Doctoring the Truth
Welcome to Doctoring the Truth, a podcast where two dedicated audiologists dissect the world of healthcare gone rogue. Explore jaw-dropping stories of medical malfeasance, nefariousness, and shocking breaches of trust. The episodes provide deep dives that latch onto your curiosity and conscience. It's a podcast for truth-seekers craving true crime, clinical insights, and a dash of humor.
Doctoring the Truth
Ep 16-The Dental Affair: Rage, Betrayal, and Murder
When Clara Suarez left Colombia for America, she carried her late father's dream of building a better life. Through sheer determination, she conquered dental school twice—once in her homeland and again in the United States—eventually establishing a thriving practice in Houston. Her perfect smile caught the eye of orthodontist David Harris, and their Valentine's Day wedding seemed to seal her fairy tale transformation from impoverished immigrant to successful professional.
Together, they built what appeared to be the perfect life—a dental empire spanning six practices, twin sons, and a beautiful home in an upscale suburb. Behind Clara's achievements lay a perfectionist drive born from childhood loss, a relentless pursuit of excellence that never quite filled the void left by her father's absence.
The facade cracked in 2002 when Clara discovered David's affair with his receptionist. Her response revealed the dangerous undercurrent of obsessive perfectionism that had always driven her success. She hired a personal trainer, planned cosmetic surgery, and even abandoned her hard-won dental career to focus exclusively on saving her marriage.
When these desperate measures failed, something snapped. On a July evening outside the very hotel where they'd celebrated their wedding reception, Clara made a split-second decision that destroyed everything she'd built. With her teenage stepdaughter in the passenger seat witnessing the horror, she circled the parking lot three times before deliberately running over David with her Mercedes-Benz.
The murder trial exposed the raw wounds of betrayal and rage that had festered beneath the polished surface of their marriage. Though convicted and sentenced to twenty years, Clara served fifteen before her 2018 parole. Her case stands as a chilling reminder of how quickly unchecked emotions can unravel even the most carefully constructed lives.
What drives someone to destroy everything they've worked for in a moment of passion? Listen now to explore the psychological forces behind this tragic true crime that shocked Texas and the nation.
Sources from today's episode:
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Hello Amanda Jenna Hello.
Speaker 2:How are you? I'm good.
Speaker 1:How are you Good? But tell me how's your puppy? I heard she had to go to the doctor.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she's okay. She just got a little case of the sickness, but she'll be good, poor little thing.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's that time of year.
Speaker 2:Little thing Keeping mama it's that time of year Little thing Keeping mama on her toes. Right, they're worth it though right Fitting, yeah, oh yeah, did you have a good Mother's Day?
Speaker 1:I did, I had a little brunch action, had a little gardening. How about you? Oh my gosh, how's your gardening coming along.
Speaker 2:We had the same exact day actually, really. We took mom to brunch, yeah, and then we went and bought some plants and we planted them all in her planters. She has these big, huge, raised two huge flower garden beds in the backyard, so got those all set up with some flowers. Oh, you're such a good daughter. Oh, thank you, it's perfect.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, I think she had a good day. I got my mom some cozy earth pajamas. She almost tried them on in the restaurant, which was super funny, because she was like going to the bathroom and she's still clutching her present with her pajamas in it, and my dad was like, are you trying this on here? She's like oh, no, no, no, no, I'll wait till I get home.
Speaker 2:No, I guess you can hold them. It was so cute. Oh well, I'm glad she loved them. Happy Mother's Day to all our mama listeners.
Speaker 1:Yeah to anyone who's ever mothered anything, whether it be a plant anything an aminal, a boyfriend I don't know, just saying yeah humans, fur babies, heaven babies, all the baby Right. Well.
Speaker 2:All righty, I see you have a correction section.
Speaker 1:I do have a correction section. So I was talking about cannabis-induced psychosis for those of you who listened to the last episode and I decided that I knew what a matic was, because somebody went psycho and killed somebody with a matic and I decided it was this big like caveman club with like spikes on it. I just totally made that up.
Speaker 2:It's actually I mean, when you said it, though, I was like, obviously she's right, that is what it is if you're gonna make a mistake, do it with conviction, then people will believe you matter.
Speaker 1:But anyway, I did look it up. After the fact, it's a pickaxe, so nowhere I mean it's not any better that this is what somebody was beaten with, but um I feel like that, almost feels worse.
Speaker 1:No, I know let's not think about it too much. Um. And then the other one was I was wondering where, what the name of the drug was, where people would go to have these psychedelic experiences, where they like dig deep into their psyches and hopefully change forever and they go off into the Amazon or whatever. And I couldn't think of the name other than, like I don't know, some kind of mushroom or peyote or something. It's ayahuasca. So I I woke up one day and I just went ayahuasca. So it's a South American psychoactive beverage traditionally used by indigenous cultures and folk healers in the Amazon and Orinoco basins for spiritual ceremonies, divination and a healing of a variety of psychosomatic complaints. But if you have a, you know, mental illness or predisposition for um addiction and that sort of thing, this would not be good for you.
Speaker 2:So anyway, that's what I was thinking of in the last episode.
Speaker 1:But happy sweet 16, what do?
Speaker 2:we got today.
Speaker 2:I know we're getting so old, look at us driving cars and things yeah, um, well, before I tell you what we're doing, um, I'd had a little bit of business to cover, so jenna created a youtube page for doctoring the truth. She was hard working on this on the weekend. Y'all, the page has a poll that we would love for you guys to take. The poll is what should our listeners be called? And the options include truthologists, alley cats, dr Reno's and DTT patients. Um, I voted, I tried to share the poll or the page on our socials so that it would be easy for you guys to click on, but it did not allow me to do that, so I need to. I mean, there's probably a way. I just need to look more into that, but you heard it here first. There is a poll on youtube page doctoring the truth. Um, for what y'all should be called. I'm not gonna bias anyone, but I feel very partial to one yeah, I'm curious.
