YCSO: Former dentist arrested for practicing without license, left victims disfigured and in pain

Denis Froehlich, 69, of Black Canyon City, was arrested Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, for allegedly practicing dentistry without a license and aggravated assault by the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. (YCSO/Courtesy)

Denis Froehlich, 69, of Black Canyon City, was arrested Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, for allegedly practicing dentistry without a license and aggravated assault by the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. (YCSO/Courtesy)

BLACK CANYON CITY — Former dentist Denis Froehlich, 69, got quite the birthday surprise when the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office knocked on his door Thursday, Sept. 30, and arrested him for allegedly practicing dentistry without a license and aggravated assault, according to a news release.

And this is not the first time Froehlich has been arrested for illegally practicing dentistry.

YCSO deputies were contacted by two victims in Black Canyon City who reported that Froehlich, claiming to be a retired dentist, had charged them to do dental work that he was performing out of his home, but left them both disfigured and in pain.

One victim had 13 teeth removed and the other had 11 faulty dental crowns put on, where Froehlich then abandoned both victims refusing to fix or finish the work he started.

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A photo of a drill Denis Froehlich might have used while allegedly practicing dentistry without a license and aggravated assault. Froehlich was arrested Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, by the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office in Black Canyon City. (YCSO/Courtesy)

An investigation into the claims by YCSO deputies uncovered that the “dentist” in question was not only unlicensed but that he was on probation for the committing the same crimes in Maricopa County.

Froehlich was arrested and charged by the Arizona Attorney General in 2019 for defrauding an 86-year-old man with faulty dental work and practicing without a license.

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 moved to Black Canyon City last year with his wife Debra Lord, where the two apparently resumed the business of his dental butchery on unsuspecting victims in the community.

YCSO deputies served a search warrant on Froehlich and Lord on Thursday, Sept. 30, looking for evidence that he was still performing illegal dental work.

During the search several weapons, and meth and heroin-related items were seized along with several dental items such as molds, teeth, dentures, utensils, drills, and numbing agents such as Novocain.

Lord and Froehlich were both arrested and transported to the Yavapai County Jail in Camp Verde.

“It was only because of the diligence of the deputies in the Black Canyon City area that this man is in custody,” Sheriff David Rhodes said in a statement. “Our deputies refused to give up when one victim was unable to provide the necessary evidence to obtain a search warrant but was able to find another victim who was able to do so and help us remove this man from the community.”

Information provided by the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office.


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