By Khalida Sarwari
A Saratoga dentist who police say ordered root canals and other unnecessary treatments is facing insurance fraud charges that could land him in jail for almost a decade if he’s convicted.
John Roger Lund, 66, of Saratoga, was arraigned June 6 at the Hall of Justice in San Jose on 28 felony counts involving insurance fraud.
The longtime dentist is accused of performing “numerous unnecessary, invasive and expensive dental treatments” on at least 28 patients, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. The allegations stem from an investigation spearheaded by the California Dental Board following the scheme’s discovery in 2012 by another dentist, Dr. Brandon Zeidler, who had purchased Lund’s practice on Prospect Road and began researching his records.
According to the district attorney’s office, Zeidler found numerous examples of patients who seemed to have had unnecessary procedures, including root canals, pulp caps and crowns. One patient, for example, had 18 root canals within a five-year period; an average person usually has only one or two such procedures–if any–during a lifetime.
Prosecutors believe Lund may have performed hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of such fraudulent procedures on the healthy teeth and gums of numerous patients. He would then charge both patients and their insurance companies for treatments later deemed to have been unnecessary or in some cases never performed at all, according to prosecutors.
Many of Lund’s patients are from Saratoga, Los Gatos and San Jose, according to prosecutor David Soares.
“I encourage people, if they suspect they’re being overtreated by a provider–either a dentist or doctor or chiropractor, any licensed professional–that sometimes it’s a good idea to seek a second opinion and make sure that they’re not being overtreated for reasons unrelated to their well being,” Soares said.
Lund’s license has been suspended. Prosecutors said that, if convicted, he could face up to eight years in prison. He is due back in court Aug. 8 for a plea entry hearing.
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