles.

"Unlicensed practice puts the public at unnecessary risk and is a slap in the face to our licensees," acting New Jersey Attorney General John Hoffman said in a statement.

Anyone who may have been victimized by Cedeno is asked to contact Det. David Conrad, of the Elizabeth Police Department, at 908-527-6517. Anyone who suspects an unlicensed person is performing dentistry in New Jersey is reminded to contact the State Board of Dentistry at 973-504-6405.