Inset: Emely Martinez (Pinellas County Jail). Background: Strip mall in Pinellas Park, Florida, where Martinez allegedly inserted veneers without a dentist license (Google Maps).
A Florida woman is accused of performing dentistry without a license and inserting veneers on patients who subsequently had to have emergency surgery.
Emely Martinez, 35, faces at least four counts of practicing dentistry without a license in two counties in the Sunshine State, along with a scheme to defraud charge.
Martinez allegedly advertised on social media under the name Itsthe Veneerlady to insert the veneers for a dramatically cheaper price than the going rate, cops said, according to a probable cause affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime. In one case, Martinez incorrectly put in the veneers, causing the patient “pain and injury,” cops wrote. A real dentist had to perform “emergency dental surgery” to save her natural teeth and discovered Martinez allegedly used “nail glue” to insert the veneers.
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The victim told cops Martinez presented herself as a licensed professional, but she later learned the suspect had no such certificate.
In another case, a victim suffered “ongoing consequences” from Martinez”s shoddy work, cops said. Martinez allegedly charged the woman $1,600, but the veneers kept falling out. The defendant tried putting them back in on two different occasions but the same problems persisted, according to the affidavit. Martinez allegedly refused to refund the victim and then “ceased contact.” As a result, cops arrested Martinez on a scheme to defraud charge.
Cops say Martinez was operating out of a strip mall in Pinellas Park.
Pinellas Park Police Sgt. Windy Vater told local Fox affiliate WTVT that the victims have spent thousands of dollars trying to repair their teeth.
“She is not licensed to put in veneers,” said Vater. “She has no schooling to do veneers. And in the state of Florida, obviously you have to be licensed to do any kind of work like that.”
Martinez also is facing a separate charge of practicing dentistry without a license in Hillsborough County.
Unlicensed veneer techs have become such an issue nationwide that the American Dental Association issued a statement in May 2024, warning that the procedure, if not done properly, could cause “irreversible harm.”
“Risks that may be associated with services from unlicensed individuals include potential infection from adhesives and curing devices that are not properly sterilized or from placing veneers over unhealthy teeth or untreated cavities; nerve damage from improperly trimming or filing the teeth; and potential choking hazard during placement,” the statement said.
Martinez remained at the Pinellas County Jail as of Monday morning on a bond of about $40,000.
