this is "nightline." >> tonight painful procedure. a florida dentist accused of performing needless operations on children without parental okay. >> she says mommy, they're lying to you. >> allegedly billioning medicai for millions. >> and the mother who rallied other parents to take him down. plus the star, chris pratt letting his guard down about his marriage. >> we're clowning. >> his devotion to the military and cowboying up for his wild wild western. first, here are the "nightline" five. ♪

>> the nissan rogue, merano and path finder. >> number one coming i'm really good at war. i love war in a certain way. including with nukes, yes including with nukes. i know more about isis than the generals do, believe me. nuclear, just the power the devastation, is very important to me.

i want to be unpredictable, unpredictable, unpredictable, unpredictable. priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising. good evening. we begin here tonight with a story likely to provoke outrage, especially among parents. it involves a dentist who's accused of performing painful procedures on young low income children while charging the government huge sums of money for his handy work. here's matt gutman.

>> reporter: a hoard of angry moms armed with placards, not what you expect to see at your child's dentist clinic. families claiming dr. howard snyder wrecked their kids mouth while making a mint from medicaid. >> what would you say if he was sitting here? >> i want to ask him questions. >> reporter: like what? >> what were you thinking? >> reporter: the beginning of the end for him came in 2014 when brandy first took her six-year-old to dr. snyder's jacksonville clinic. the dentist have been in practice for 50 years and was known for being one of few who helped families on medicaid. >> he tells me one of her teeth needs to be removed as soon as possible. >> reporter: a rue neoutine proe to extract a baby tooth.

>> she says a nurse assistant said there's been an accident. that's when i seen the blood. >> reporter: she's in a hallway bleeding? >> blood on the floor. she was hyper ventilating. >> reporter: she has scratches, bruises and a mouth full of bloody gauze threw which she spits out a different story. >> she says they're lying to you. he was choking me while i was pulling my teeth. >> you said the doctor was choking you? >> two hands, one hand? >> one hand. >> reporter: did it hurt? a lot? did you say anything to him? >> i did i want my mommy. >> reporter: what did he say? >> he said no. >> reporter: brandy, it's hard for you to hear that? >> yeah. i mean, i trusted him. and so know i put her through that by trusting him, it hurts. >> reporter: on the way home, brandy takes a closer look inside her child's mouth, and she says she makes a grim

discovery. >> all four on the bottom and all four at no time top are gone. >> reporter: she was scheduled to go in for one tooth? >> one bottom right tooth and came out missing all of them. >> reporter: brandy wanted to sue her, but the attorney she calls won't touch the case. >> what you have in this case, is a five or six or seven-year-old who must confront a dentist who has been a dentist in this town in nearly 50 years. it's the worst he said she said you'd ever want to be a part of. >> reporter: determined to raise hell, brandy turns her mini van into a billboard. she hits a nerve with one click of a button. >> i hesitated first, but i posted it. within an hour it was going crazy. >> brandy had a post that was shared 350,000 times in a town

where there's less than a million people. the share levels was phenomenal. >> reporter: within hours the throng of protesters hits the sidewalk outside the clinic. >> protesters are still in front of his office now in their second week. despite all of that, dentist snyder is still open for business. >> reporter: you're out there every day. did you see him? >> every day flicking us the bird . >> reporter: fingers fly and tempers flair between the dentist and his accusers. who here has had healthy teeth pull? basically everyone. we met a group of families with similar complaints, and the outrage was palpable. who in this room has a child whose teeth, none of their teeth came out naturally? >> he has never lost a tooth naturally? >> reporter: they were all pulled by the doctor? >> the permanents need to come

in, so we need to remove these. this is what he said to me. >> he don't care about people. and he don't care about innocent children who can't even defend themselves. >> reporter: christopher recorded this on her smart phone. her son zion screaming at 16 caps were implanted in his mouth unexpectedly, says his mom. >> reporter: was there ever an explanation for the caps? >> nothing. >> reporter: dentists who do the full metal mouth treatment on kids argue it can prevent serious problems, especially among poorer kids who eat more sugar and brush less frequently. that video also going viral. >> the teeth look normal. >> reporter: and now the attorney felt he had a case. >> i said, all right i'm taking the cases. i put it out there, and the next day we got 60 phone calls. the most important thing is the individual. >> reporter: they go to work on

what would become 131 individual civil actions against dr. snyder. >> and then you see the bruising and the neck marks. to find out a medical professional did this is shocking. >> reporter: he's raising questions about the use of restraints like the orange velcro. >> if you want to look at it another way, call ate baby straight jacket. >> reporter: we talked to a dental expert. >> someone who wants to maximize dollars under the medicaid system. that. >> reporter: you don't want to talk to the kid or coax them to opening their mouth. you need them in there, mouth open, duh. >> get them in and get them out, make the dollars. >> reporter: florida medicaid records indicate dr. schneider made a lot of them off the poor. nearly 4 million in government payments in only five years.

