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    lpnaeder's Avatar
    lpnaeder Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Apr 19, 2007, 05:25 PM
    Really bad Dentist!
    I took my 6 year old son to the dentist last month for a checkup. The Doctor has a policy of not letting parents in the room while he is working on the children. I didn't like it, but saw all the other children going in with no problem, so reluctantly agreed. 10 minutes. Later my son came out and said the Dentist wants to see you, I followed my son into a room where the dentis was plus 4 other children on small child shaped upholstered tables. The Doctor started telling me that my son would need nerve treatment on two teeth and then he would put crowns on them. He showed me an x-ray of a child's mouth with the two front teeth mishapen and darker then the rest of the other teeth. The children were all squirming and I felt like I was being rushed because I figured I better hurry with all my questions because these kids need attending to. I asked a few questions then left. The next morning I called and asked to speak with the office manager, she pulled the file. I asked her if my son would have silver crowns put on his teeth, and she assured me no way, that the Dr. would clean out the nerve damage and put a crown on that matched his teeth. I told her as I asked the Dr. earlier, will he be given nitrous oxide, Oh absolutely. When I spoke with the Dr. earlier, and asked him about the dangers of nitrous oxide and he assured me it was safe. I said to the office manager, well okay as long as he is not going to have metal for teeth and not look like a "gangsta" than we would go ahead, but I want to be in the room when the Dr. does it. She said it was not office policy, I asked her to please ask the Dr. as we have a very sick child and I found through the years of treatments and such he does much better with me being there. She called me back and said no, and assured me it was a minor procedure and he would be fine. I tried to call around to other pediatric dentists but there earliest appointment would be in 2 months and the Doctor stressed that this was important to get it down asap. So, I called back and said okay, but I'm not happy. My husband and I took him today and he came out of the room and said it hurt really bad. He had a big wad of cotton in his mouth and the assistant gave me instructions on how to take care of it. We got in the car and started to drive home. I took the wad of cotton out of his mouth and low and behold a silver tooth! I could NOT believe it, I phoned the Doctors office and asked to speak to the assistant that was in the room when the Doctor performed the procedure. 5 minutes later the Doctor himself called me back. I explained my concerns of how I specifically called and said NO SILVER, he said he was sorry it must have been a miscommunication and that if I wanted he could pull the tooth out and make a brace in between both of his teeth. I said okay. My husband and I drove back there and I went in with him this time. I put him up on the table and Val (my son) said I have to go to the bathroom mom, the Doctor said, "no Val this will take only 3 minutes", I looked at the Doctor in disbelief and said NO, I'm taking my son to the bathroom! I took him and then brought him back into the room and said that took less than a minute. He proceeded to put a napkin over my sons face and a metal instrument to keep his mouth open and give him a couple shots with a needle. He pulled the tooth out, my son was in A lot of pain. When he was done, I asked him where his nitrous oxide machine was, he showed me and I asked Val if the Doctor used it on him and he said no. I asked the Doctor why he didn't use it when I specifically called to make sure they were going to and he said oh, must have been a miscommunication. I showed him the bill he gave me that clearly stated Nitrous Oxide $48.00 which I paid for, and I said no, don't tell me another miscommunication? I took the tooth with me and it looks perfectly fine just a metal top on it, now if there was nerve damage wouldn't the doctor have had to drill through the tooth to do a nerve damage treatment? And the x-ray he showed me originally were the two front teeth, the tooth he put the crown on 3rd one from the back. We were also set up for him to do the other side because he said the other one was damaged to. I told him, I think that is why you don't allow the parents in with the kids, because your doing procedures on them without the proper pain relief. Val told me on the way home that the first time he went in there and the Doctor was working on him that the nurse had her hands around his neck and was holding him down really hard! I told the Doctor I wanted the x-rays and he said he has to get "copies" first. I signed a release form because I am taking my son to another dentist and would like him to see the x-rays. Do you think it is possible that the Dr. showed me someone else's x-rays so that he could make money off me? How can I be sure he did a nerve damage treatment, he also billed for 2 sealants. Do you smell something fishy here. He gave me my money back. I told him he was disgusting and barbaric, can you imagine wanting to work on my 6 year old son after he told him he had to use the bathroom? What should I do. I don't want this to happen to any other child.
    Fr_Chuck's Avatar
    Fr_Chuck Posts: 81,301, Reputation: 7692
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    #2

    Apr 19, 2007, 05:48 PM
    Sounds like a very good case for a law suit.