Speaker 1:Um, I did vote, uh, so we'll just have to see what our fans want to be called can you see who voted for?
Speaker 2:what did you?
Speaker 1:see what I voted for no, it's, it's anonymous, so don't worry yep, do you think we voted for the same one? Maybe because they're not that many votes. We gotta get it, we gotta get. Actually, the youtube page is like. I'm working on it, it's, it's uh, it's a little bit harder to access than I'd hope. So give us your feedback if you're having trouble, because you know I'll keep working on how to make this easier to access or I'll find a younger person to help me.
Speaker 2:I'll find a child that ain't going to be me. You guys, Maybe we can ask Mallory to help us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she's so smart. I know we need a social media manager. Feel free to apply, but don't apply on social media. We won't find it, yeah.
Speaker 2:Also, there is no pay. We're doing this for the heart of it, baby It'll be philanthropic. That's right, For sure yes exactly, Put it on your resume your philanthropic work.
Speaker 1:Community service.
Speaker 2:Okay, community service. Okay, yeah, yes, anyway, let's, let's move along. Then, on that note, um, the only trigger warning for this episode is infidelity, so if that's a sore spot for you, just know it's going to be written throughout the story. Um, okay, and actually, before we jump, jump, jump jump into that, um, can I tell you how important strong coffee company was to my life today?
Speaker 1:tell me about it well, it's a monday it's monday naturally we record on mondays.
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Speaker 1:Right, you nailed it. You're doing great. You're doing great.
Speaker 2:You know, thank you, thank you. I'm just gonna take a little sip of water here before we jump into our story. So sorry, if you guys can hear that, jenna will edit it out.
Speaker 1:Hydration it's important.
Speaker 2:Okay, are you ready?
Speaker 1:for this one. I am so ready. I'm excited for this one okay, here we go.
Speaker 2:Uh, my resources that I used will be listed in the show notes, all right. Clara suarez grew up in bogota, colombia, a city of sharp contrasts where wealth and poverty lived next to each other, but worlds apart. Her family fell on the side with less. Her mother was a dressmaker, sewing clothes for people of bogota while her Aww.
Speaker 2:That love became a shield, an anchor and a place where violence was part of everyday life, where gunfire and drug trafficking were just part of the background noise. Clara's father was her biggest champion. He always told her to look past the world around her to imagine something better, something more. But in 1964, when Clara was only six years old, he passed away.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's horrible, I know that's so young.
Speaker 2:His death was a devastating loss for the family. For Clara, it was more than just heartbreak. It became a turning point. Even as a young girl, she made a quiet promise to herself she would live out the dreams her father didn't get to see come true. Above all else, he had one wish for her that she would go on one day to make it to America and build a better life. As she grew older, that wish became her mission. Clara turned into an overachiever. She was driven and determined. Her ambition was a true tribute to the father she had lost. But at the same time, that loss left a mark. While it pushed her forward, it also quietly held her back, stunting her psychological development.
Speaker 2:Perfectionists often measure their worth not just by what they achieve, but by how others respond to those achievements. In Clara's case, her drive for perfection may have started with a desire to impress her father, but he wasn't there to see her successes or to offer the approval she so deeply craved. Without that guiding presence, her perfectionism had no limits. There was no finish line. No matter how much she accomplished, it never felt like enough. That relentless pursuit of excellence may have led her down a path few dared to follow Dentistry. In 1970s, colombia, dentistry was far from a common career choice. In fact, in 1969, there were only four dental schools in the entire country and very few went on to graduate from those programs. The programs were intense, demanding and highly selective. But for someone like Clara, who was drawn to structure, rigor and high expectations, it made sense. The challenge wasn't an deterrent, it was an appeal.
Speaker 2:By her late 20s, Clara had earned her degree in dentistry and opened her own practice in Bogota. It was an incredible milestone for her. But even with her success, one dream still lingered in the background or maybe it was more than a dream, perhaps it was a promise the one her father had always hoped for her that she would move to America and build a life there. That dream became her next mission. By 1986, after years of hard work and saving all the money she could, clara finally had enough money to take the leap. She knew the road ahead wouldn't be easy. To practice dentistry in the US she'd need a degree from an American school. So she enrolled and was accepted at Washington University in St Louis. Four years later she graduated and moved to Houston to complete a one-year residency at the University of Texas Dental Branch. In June of 1991, at the age of 33, clara reached the goal she'd been chasing for most of her life. She had completed her American education and was finally ready to open a practice of her own.
Speaker 2:Before taking the final step in her professional journey, clara made an unexpected detour, one that had nothing to do with dentistry. She decided to enter a local beauty pageant. It was a contest for Colombian-born women living in Houston, a celebration of beauty, elegance and cultural pride. Contestants were expected to represent not just grace and poise, but also traditional Colombian values.
Speaker 2:For Clara, the idea brought back vivid memories of the stunning women she used to admire on the streets of Bogota. Stepping onto the stage wasn't something that she had done before, but, like every challenge in her life, she embraced it head on, and once she did, it was clear she belonged there. She did, it was clear she belonged there With her radiant red hair, captivating smile and a beauty mark on her left cheek that made her face unforgettable. Clara instantly stood out. She dazzled the judges not just with her looks, but with her intelligence, charm and poise. When she waved from the stage and answered their questions, she did it with a quiet confidence that was hard to ignore. In the end she made, made it look easy, just like she always did. That year she was crowned 1991's miss columbia houston wow another title, another triumph and another way.
Speaker 2:She proved that, no matter the stage, she knew how to rise to the top.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. Is it bad that? I was like, well, how's her teeth? I mean, does she have, like, does she have amazing teeth? Though, I mean, cause you're, she's gorgeous, okay, yeah.
Speaker 2:She's beautiful. Yeah, I guess, like um most of the pictures I saw of her online, she's um not very happy, so I don't actually recall if I know what her teeth look like, but I'm sure her teeth are great.