recently a few states have begun to regulate or limit controversial treatments. such as how long a child can be restrained in a board and the number of procedures a child might be subjected to in a single visit. but florida is not one of them. so the boards remain legal there. >> i know. ips. we want to make sure -- >> reporter: at first on a local tv station he seems cordial in defense of his method. >> we use the help of parents and we wrap them so they will not fall out and hurt themselves. >> reporter: shortly after that int interview, his clinic shuts the doors. by surrendering his license to practice dentistry, he avoids a full dental board investigation. but his problems have only just begun. this past november he was arrested and charged with 11

counts of medicaid provider fraud and one count of scheming with intent to defraud. after his release, we paid a visit to dr. schneider's clinic to see if he has anything to say. no answer. suddenly his station wagon rolls from the alley. where are you going? stop. just stop for one second. i ask him about the allegations of choking and other abuse. when you see this video of these kids, you've seen this on facebook. this kid is screaming. what is going on? his denial is laced with profanity. he says he didn't do any of it. all the allegations are false. he said giving up his medical practice was in no way an admission of guilt. he insists he was a great dentist. the next day a process server approaches him in the driveway of his home. >> i'm a process server. >> reporter: with a bag full of legal notices and a camera crew

hired by the family's legal team. he runs his car up onto his front lawn, he tosses the heavy bag full of civil legal notices, attacks the camera, hurls a flashlight and finally throws a can of shaving cream. in recent months she's settled 104 of the total 131 lawsuits including those brought by the families of zion and brieelle. things are not likely to be better for him soon. his wife filed for divorce. his bank moved to fore close on his house. he still faces a possible criminal trial of the medicaid fraud charges after pleading not. he'll be in court in november for a hearing on a defense motion to avoid a trial by having him declared mentally incompetent. but there will be no sympathy for dr. howard schneider from

the woman who ignited the crusade to bring him down. >> i think he's an old, selfish, greedy man. next, he's the leading man who jennifer lawrence has called annoyingly upbeat. what makes chris pratt so ridiculously likable? we're on the case. by the time i was 30, i said "that's it, i'm a smoker for life." i wanted to be a non-smoker and i did it thanks to chantix. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix reduced my urge to smoke some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some had seizures while taking chantix. if you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse or of seizures. don't take chantix

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does pat toomey speak for you? i also want to thank the nra for it's, uh, strong support for my campaign. pat toomey: he opposes an assault weapons ban and got an "a" rating from the nra. "i have had a perfect record with the nra." and on women's health? "i would support legislation in pennsylvania that would ban abortion, and i would suggest that we have penalties for doctors who perform them." pat toomey: does he really speak for you? senate majority pac is responsible for the content of this advertising.

the actor chris pratt is incredibly successful and good looking and a bit frustratingly, he seems like a good and funny

dude. how is he in person, really? my "nightline" co-anchor investigates. >> reporter: i'm sure you're sick and tired of talking of your perfect body. yeah. i'm sure you're sick of it. much was made of the fact that you got jacked for your previous roles. is it hard to maintain that? >> it's totally hard to maintain it. i spent six months drinking beer and sandwich fishing. if i took off my shirt now, you'd turn off the camera. >> reporter: i doubt that. chris pratt is a hollywood a-lister. women adore him. men want to be him or at least hang out with him. his boyish charl on full display meeting with military families at this event. it's clear pratt is relentlessly adorable. his co-stars say it's his

personality people love. jennifer lawrence said you are gummy bears, human cotton candy. >> you don't know she hates cotton candy and gummy bears. >> reporter: then there's the adorable romance with anna ferris. they met on the set of "take me home tonight", and bonded. >> is it true you bonded over a bug collection? >> that was one of the many things that bonded us. we've both from washington state. we're clowns and have similaritities in playing intelligently played morons. >> reporter: it must be a lot of fun at your household? >> it is and getting more and more fun every day. >> reporter: he is as funny as he seems. >> i'm going to die. i'm so tired. everything hurts. running is impossible. >> reporter: he says his character in parks and reck