    If you did not feel good, then you should have changed dentists then also.
    ALL parents, if you ever have a red flag, there are 1000's of doctors and dentists, you don't have to trust one.
    NowWhat's Avatar
    NowWhat Posts: 1,634, Reputation: 264
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    #3

    Apr 20, 2007, 11:33 AM
    My daughter goes to a pediatric dentist as well. We have never had a problem. SHe is also 6, I have to tell you - if they tell you can not be with your child - then walk out.
    There is absouletly no reason to be in waiting room.
    We have gone to MANY different doctors and had many different procedures done - I was present at all of them. In no way would I leave my daughter with any one. I don't care if they are an m.d./d.d.s. or not.

    You should call the medical or dental board - whom ever oversees liscensing and make a formal complaint.
    LuvMyMaltipoo's Avatar
    LuvMyMaltipoo Posts: 281, Reputation: 39
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    #4

    Apr 22, 2007, 10:00 PM
    What a horrible experience.

    You should definitely find another dentist for your child. If you do end up taking him to another dentist ask them to see what work was performed, he should be able to tell you if the dentist fixed the teeth properly in your son's mouth.

    Having been Dental Hygienist, I feel this doctor was extremely unprofessional, money hungry, and simply just a complete idiot. I would report him immediately because I can assure you, it's happening to other people as well.

    And I agree with NowWhat... turn around and walk out if you can't even be in the room while the dentist evaluates your son.

    The number one priorty for a dentist is to make sure the patient is comfortable because most people are already terrified as soon as they step foot through the office doors.
    grammadidi's Avatar
    grammadidi Posts: 1,182, Reputation: 468
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    #5

    Apr 22, 2007, 10:26 PM
    I would file a formal complaint with whichever regulatory board oversees dentists in your area. While I understand that sometimes it might be a good decision to have a parent wait in the waiting room I believe every dentist should allow parents to be present if they so desire. A doctor or dentist should actually encourage/request the parent to be in the room - especially with a very young child. What a traumatic experience. This guy was way out of line in many regards and I believe he should be strongly disciplined.

    For future reference, if you ever find yourself in a similar situation and you are trying for a second opinion but feel pressured because there are no available appointments and a dentist has stressed it's a matter of importance... tell the dentist's office where you are seeking a second opinion that you need an emergency visit for a young child. You may have to pay extra, but it will be worth it in the long run.

    I would love you to post follow up information. My mother took me to a dentist back in the 50's that wanted to pull out my 2 front adult teeth as they were coming in because they weren't straight! Can you imagine?? She took me to another dentist instead. I still have those front teeth! :)

    Didi
    NowWhat's Avatar
    NowWhat Posts: 1,634, Reputation: 264
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    #6

    Apr 23, 2007, 07:20 AM
    I know dentist and procedures have come along way - but my mom was terrified of the dentist because when she was little my grandmother would take her to the local dentist to have work done - he would be drunk and then let his wife (not a dentist) do the work. A very painful experience.
    It took YEARS to overcome because of the bad experience - now she's o.k.

    You don't want your son to be scared to go the doctor or dentist - having you in the room will calm him - don't let anyone tell you different.
    Matt3046's Avatar
    Matt3046 Posts: 831, Reputation: 128
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    #7

    Apr 23, 2007, 07:31 AM
    The dentist do this because they can, run the kids in an assembly line fashion.
    Hence more money for them, the problem comes in when they are the only ones that take your insurance and you have no where else to go.
    Starman's Avatar
    Starman Posts: 1,308, Reputation: 135
    -
     
    #8

    May 1, 2007, 10:02 AM
    Sad very sad but I'm not surprised. All types of people become medical doctors and higher education is not indicative that the one having it is a paragon of virtue. Example? Look at Hitler's doctors who used their so-called higher education to cooperate by performing experiments on children. Actually, its about emotions. Give a person a degree and a chance and he will be tempted to use them to get richer. Then there are the racists who remain racists despite their education. Example? A member of the US Congress once said that on Weekends he Klucxed. Referring to the Klan of course. So when and if one of these racists is given a drill, and a degree and is confronted with
    A member of a group he is racist against, he will go into the discriminatory mode which might include feigning not to comprehend clearly spoken English in order to mistreat and in that way do what he still considers to be his or her patriotic duty.