Speaker 1:I'm just like picturing this like beautiful smile with her big hair, cause you said she had a captivating smile and I was like, but how's her teeth? It must be amazing, cause she's going into dentistry Um, I don't know and she's dazzling everyone.
Speaker 2:She's dazzling Cool. I'm going to have to see if I actually can see a picture with her um, with her teeth. I'm sure they're great.
Speaker 1:13 because I'm sure they're great, um, but yeah, most of the pictures I saw for she was crying, so let's get a little further into this. Okay, I'm not, I don't think I'm gonna like where this is going. Okay, probably not okay, all right.
Speaker 2:With an american dental degree in hand and a beauty pageant crown to her name, clara felt unstoppable. She had climbed every mountain she set her sights on, except for one love. For years, romance had taken a backseat to her ambitions. There simply wasn't time for it. But now, for the first time, she felt ready to open that part of her heart. She was ready to find Mr Right, and it didn't take long.
Speaker 2:After graduation, clara accepted a position at Castle Dental Center in Houston. That is where she met David Harris, an orthodontist who had also graduated from the University of Texas Dental Branch. David was 33, handsome, smart and funny. He had a five-year-old daughter, named Lindsay, from a previous marriage, but the divorce was finalized by the time he and Clara had crossed paths. He was completely available and completely smitten. Their connection was instant and things moved quickly. After six months of dating, clara and David were married on Valentine's Day in 1992 at the Hilton Hotel in Nassau Bay. It seemed like a storybook ending. Clara had it all a successful career, a husband who adored her and a new family to call her own, and together they built a beautiful home in Friendswood, texas, a wealthy suburb. From the outside, clara and David looked like a perfect couple. Whenever they were out and about, clara could be seen on his arm, beaming, laughing and just completely in love. And David, he wasn't just her husband, he was her biggest cheerleader. When Clara told him she wanted to open a practice of her own, he didn't hesitate. He urged her to go for it, leave her job and chase that big next dream. And she did.
Speaker 2:In the months that followed, clara poured herself into building her own dental practice, hiring staff, building a caseload and laying the groundwork for what would become something much bigger. Within a year, she was ready to expand. In April of 1993, she bought out the practice of a retiring dentist in a more rural area. It came with a brand new patient base and even more responsibility. Her days were long and her schedule full, but Clara thrived on the chaos. Busyness, after all, had always been her comfort zone. David was inspired by her momentum and decided to take his own leap. He also left Castle Danger Center. Castle Danger, if you're not from Minnesota, is a brewery. That is not where he left. He left Castle Dental Center and opened his own orthodontics practice, called space center orthodontics.
Speaker 2:With both of them now leading their own clinics, the couple made a strategic decision. They would join forces. On fridays, clara would visit david's office to see patients and on mondays he'd do the same at hers. She handled the dental work and he offered orthodontics. It was the perfect professional pairing and that's why I said she probably had nice teeth because she was married to an orthodontist. I mean, I'm sure they were great before that, but if not, he could fix them.
Speaker 2:That partnership soon became official. They became business partners, not just spouses, and over the next several years they built what many would call a dental empire. They owned six practices spread across the Houston area. On paper it was a dream come true A thriving business, a shared vision, a powerful couple doing it all together. And you know, just to add to the chaos, clara and David welcomed twin boys Brian and Bradley into their lives in the late 90s.
Speaker 2:Even with the business of their careers the busyness of their careers, excuse me. By all accounts, her children were the center of her life. Friends and acquaintances described her as a deeply family-oriented woman, but behind the scenes things weren't as seamless as they seemed. While their careers soared and their family grew, their marriage began to quietly unravel. To outsiders, they were the embodiment of the American dream. Clara often remarked that she was living her life that her father had envisioned for her. But beneath the polished surface, the foundation of their marriage was eroding. And isn't that kind of always the way, like the people that you see? They're like oh my god, they're so perfect, everything's so great.
Speaker 1:Like Instagram polished and you're like, ooh, there's a crack in the facade, yeah.
Speaker 2:They always say like yeah, probably if you don't see much of them online, they're probably happier.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I don't know, and that's not true for everybody, but anyway that's sad. In 2002, after a decade of marriage, clara began to notice troubling signs. David was growing distant, emotionally unavailable and frequently absent under the guise of work. Emotionally unavailable and frequently absent under the guise of work. Diana, a woman who worked in her dental office, informed her this is Clara that she thought David was having an affair. This fueled suspicion stirring in her heart, but Clara wanted desperately to believe in the love that they had built. She thought that Diana was just trying to destroy her marriage. I mean, how could it be true? It just couldn't be. Additionally, her desire to maintain the integrity of her home life was a major reason. She initially tried to overlook the gut feelings Because, you know, she had to maintain that image. She couldn't shake the feelings and confronted David. He did admit to being. He did admit to seeing his receptionist Gail, but that he had done no more than kiss her hand, declared to Clara that he would do anything to save their marriage. Clara demanded that David fire Gail that day and that she wanted to go to marriage counseling. She also requested that he tell his parents and their pastor.
Speaker 2:After their discussion, clara felt super angry and very confused. She went downstairs to the kitchen where her stepdaughter Lindsay was and said there is something that you need to know about your dad. Lindsay already knew. She told Clara. All the girls in the office know dad and Gail go for lunch every day and this was more information than david had revealed to clara. Oh, classic cheater. But she frantically began all efforts to save their marriage, taking david on a romantic date to a piano bar. And there she asked him I want to know what is so attractive about her? What is the difference between her and me? Clara remembers david answering this question that she had zero fat. Um, also, your wife just birthed twins to you, douchebag.
Speaker 1:But okie, dokie, you pos uh, oh, blood and artery here. Oh my goodness, what a.