didn't require much acting. >> the character is really my clown. it's a full expression of what i get to do as a clown. butter is my favorite food. >> reporter: he's not just good for a laugh. he's multitalented. >> tell me when to stop on the king of hearts. >> reporter: i just handed you that. stop. no way. no way. that did not happen. that did not just happen. yet, humble enough to admit when somebody else is better. >> reporter: i read that your mom can kind of kick your butt in poker. >> she can. i talked to her the other day and she said she hosted a poker tournament and won it. i said of course you did. >> reporter: he's better at playing the hero than cards. >> why do you want to save the galaxy? >> reporter: saving the day in guardians of the galaxy.

and jury r"jurassic world." in the real world he visits sick kids in the hospital, spends time with members of the armed forces, a top priority. >> chris pratt here with -- >> reporter: he and his girlfriend completed the 22 pushup challenge. >> why is that close to your heart? >> i grew up in a family with a lot of people in the military. i went into a different field. i'm an actor. i have a platform. i may not be the most articulate, but i know what i stand for. >> reporter: his next mission, a gun slinging cowboy in the revamp of the western classic, the magnificent seven. he was already a great marksman, of course. >> oh, god, i'm good. >> reporter: how good a shot are you? >> i do okay. i spent a lot of time punching

holes in paper targets growing up. probably better than the average joe. >> reporter: pratt is a six shooter hard drinking gambler who walks the line between right and wrong. >> pick a card. >> is this this your card? >> this is a showdown between good and evil. it's a brand new take on an old tale, and it's unlike anything you've ever seen before. >> reporter: maybe he just has that it factor, a genuine i don't know that makes him who he is. you've been described as a young harrison ford. >> yeah. everyone is unique. everyone is a little different. we're all precious snow flakes. didn't you know that? >> reporter: that's profound. >> thank you. i came up with that just now. just use it. >> reporter: okay. so he's a philosopher too? i'm starting to think he might be a little too perfect. >> one more trick. the queen of spades. >> reporter: that's good. >> that's pretty good, huh?

thanks. next here, what advice was president obama have for hillary clinton as we head into the first presidential debate? it's an abc news exclusive. abc news "nightline" brought to you by the lincoln motor company. ♪ ♪ lease a 2016 lincoln mkx for $349 a month. only at your lincoln dealer. endless shrimp is back at hold red lobster.rks. that means you get to try as much as you want... ...of whatever flavors are calling your name. seriously.

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finally tonight, an epic political show down, hillary clinton versus donald trump in their first presidential debate. today we got an exclusive interview with president obama, and we asked what advise he would give to hillary clinton. >> reporter: it's month monday night, game time. secretary clinton is about to take the stage with the debate. what would you want to say to her before walking out for the first debate? >> be yourself and explain what motivates you. because i will tell you i've gotten to know hillary, and seen her work, and seen her in tough times and in good times. she's in this for the right

reasons. i think there's a reason why we haven't had a woman president before. she's having to break down some barriers. there's a level of mistrust and a caricature of her that doesn't jibe with who i know. this person who cares deeply about kids. >> and you can see the entire exclusive with president obama and mrs. obama tomorrow morning on gma. thank you for watching abc news. we're online 24 /7. thank you for watching and good night.

>> i have no idea how much money i'll be giving away today. could be $50,000, could be a million. but i can promise you that whatever happens, it won't be boring. so stay right there. it's time to play, "who wants to be a millionaire." [cheers and applause] [dramatic musical flourish] ♪ welcome to the show! you guys ready to play "millionaire"? all right. a million dollars will go a long

way for our returning contestant. it's gonna change his child's life. from pasadena, california, please welcome back dentis fowlkes. hey, buddy. good to see you again. >> nice to see you again. >> come on over. ♪ um...how will this change your child's life? >> so i have a daughter named addison. she's seven years old. >> okay. >> she's non-verbal autistic, and i wanna use the money in order to get her a speech therapist. >> right. wow. so, beautiful story. >> thank you. [cheers and applause] >> as if we needed more reasons to root for you. now we're all behind you! this is a great, noble cause then. you're at $7,000. that's where we left off last time. 8 questions away from that million dollars, 4 away from that next threshold of $50,000. you ready to go? >> yeah, let's do it. >> let's continue. yoha