A self-proclaimed “MAGA dentist” is drawing national attention after she joked that she would purposely withhold anesthesia from her liberal patients mid-surgery if they complained about her political leanings.
California-based dentist Dr. Harleen Grewal made that remark during a speech at the Republican Liberty Gala two years ago, but footage of her address recently went viral after being shared on TikTok.
Grewal recalled how some of her former patients left her practice after seeing a “Wall of Fame” in her office that includes several photos of GOP politicians and even one of her and President Donald Trump. She uses that anecdote as a launch pad for another joke:
“So I have a secret hat I use sometimes that says ‘Make Your Smile Great Again’ so I wear that when I work on my patients. When they look horrified or complain, I quietly cut back on the laughing gas…and say ‘you got this, it’s not as bad as you think it is,” Dr. Harleen Grewel said in the video.
Her remarks triggered intense backlash online. Many people reportedly left numerous one-star reviews on Yelp about her dental practice, Skyline Smiles. The influx of negative reviews forced the site to temporarily disable the review portion of the page and post a warning stating, “This business is being monitored by Yelp’s Support team for content related to media reports.”
Some people even reported her practice to the California Dental Board, which Grewal claimed already launched an investigation earlier this year and found no wrongdoing.
The dentist has also recently disabled the Instagram page for Skyline Smiles and her personal account, handled “@the_maga_dentist.” Her TikTok page is still public.
She dismissed the criticisms and stood behind her remarks, declaring that “people should take light of the situation,” and “relax.”
“I think America is a free country, it’s free speech,” Grewal told KTTV. “Nobody’s getting directly harmed from it, it’s just, I’m making a joke. We all make jokes. I’m sure the Democrats get in a room and make jokes about Republicans, too.”
In an op-ed she published in the Santa Clarita Valley Signal on Sept. 9, Grewal wrote that the recent attacks have only made her “more determined to stand tall, speak louder and fight harder.”
“My words were twisted, and my career was targeted — but I didn’t back down,” Grewal wrote.
Grewal maintains that she prioritizes fair and ethical treatment for all of her patients, regardless of their political views.
“I took an oath to be a good dentist and a good provider, which I am. I take care of people from all walks of life. I don’t see teeth as blue or red. They are white,” she told KTHS. “I’m an RNC delegate, and I do get invited to a lot of places to give roasting speeches, because I’m kind of like a stand-up comedian on the side … Jimmy Kimmel can have a joke, but I can’t?”