Speaker 2:At the piano bar. David not only admitted to having sex with Gail, but they had sex three times a day. Clara was sick. How could her husband be more attracted to another woman? How could another woman satisfy him more than she? She reportedly hired a personal trainer, got a membership at a tanning salon and planned to have her hair and nails done every day. She even went as far as putting down a deposit at the plastic surgeon's office for breast augmentation and liposuction. She went shopping for a new wardrobe that she felt was sexier, and, in an effort to devote herself entirely to David, she made the most extreme sacrifice. She called her office and said that she was retiring. She said she was going to dedicate herself to her family. Like what Girl? You just built this whole dream that your dad wanted for you and now, because your husband can't keep his weenie in his own pant, you're going to throw your career away.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God, and it's not. She's making it her fault. She's making it her fault as if, as if, oh boy, Okay, david agreed to break things off with Gail. Mm-hmm. Yeah, we can believe him right.
Speaker 2:I gail, yeah, we can believe him, right. I mean he's, he's just gonna tell the truth, because they always agree to your face, but anyway, um, it's honorable, okay. Yeah, clara wanted him to call her and end things immediately, because we've already proven that when I confronted you at the house, you've only kissed her on the hand, but your daughter knew more that you go to lunch with every day and now we now we have sex three times a day. Oh you know what. But I mean, he said he's sorry.
Speaker 1:Well, you know what. You're right. I mean, he said he's sorry, he's going to stop, so let's drop everything and believe him. Yeah, you know what?
Speaker 2:You're right, who am I? So, as I was saying, clara wanted him to call things like in front of her and end it, but nope, he wanted to do it in person.
Speaker 1:Oh, in person, and without his clothes on, probably Truth be told.
Speaker 2:So sorry One more time. Yeah, clara agreed to let him do this and he had planned to meet Gail at a local restaurant. Her gut feelings were still on high alert, obviously. So Clara hired a private investigator Bobby Boacca Boacca, I don't know. Bobby, I'm so sorry To listen in on David and Gail's conversation to confirm that they were actually ending their relationship. I respect it. I would have sent a friend there. But whatever, bobby was a well-known figure in Texas who ran the agency Blue Moon Investigations. Bobby was somewhat of a local celebrity in the Houston area at the time. She was flamboyant, media savvy and known for taking on high profile cases. Clara contacted Bobby in July of 2002 and shared what we already know Her husband had been cheating on her and she needed to confirm that he was actually ending the affair. She shared that he was taking Gail to a local restaurant to end things. Bobby took the job and the Blue Moon investigation team was on the case tailing David. It didn't take long before Bobby and her team confirmed that David was indeed involved with his receptionist, gail Bridges, and that they were not headed in the direction of the restaurant.
Speaker 2:Little is known about Gail's life. Prior to her involvement with David, she was already married and had children of her own. Gail was a secretary at David's orthodontist office, which put her in regular, close contact with him. Over time, their professional relationship turned romantic. Gail was smitten, as Clara was, when she first met David. He would take Gail to expensive dinners and on trips. He even brought her to the Hilton Hotel in Nassau Bay where he and Clara had celebrated their wedding.
Speaker 2:Their relationship was anything but casual. It had the emotional intensity of a full-blown romance, and the news of all this made the betrayal even more devastating for Clara. This news put her into an unraveling state and she pulled David's daughter, lindsay, into what would become her own personal investigation. Clara confided in her that she hired a private investigator and that she didn't believe David was ending the affair. She asked Lindsay to help her monitor her dad's whereabouts. Such an unusual ask of a teenager and a cruel position for Lindsay to be put in. Lindsay was conflicted. She wanted to stay loyal to her father, but also unable to shield Clara from the truth. Despite her conflicted feelings, she obliged. She wanted to provide emotional support, and so together they tried to track his whereabouts. They checked Gail's house, expecting to find David's truck in the garage, but it wasn't there. Then they went to the restaurant, circling the parking lot in hopes of spotting his truck. It was then that Clara received a call from the private investigator that Dale and Dale.
Speaker 1:Dale, which is you know, it's like Brangelina, you know yeah.
Speaker 2:You know when you read something you're like what? Now that David and Gail were checked into the Hilton Hotel, the exact hotel where 10 years earlier, like I said, they had their wedding reception.
Speaker 1:Disgusting.
Speaker 2:Piece of shitty shit. Lindsay agreed to provide that emotional support but unknowingly walked into what would be the most traumatic day of her life.
Speaker 1:Oh dear.
Speaker 2:But before we get too much further into that, we've got a chart note Note Note. Welcome to the chart note segment, where we learn about what's happening in medicine and healthcare. You may be thinking to yourself, amanda, when are we going to get to the medical aspect? Does the dentist stab him with her tools? No patients harmed. This is so different, and you're right. This one's different and the only real medical tie is that she was a dentist and he was an orthodontist. So, with that said, now I'm going to learn you some cool things that are actually happening in the dental world, and so shout out to my friend, bree, who helped provide me with some excellent resources for my research. Thank you, bree. Bree is a badass woman. She's a recruiter for Pacific Dental Services. Badass woman, she's a recruiter for Pacific Dental Services, pds, and PDS has over 1000 dental practices nationwide, and I have actually personally been a patient of PDS in the past. So has Adam, and we were extremely impressed with the care we received. So if you are looking for dental care, look them up. We went to the one in Eden, prairie, nice. I think so, yeah, they're great. So anyway, let's learn some cool stuff.
Speaker 2:Did you know that about half of American adults have some form of gum disease and don't even realize it. A far greater percentage don't even realize how important it is for your overall health. Research shows that there is a strong connection between your oral health and your overall health. If you have a family history or symptoms of certain health problems, the presence of gingivitis or periodontal gum disease are cause for significant concern. Gum disease is a chronic inflammatory condition with links to heart health, diabetes, alzheimer's disease, pregnancy complications, cancer and more. Wow, poor oral hygiene, chronic diseases, stress, smoking, nutritional factors and environmental influences can trigger an immune response which may lead to the breakdown of gum tissue surrounding your teeth. This is referred to as the mouth-body connection and why your oral health is so important. Your oral health can now be assessed by active matrix. Oh gosh, dang it, jenna. I always look up how to say these things and then it gets to the day.
Speaker 1:Metalloproteinase.
