A woman in agony from an infected tooth knew something was off with the dentist when he approached wearing obstetric gloves and no mask.The second clue was the syringe he used to inject local anaesthetic, after telling her he was “lucky” to have any on hand.

The woman,a health professional,knew the needle was too short and said it appeared to be an insulin syringe.

By then, she was in too much pain to think beyond having the tooth removed.

But disgraced dentist David Zimmerman pulled out the wrong tooth while the woman’s mouth was only partially anaesthetised.

Zimmerman did two sharp movements forward and back,but before the second movement was complete,the woman – in excruciating pain – punched his hand away.

“The pain at the root was off the charts and different to the pain of the original toothache,” she said.

It was a seminal moment in putting an end to Zimmerman’s dentistry career, despite his having been suspended years earlier, and then having his registration removed.

‘Thought he knew better’

Zimmerman, 79, and his company MJ & Sleep Therapy Centre, were recently sentenced in the north Shore District Court on charges brought by the Ministry of Health under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act and the Radiation Safety Act.

Judge Paul Murray said, in fining Zimmerman and his business, he was driven by the fact that he thought he knew better than the regulatory authorities in continuing to practice despite being banned.

Zimmerman was registered in 1972 and suspended in july 2014, but continued to provide services.

The ministry said in its summary of facts that suspension followed a finding by the Dental Council that he posed a risk of serious harm to the public by practising below the required standard of competence.

His continued practice ultimately led to his registration being cancelled in May 2017 after a complaint from the Accident Compensation Corporation.

Judge Murray said the finding remained a “source of contention” for Zimmerman, who continued to offer dental services, leading up to events on Boxing day 2022 when the woman sought help for agonising toothache.

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Fake Dentist Caused Meaningful Harm to Patients

A man posing as a dentist in Auckland,New Zealand,caused substantial physical and emotional harm to multiple patients,a judge has revealed.The individual, known only as Zimmerman, performed dental procedures despite not being a registered dentist, leading to botched extractions, infections, and lasting trauma for his victims.

Judge Murray detailed the cases during a sentencing hearing, outlining the extent of the damage inflicted. One patient required stitches for a hole in their cheek caused by a suction hose during a painful wisdom tooth extraction.

A fourth person, concerned about the apparent poor state of Zimmerman’s surgical equipment and who bled during treatment, experienced a “distressing and frightening period” awaiting blood test results she sought afterward, Judge Murray said.

Defense lawyer Michell Staub argued there were no sterilization issues, but Judge Murray stated concerns had been raised on this point.

Another patient, at a low point in her life, borrowed money to receive treatment from Zimmerman and felt worse afterward.

Some victims expressed shock, anger, and embarrassment at having trusted someone who should not have been practicing. others felt unsettled, deceived, financially drained, and emotionally traumatized.

One of the two who sought help on a public holiday when options were limited described the experience as “terrible,” with pain lasting five months.

The identities of all victims were suppressed.

Wrong Tooth Pulled

Judge Murray said the woman who had the wrong tooth pulled was embarrassed at having trusted Zimmerman and angry at his “flagrant” avoidance of orders. Her witness statement made “concerning reading.”

She developed a toothache leading up to Christmas Day 2022.

It got “much, much worse” on Boxing Day, and the pain became unbearable, she told NZME.

“I was not able to find anyone to help. I rung every emergency dentist in Auckland, but they all said no one could help me till January 4,” she said.

The only one open was Zimmerman.

At the time,she did not know he should not have been practicing.

“He also told me he had been published in the British Medical Journal, which added to his credibility as a dentist.”

Zimmerman began the examination, wearing a white coat and obstetric gloves but no mask.

He did not do any X-rays but tapped the woman’s teeth with something metal a couple of times.

judging by her reaction,he decided a tooth closer to the front of her mouth was causing the pain and needed to come out.

Using a short needle, he administered six to eight injections and then performed a test, but the area was not numb.

Zimmerman gave the woman another round of injections, yet she remained not completely numb.

“I would say it was perhaps 50 percent numb with reduced sensation.”

Zimmerman then performed what he described as a “special block” from the outside of her cheek.

“After that, I could still talk and could have drunk a cup of tea.”

Having received the maximum dose of local anesthetic allowed and being only partially numb, the woman agreed to proceed.

Zimmerman placed a clamp on the tooth and began to extract it.