    Of course we enter a doctor's office expecting professional behavior. Unfortunately that makes us too willing to trust and causes us to be vulnerable as you were. In any case, a lesson was hopefully learned and I would give thanks that nothing more serious was done to your son while you were in the waiting room.


    BTW
    I agree that you should report the incident and take the matter to court.
    grammadidi's Avatar
    grammadidi Posts: 1,182, Reputation: 468
    Ultra Member
     
    #9

    May 1, 2007, 02:11 PM
    By the way, I just wanted to add that I hope you go to RateMDs.com and rate this guy so others can read about your experience! It is a website where you can rate your doctors and dentists OR read other people's ratings of them. They have ratings for the US, Canadian and UK doctors and dentists.

    Hugs, Didi
    raja100's Avatar
    raja100 Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #10

    Sep 4, 2007, 02:29 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by lpnaeder
    I took my 6 year old son to the dentist last month for a checkup. The Doctor has a policy of not letting parents in the room while he is working on the children. I didn't like it, but saw all the other children going in with no problem, so reluctantly agreed. 10 mins. later my son came out and said the Dentist wants to see you, I followed my son into a room where the dentis was plus 4 other children on small child shaped upholstered tables. The Doctor started telling me that my son would need nerve treatment on two teeth and then he would put crowns on them. He showed me an xray of a childs mouth with the two front teeth mishapen and darker then the rest of the other teeth. The children were all squirming and I felt like I was being rushed because I figured I better hurry with all my questions because these kids need attending to. I asked a few questions then left. The next morning I called and asked to speak with the office manager, she pulled the file. I asked her if my son would have silver crowns put on his teeth, and she assured me no way, that the Dr. would clean out the nerve damage and put a crown on that matched his teeth. I told her as I asked the Dr. earlier, will he be given nitrous oxide, Oh absolutely. When I spoke with the Dr. earlier, and asked him about the dangers of nitrous oxide and he assured me it was safe. I said to the office manager, well okay as long as he is not going to have metal for teeth and not look like a "gangsta" than we would go ahead, but I want to be in the room when the Dr. does it. She said it was not office policy, I asked her to please ask the Dr. as we have a very sick child and I found throught the years of treatments and such he does much better with me being there. She called me back and said no, and assured me it was a minor procedure and he would be fine. I tried to call around to other pediatric dentists but there earliest appointment would be in 2 months and the Doctor stressed that this was important to get it down asap. So, I called back and said okay, but I'm not happy. My husband and I took him today and he came out of the room and said it hurt really bad. He had a big wad of cotton in his mouth and the assistant gave me instructions on how to take care of it. We got in the car and started to drive home. I took the wad of cotton out of his mouth and low and behold a silver tooth! I could NOT believe it, I phoned the Doctors office and asked to speak to the assistant that was in the room when the Doctor performed the procedure. 5 minutes later the Doctor himself called me back. I explained my concerns of how I specifically called and said NO SILVER, he said he was sorry it must of been a miscommunication and that if I wanted he could pull the tooth out and make a brace in between both of his teeth. I said okay. My husband and I drove back there and I went in with him this time. I put him up on the table and Val (my son) said I have to go to the bathroom mom, the Doctor said, "no Val this will take only 3 minutes", I looked at the Doctor in disbelief and said NO, I'm taking my son to the bathroom! I took him and then brought him back into the room and said that took less than a minute. He proceeded to put a napkin over my sons face and a metal instrument to keep his mouth open and give him a couple shots with a needle. He pulled the tooth out, my son was in ALOT of pain. When he was done, I asked him where his nitrous oxide machine was, he showed me and I asked Val if the Doctor used it on him and he said no. I asked the Doctor why he didn't use it when I specifically called to make sure they were going to and he said oh, must have been a miscommunication. I showed him the bill he gave me that clearly stated Nitrous Oxide $48.00 which I paid for, and I said no, don't tell me another miscommunication? I took the tooth with me and it looks perfectly fine just a metal top on it, now if there was nerve damage wouldn't the doctor have had to drill through the tooth to do a nerve damage treatment? And the xray he showed me originally were the two front teeth, the tooth he put the crown on 3rd one from the back. We were also set up for him to do the other side because he said the other one was damaged to. I told him, I think that is why you don't allow the parents in with the kids, because your doing procedures on them without the proper pain relief. Val told me on the way home that the first time he went in there and the Doctor was working on him that the nurse had her hands around his neck and was holding him down really hard! I told the Doctor I wanted the xrays and he said he has to get "copies" first. I signed a release form because I am taking my son to another dentist and would like him to see the xrays. Do you think it is possible that the Dr. showed me someone elses xrays so that he could make money off me? How can I be sure he did a nerve damage treatment, he also billed for 2 sealants. Do you smell something fishy here. He gave me my money back. I told him he was disgusting and barbaric, can you imagine wanting to work on my 6 year old son after he told him he had to use the bathroom? What should I do. I don't want this to happen to any other child.
    There are always bad dentists. Here is my case, I spent more than $8000 to correct the errors of one of the dentists:
    Unskilled Dentist In Baltimore, MD