Speaker 2:Yes, metalloproteinase, you're so smart. Okay, let me like rewind active matrix, metalloproteinase eight, or we will call it ammp8. I asked her, like do you guys just call it amp8 for like short, because that's what my brain wants to do? And she said no. So to stay true to the dental world, I will call it AMMP8.
Speaker 1:Good for you.
Speaker 2:So yeah, thank you, just trying to be respectful to our colleagues out there, you know.
Speaker 1:But I mean, I think AMP8 would be a great name for, like you know, like an indie band.
Speaker 2:Well for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love it, amp8. So AMMP8 is an enzyme released primarily by neutrophils that play a key role in breaking down collagen, especially type one collagen, which is a major component of the connective tissue in the gums and the bones. In health conditions, ammp8 is mostly active. Where there's inflammation, like with gum disease, it becomes active and starts breaking down tissue. Inflammation like with gum disease, it becomes active and starts breaking down tissue. Elevated levels of active AMMP8 are a sign of ongoing tissue destruction due to inflammation. What is this and why is it important? An AMMP8 screening is completed chairside. Usually a saliva sample or a mouth rinse is collected, and in some cases a sample is taken directly from the gingival crevicular fluid, which is fluid from the gum pocket. A point-of-care test, similar to a pregnancy or COVID test, uses a dipstick or a strip that detects levels of active AMMP8. Test results are given within minutes. A positive result indicates active periodontal breakdown, even if traditional signs like deep pockets or bleeding aren't obvious yet. And while AMMP8 tests are primarily used for oral health, the enzyme's activity is linked to broader systemic inflammation. Elevated AMMP8 levels can be associated with cardiovascular disease. So chronic inflammation in the gums may reflect, or. So chronic inflammation in the gums may reflect or contribute to inflammation in the vascular system. Diabetes Diabetics often have higher AMP8 levels due to poor immune response and increased inflammation Pregnancy complications Some research links high AMP8 levels with risk for preterm birth due to inflammatory responses in the uterus.
Speaker 2:Autoimmune disorders, diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus may also show elevated AMMP8 levels due to systemic inflammation. Evidence shows that if you have periodontal disease, you are at greater risk of both tooth decay and oral cancer. Four and a half times more likely to suffer from stroke and 2.6 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Two to three times more likely to suffer from a heart attack and have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and low-grade inflammation. 24 to 35% more likely to develop plaque in your coronary arteries and more likely to have inflammation in your major arteries, especially in the neck and heart. You are at greater risk of chronic lung infections and influenza, at greater risk for diabetes and pancreatic cancer and at greater risk for pregnancy complications. As mentioned, preterm birth and also low birth weight, and men are three times more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction.
Speaker 1:Listen, if there's any one way to get men to floss their teeth. I think it's your last point, Am I right? I mean compelling argument, right there.
Speaker 2:Sorry, carry on, that's so funny. So while AMMP8 testing itself doesn't diagnose these conditions directly, it may serve as an early warning sign of broader inflammatory or immune issues. Broader inflammatory or immune issues. And okay, I know that we are in dental land and I really tried to stay true to that. But I really had to make a quick plug for audiology. I love that so much, you guys, because I also don't think it's widely known. You know, oral health has this body connection, but so does audiology, you guys.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:So again, I won't go too deep because we have to get back to the story, but changes in your hearing or balance can also signal early stages of various non-ear related conditions, such as number one neurological disorders. Sudden or progressive hearing loss can sometimes be the first symptom of MS, acoustic neuroma, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's disease and auditory processing disorders. Number two cardiovascular health. The inner ear is highly sensitive to blood flow, so low-frequency hearing loss can be an early marker of cardiovascular disease and studies show a link between hearing loss and stroke risk, likely due to shared vascular and circulatory factors. Number three diabetes. Diabetics are more prone to sensorineural hearing loss. Chronic high blood sugars damages those small blood vessels and the nerves, including those in the cochlea. It's so little everyone forgets about it. We can't forget about the cochlea.
Speaker 1:I know she's so tiny, she's a little. Everyone forgets about it. We can't forget about the cochlea. I know she's so tiny, she's a little babe.
Speaker 2:Number four genetic or syndromic conditions. Hearing loss may be the first sign in conditions like Usher syndrome, wardenburg syndrome and Allport syndrome. Number five vestibular disorders and balance. Dizziness or vertigo makes signal concussions or TBI, vestibular migraines, autoimmune disorders and Meniere's disease. Number six, the last one, I promise Cognitive decline and dementia. I cannot tell you how many times I have counseled patients on this. There is such a strong link between untreated hearing loss and an increased risk of dementia. Hearing loss may reduce cognitive load capacity or cause social isolation, both contributing to cognitive decline. Some researchers consider hearing loss a modifiable risk for dementia.
Speaker 1:Amen, sister Amen.
Speaker 2:Yes, say it louder for those in the back.
Speaker 1:Okay, I know and I love it. Patients are like okay, but my hearing loss is, you know, normal for my age? I'm like, hearing loss isn't normal, you can do something about it, and here's how and here's why.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I used to always tell people the youngest person I fit with hearing loss or with hearing aids was five weeks old. Okay, it doesn't matter how old you are.
Speaker 1:It doesn't.
Speaker 2:I feel like when you start talking about the cognitive decline though, people are more like, oh okay.
Speaker 1:But I don't know.
Speaker 2:If they're ready, they're ready. If they're not, they're not Anyway. I don't do that anymore. So ha, ha ha.
Speaker 1:You're lucky. You work with just kids, kiddo babies.
Speaker 2:Okay, back to teeth.
Speaker 1:Back to the chompers.
Speaker 2:And back to the story. Things are about to get wild, so buckle up. But it's also going to get so so sad. Okay, okay, I know, all right, okay. So it's july 24th 2002 and clara and lindsey showed up at the hotel in nassau bay. Clara pulled right up to the door. She recalled I wanted to find him. Yeah it.
Speaker 2:Blue Moon investigators were at the hotel when Clara and Lindsay arrived. Bobby and team tried to talk Clara down. When she arrived at the hotel, knowing that David was inside with Gail, clara searched the hotel, restaurant and even the bathrooms. She was described as very emotional and devastated. Clara was unraveling. She was fueled by rage and heartbreak. She asked Lindsay to call her dad and make up a story that one of the twins was sick and that David needed to come home right away. He answered and agreed that he would, and the scene that unfolded was a surreal collision of love, vengeance and unrelenting grief. Vengeance and unrelenting grief.
Speaker 2:Clara was in the lobby when the elevator doors revealed David and Gail inside holding hands, and Clara lost it, lunging at Gail, she was screaming and she slapped Gail, and the Blue Moon investigators again on the scene, caught all this on tape. Security broke up the two women and escorted Clara and Lindsay out, but she was far from done. She had realized that Gail must have driven them to the hotel and that in that moment, all she could think of was that she needed to stop Gail's SUV from taking David home with her. In the parking lot she waited, with Lindsay in the car. She then saw David and Gail exit the hotel. She drove at Gail and David. She circled the lot once, twice and on the third pass she accelerated that motherfucking Mercedes-Benz and she ran over David. He was hit. Oh no, he was hit with enough force that his body dislodged from his shoes and he was killed instantly. Oh my gosh, his body was left crumpled in the parking lot, his white shirt soaked in blood, just outside the hotel where they had once celebrated their union.
Speaker 2:Oh, lindsey, in horror, witnessed the entire thing. Oh no, it was not only lindsey who witnessed this tragic event, but blue moon surveillance was still on scene, and their footage would later play a crucial role in securing clara's conviction. Gail bridges was also right there, only feet away, witnessing the entire thing. 16 year old lindsey was the one who called 9-1-1. Oh, that poor, poor child. She was in the front passenger seat of her car when her father was killed. She called in a panic and devastated state, obviously sobbing, trying to explain what had just happened. The call has never publicly been released in full, but it was described during the trial as emotional, hysterical and gut-wrenching. She was crying and screaming. She told the dispatcher that her stepmother had just run over her dad. She pleaded for for help, sounding disoriented and traumatized. Her voice cracked as she tried to explain everything and lindsey repeated to the dispatcher over and over she ran over my dad, she ran over my dad.
Speaker 2:Police responded quickly to the scene at the hilton hotel. Clara was still on the scene when officers arrived. She made no attempt at fleeing, which is great. Witnesses described her as distraught. Yeah, she was immediately taken into custody without resisting arrest. Her car, that silver Mercedes-Benz, showed clear evidence of the collision. Clara was charged with murder, not manslaughter, due to the severity of the act. She had circled around and hit him, which prosecutors would later argue showed intent. Her trial was dramatic, emotional and heavily publicized. It was a tragic act of rage that was one of the most talked about murder cases of the early 2000s and her trial was held in Harris County, texas, from January to February of 2003. There were key witnesses and evidence that were used in the trial Lindsay's testimony, gail's testimony and the footage captured by Blue Moon. I mean, it's pretty hard to argue your way out of a video.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Prosecutor Mike Anderson argued that Clara's act was intentional and vengeful, seeking a murder conviction. They argued that Clara's act was intentional and vengeful, seeking a murder conviction. They argued that Clara's circling of the car three times before hitting David showed deliberation, not a sudden emotional outburst. The footage from the PI clearly showed the incident and it was played in court. Hotel staff and bystanders testified that Clara was enraged and violent. Defense attorney George Parnum defended Clara, arguing it was a crime of passion and not premeditated murder. It was a spontaneous emotional reaction driven by love and betrayal. He argued she had no criminal record or history of aggression. Character witnesses for Clara included friends of family who testified that she was a devoted wife and mother, never prone to violence. Lindsay testified against Clara during the trial. She described in detail how Clara had involved her in uncovering the affair, how they had gone together to spy on David and what she saw that night in the Hilton parking lot. Lindsay said that Clara had asked her to come with her to catch David. She described that they arrived at the hotel where Clara confronted her dad and Gail, that Clara slapped Gail in front of the hotel staff and guests and she was escorted out. She was then in the passenger seat of the car where Clara drove around the parking lot multiple times. She testified that Clara was screaming and crying. She stated that Clara deliberately drove the car towards her dad and ran him over. She then stated that she circled around again and ran him over more than once. I did see conflicting research on that, so I don't know. Either way. She killed him with her car. Lindsay said that she was terrified and begged her to stop. She said she hit him, she just hit him and he was gone. She broke down in tears during her testimony.
Speaker 2:Her testimony and the 911 recording were crucial evidence. The entirety of the call was played during the trial, bringing many tears in the courtroom. It was a gut-wrenching recording and Lindsay answered questions under oath about Clara's behavior before and after the confrontation at the Hilton, the events in the lobby, what happened after. You know da-da-da, the whole thing. Her involvement was just heartbreaking. She was a teenager pulled into a web of adult betrayal and it shouldn't have happened. She was asked to choose between loyalty to her father and the woman that raised her. So that's that's horrible.
Speaker 2:Gail was also a key witness in the trial. She testified about the fair, their time at the Hilton and the confrontation. Her testimony helped the prosecution establish motive and the emotional context for Clara's actions. Prosecution established motive and the emotional context for Clara's actions and on February 14, 2003, she received her verdict and sentencing the day cruelly ironic as this was David and Clara's wedding anniversary. Clara heard the words.
Speaker 2:We, the jury, find the defendant, clara L Harris, guilty of murder as charged in the indictment. Clara was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined $10,000. The jury spared her a life sentence, perhaps moved by the raw pain and humiliation that she was so evidently was consumed by. Additionally, she did not have a criminal history. So they took that into consideration. And you might be thinking but only 20 years? She freaking, killed him, right? Yeah, so she was found guilty of murder. But there is a legal distinction in Texas, that when it occurs with sudden passion, the severity of sentence is reduced. So she fell into that category.