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I had a very bad experience with one of the bad unsklled dentist, Suresh Pattanachari, an Indian guy. This dentist is located in a uptown area Towson in Baltimore. But I found him doing unnecessary work on the teeth and then not being able to rectify the problem. He is so bad that his crowns do not remain for more than 2 years. If he extracts a tooth he makes sure that other teeth are damaged. What can be done to this unprofessional, even though I have changed this fruad!

    Raja
    dedra737's Avatar
    dedra737 Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #11

    Aug 8, 2008, 01:36 PM
    I had a horrible experience with a dentist also. The dentist was re-shaping my gums for crowns but neglected to tell me that she was going to cut 2mm into the epithelium above the gum. What a mess. I was then kicked out and told that I should sign a release absolving her of guilt to get my money back. She is in a no frills area in the GTA beware!! Beware!! :(
    I feel too that the woman in Orangeville should file a complaint! I am still recovering as my injuries include nicks and cuts which are still healing.
    DrBradyDDS168's Avatar
    DrBradyDDS168 Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #12

    May 11, 2010, 10:15 AM
    Hi there I read your case and I am sorry to hear about the mishap you had had with your dentist.

    I am a licensed dentist in Canada (Ontario) and based on your story this situation was more of a miscommunication than an error on the dentist's part except for perhaps the silver and tooth coloured situation.

    There are a couple things perhaps I can clear up for you.

    1. Why doesn't the dentist allow parents into the operatory. Now there are different dentists with different opinions on this one. Recently (October 2009) there has been a study published in the journal of orthodontics that state there is a chance that when there is more than just the patient, operator, and assistant in the room, there is a chance that debris and other dental materials can fly out and injure the eyes of any other observers. This has been a reported case where a brother of a patient who went in for an adjustment, had something fly into his eye. Therefore to prevent possible injury, people other than the patient are advised to wait outside. Also, it is suggested for some kids that the parents wait outside to prevent the kids from crying and misbehaving. Studies have shown that certain children would act differently when parents are in the operatory vs. when they are not (not specifically saying your child as I am sure he is well behaved). Just a general rule many dentists are trained to apply.

    2. Nitrous oxide is safe but often insurance does not cover this. It is recommended for certain anxious children.

    3. The nerve damage procedure you refer to is commonly called a pulpotomy or pulpectomy. It is done primarily in kids (consider it a mini root canal), so the tooth nerve has been removed but there would not be any evidence of that in an extracted tooth unless you split the tooth in half. It is performed when decay is deep into the nerve and done to prevent the child from pain. In your case, when your son's tooth was hurting after the procedure, that means that he did not respond well from the treatment and therefore, an extraction is warrnted. So the dentist didn't do anything wrong, except that there may have been a misunderstanding in communcation.

    4. Finally as for the freezing part. In your son's case, it sounds like he had an infected tooth. In many cases where a failed pulpotomy/pulpectomy case occurs, usually the tooth is still infected. As a result the freezing might not be completely effective as the bacteria in the tooth from the infection realeases chemicals that neutralizes the freezing agent. Sometimes I recommend the child go on antibiotics for a week prior to a procedure to prevent this from happening. Again dentists have different opinions on how to treat such a case and all are valid.

    5. In conclusion, I don't think procedurally the dentist did anything wrong but perhaps there was a misunderstanding. Now you do have an option of which dentist you choose. Hopefully this expereience does not make you lose confidence in the dental profession as a whole. There are good dentists out there. This was just an unfortunate situation that perhaps could have been handled differently, but all in all your dentist did nothing wrong.

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