Speaker 2:She was sent to the Mountain View Unity in Gatesville, texas, and in prison she reportedly kept to herself. She was a model inmate. Her time spent was quiet. She's working, participating in educational programs. She taught GED classes and helped fellow inmates. She never denied what she had done, but maintained that it was not premeditated. She never denied what she had done, but maintained that it was not premeditated. After her conviction, her license was effectively revoked, as Texas law prohibits felons from holding a professional license. The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners does not appear to have issued a public disciplinary report beyond what was required, as the conviction itself was grounds for automatic revocation.
Speaker 2:After the trial, gail faced intense public scrutiny. She was viewed by some as the other woman who helped unravel a marriage, and by others as a victim who had narrowly escaped being killed herself. She kept a very low profile following the trial. As of the latest available information, she is believed to be living privately in Texas, away from the media spotlight. Her marriage reportedly ended after the affair became public and she has avoided press interviews ever since.
Speaker 2:After the trial, lindsay disappeared from public view. It is believed that she lived with her biological mother following the events. She was just a teenager, thrushashed into national spotlight by a nightmare that no child should have to witness. The emotional scars she endured from watching her father die and seeing her stepmother, who she trusted, become his killer, are unimaginable. She has never spoke publicly again of the trial, but had sent a statement in when declining to appear on Oprah's show a few years after the trial had ended. The statement reads from the day this event occurred I've tried to avoid doing anything to commercialize or promote the story of my dad's tragic murder. The person who murdered my dad, unfortunately has not exercised the same restraint.
Speaker 2:Clara has appeared in print and on television to persuade the viewers that she is actually the victim, but she is no victim. What she did was the ultimate act of selfishness, caring only about obtaining revenge and thinking not one bit about how her horrible act was going to affect me or my brothers, brian and Bradley. Anyone who shared my ride in the car that evening, seeing my dad's face as he was about to be hit and experiencing the horrible feel of the car bumping over his body, would understand that this murderess deserves no sympathy. Clara and David's twin boys were only three years out of the public eye for obvious privacy reasons, especially considering the circumstances surrounding their father's death and mother's incarceration. They were raised by Claire's closest friends, anna and Pat, who, coincidentally, also had twin boys of their own, and they were the same age.
Speaker 1:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 2:Anna said in an interview when the boys were six that they were doing well in school and were very intelligent. They knew that their dad was in heaven and would often ask questions like what is dad doing in heaven? Can he see us? They would ask about their mom, who they miss terribly. And, again, little public info about them. Today. They would be in their late 20s and they have never made a public statement or participated in interviews.
Speaker 2:After serving 15 years, clara was granted parole release on May 11th 2018 and was quietly released in 2019. She has since lived out of the public eye, avoiding interviews and media attention. She was released from parole in February of 2023 and reportedly still lives in Texas, but afar from the polished life that she once shared with David. There's no public record of her ever attempting to try and regain her license to practice dentistry after her release. This, like I said earlier, was a highly publicized case.
Speaker 2:Uh, early 2000s, I definitely was not watching the news, so, uh, I didn't. Had not heard about this before, but there are so, so so many resources out there. I didn't have time to order a book, um, but there is a book titled out of control, written by Stephen Long, published in 2004. Um, this case was profiled on Oxygen Network series. Apparently it was on Snapped in 2004, abc News 2020, on Discovery Deadly Women in 2010.
Speaker 2:I mean, like I said, I didn't use any of these personally, but there's so much more information about this case, so if you are like me and had not heard of it and you want to learn more about it, um, there's plenty to find out there. So this, this, uh, this one serves as cautionary tale, guys, how intense emotions, particulars, particularly jealousy, betrayal and rage, can drive people to commit irreversible acts. Yikes, unchecked emotions, turmoil, especially in the context of infidelity and marital breakdown, can escalate into tragic violence. And I believe it also serves as a reminder of the consequences of taking justice into one's hands and the importance of seeking healthier ways to cope with personal crises. Obviously, murder's not the answer.
Speaker 1:Oh, my goodness Wow.
Speaker 2:Had you heard of this case before?
Speaker 1:No, I had not heard of this and I was not expecting this. Wow, Um so tragic on so many levels, in least of which is why did they call their orthodontics and dental combined practice space center?
Speaker 2:I don't know that was. I didn't get that one. I definitely reread that a couple times.
Speaker 1:Um, and how did we get from? I'm sorry, I kissed her hand too. Well, yeah, we're having sex three times a day. Um, yeah, and then I be mad at the guy, not the woman Also, yeah, but roping the teenager into this. That poor baby, that poor sweet baby angel, should never have been brought into this in any capacity, and I hope she's living her best life right now, um, and knows that her dad is looking down from heaven and smiling on her. But what a horrible, horrible I.
Speaker 2:I think the thing that got me the most was that um statement that she had sent to oprah. It was like that she had to see his face before he was hit and that she was had to feel the bump of the car right in a moment like how do you move past that?
Speaker 1:a lot of therapy yeah, I, I don't think you ever do, and, uh, that's horrible, that's absolutely unimaginable. Um, and so it. It just not only did it take in a man who, yeah, he was a cheating bastard, but he didn't deserve to be murdered, it took his life and it forever changed so many people's lives as a result of her not being able to control her rage, slash, jealousy. So just very, very tragic. I feel like she got off light, um, you know, 15 years, and then she gets to just live and he's dead. Um, I hope that her twins are are living their best life and able to, you know, somehow, I think, reconcile what happened with their mom I think they're like connected with her still.
Speaker 2:I was reading some articles that like they reconnected after she was released.
Speaker 1:So sad that's so sad on so many levels and she just, I don't know it's like. I feel like from the beginning she set up to try and and just win everybody over by being the best that she could be and when it didn't work out, somebody quote unquote rejected her. She was doing everything she could and he picked somebody else.
Speaker 1:She just shouldn't have the coping mechanisms to handle it Not that I blame her, but it just goes to show that mental health is so important and, uh, we all need a therapist, Uh, so, wow. Well, thank you for for bringing that to light. That was fascinating. You did a wonderful job.
Speaker 2:Thank you, um. So I do have a medical mishap. That was sent to me, um. It was asked to be shared anonymously. I do know this person listens to our podcast every week, so we will just say thank you for listening, um, and we love you, um. So again, story sent anonymously, but it is also dental related. Nice, um. And so it reads I used to work at a dental office where one of my favorite coworkers was a dental assistant at the time whose first language was not English.
Speaker 2:He was kind, hardworking and always brought great energy to the team. But names names were his nemesis. Names are hard, yeah, names are hard. He'd often get flustered trying to remember if he should call the patient's first name or their last name. The rest of us got used to his mix-ups and, honestly, they became a bright spot in the workday. His cheerful attitude and unintentional slips gave us endless laughs, always good-natured and never mean-spirited. But there was one moment that still lives in legend. I can't wait. We had a patient named Clarice that day. He walked into the waiting room, glanced at the chart and, with full confidence, called out Clitoris. No one moved Undeterred. He raised his voice and said, with his whole chest, clitoris. The vibe was definitely uncomfortable, especially for clarice. Some bursts into uncontrollable laugh, as you would, and it was one of those perfect, accidental moments that made an ordinary day unforgettable and a reminder of how laughter can bond us, even across language barriers.
Speaker 1:Oh, thank you, Anonymous, for that. I want to know how they came out of that. He went back and went. Well, there's no clitoris in the lobby, be like. Well, regardless, let's try for the name this time, not the body part. I'm sorry, clarice. She's like seriously, I have to admit to that can you imagine having to be the like?
Speaker 2:if that is what happened? He was like I don't know. They're not here and you have to go out and be like clarice. I'm so sorry. Um, please excuse our friend oh, I do have.
Speaker 1:I had a tiny medical mishap along these lines today. I didn't have my glasses on, so I have a problem like looking in the distance, like things are blurry. So, um, we are waiting for this newborn to check in for a test and I had a student who was supposed to take them back and I was like, are you sure that they're not out there? And he's like I don't know. And I said, okay, let me go look in the lobby Because it was past their check-in time. So I looked out in the lobby and I saw this elderly couple who were what I thought was they were facing like a stroller or pram that was facing them and they were making faces at this baby.
Speaker 2:A pram. I mean, I know what that is from books I read, but maybe tell our listeners yeah.
Speaker 1:So you know, a pram is a stroller that it's flat, that has like a lid on it, the buggy top, anyway. So they're looking.
Speaker 2:A lid.
Speaker 1:Anyway, they were making faces in the stroller and I was like I think there's a newborn out there. Go and call your patient. So he went out to call this newborn and nobody answered and came back in and he goes um, I need you to come out here and explain what you just saw. So I went out and I was like, yeah, these elderly people were looking in a stroller at a baby. Um, it was an elderly. I walked closer so I could see better. It was an elderly couple that had a walker in front of them and there was a dog.
Speaker 2:It was a dog on the walker that they were making faces at Cute little, some kind of spaniel, and he goes.
Speaker 1:Is that who you think your newborn patient is? It's perhaps, but what was funnier is that I made him go out there and actually call this baby's name, and these were the only two people in the lobby.
Speaker 2:He's like you wackadoo. There's no stroller, there's no pram out there.
Speaker 1:This is the only time I've ever confused a four-legged animal for one of my patients.
Speaker 2:Yeah, wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean you got to wear your glasses and you got to check your pronunciation. You got to do it Me thinks yeah, but listen, when I go out to the lobby, I count on having shoes that are comfortable, amanda. Yeah, I mean having shoes that are comfortable, amanda.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, you do more stand-in, I do more drive-in. So tell me about shoes.
Speaker 1:I mean, I'm on my feet all day long and I need some shoes that are built for that. And let me just tell you, stand Plus Shoes at Standcom are built for anyone on their feet all day long, whether they're healthcare workers, service industry, athletes or more. They were founded by Rob Gregg, who was a postal worker that had painful 16 hour shifts where he was on his feet. Let me tell you, these shoes deliver cloudlight comfort, with XL extra light soles, custom ortho light insoles and seven millimeters of arch support, unlike athletic shoes that add joint pressure.
Speaker 1:Stan Plus disperses energy to ease strain on knees, back and feet. They're slip resistant, fluid resistant, machine washable and packed with antimicrobial moisture wicking technology to keep your feet cool and clean. They are lab tested as the number one shoe for comfort and pressure relief and they've earned features in Forbes and Fast Company For long shifts or fast recovery. This is foot care redefined. Visit wwwstanshoescom for 15% off any product when you use our code STAYSUSPICIOUS that's stanshoescom. With promo code STAYSUSPICIOUS that's stanchoescom with promo code STAYSUSPICIOUS Excellent.
Speaker 2:Okay, jenna. What can we expect to hear next week?
Speaker 1:Well, next week I have a case of an alternative healthcare so-called guru. You will need to decide if you think he's a a guru or a be gone. Um, but also, uh, toxic vitamin. So, um, yeah, Okay, it's going to be a doozy.
Speaker 2:I'll be looking forward to that.
Speaker 1:Um, but until then, don't miss a beat. Subscribe or follow doctoring the truth wherever you enjoy your podcasts for stories that shock, intrigue and educate. Trust, after all, is a delicate thing. Email us your medical mishaps at doctoringthetruth, at gmail, and be sure to follow us on Instagram, at doctoringthetruthpodcast, or Facebook at doctoringthetruth, or TikTok at doctoringthetruth, or at oddpod. Don't forget to download, download rate and review. Please rate and review, even if you know. Just just basically hit five stars and write something nice. It means a lot, it doesn't cost you anything, just takes you a few seconds. We just need this so we can be sure to be be here to be able to bring you more content next week. So until then, stay safe and stay suspicious, stay suspicious.
