Children Apparently Tortured at Dental Office

[carnation]

http://rn-t.com/pages/full_story/pus...ments_20973834

I don't even know what to say. It seems that parents weren't allowed to go back with children, who were then restrained and often had multiple unnecessary procedures performed, often without anesthesia. Parents are saying that often, procedures were performed by hygienists. I can't believe it took this long to get the police involved since there were so many complaints.

[chi-o_cat]

There was a similar story in my area a few years back.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Medic...-82206862.html

[amIblue?]

That is horrifying.

[FSUZeta]

I hope those evil people are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Those poor children(and parents).

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by chi-o_cat

There was a similar story in my area a few years back.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Medic...-82206862.html

I didn't know you were in my neck of the woods.


This is crazy. I've always been allowed back with my kids...we'd be OUT OF THERE so fast if i wasn't.

[DaffyKD]

My children always went back alone (with each other usually). They would fight to get back to the examination area as there were video games, movies, toys and anything else the doctors could come up with to make going to the dentist fun. Parents were called back if they were needed to soothe a child during the exam and after the exam to get the report. The only crying I usually heard back there in the 18 years we went to this dentist was when a parent told the child it was time to go home.

If a child was crying all of the parents could hear it in the waiting room and the parent of that child would go back to soothe their child. How could these parents not hear their children screaming as they were being tortured? EVERYONE in the Rome office should be prosecuted to the fullest extent for child abuse!

DaffyKD

[AlphaFrog]

^^It said they were locked out.

Now, I'm generally pretty laid back, but if I hear my child screaming in pain, this Mama Tiger is TAKING THAT EFFING DOOR DOWN!

[AZTheta]

What the HELL? WHY? What is WRONG with those "people"? I could hardly get through that article. Looks like the clinic consisted of sociopaths - how else explain the lack of conscience displayed by everyone who worked there?

Then there is the issue of complaints going back to 2008. What's going on here?

I have had the kindest, most amazing, skilled, patient dentists my entire life. At age 3 I knocked out/broke off most of my upper teeth at the gum line in an accident; had abscesses; had a lot of dental work for years that continues today. My dentist at that time (and I was a very young girl) would let me put my hand on his arm to tap him if I got scared or needed a break. That was the level of trust he established. The door was open and my mom or dad was always welcome. My mom told me that I was always calm and never cried or complained, even when it was pretty difficult.

I respect and trust my dentist and have no words for those monsters who have perpetrated numerous crimes on children.

[IrishLake]

This made me ill. I'm right with AlphaFrog. My mother bear instinct would be to beat the ever living pulp out of any dentist hurting my child. We just went to the dentist the other night. My kids love our dentist, he gives them tons of presents, and not just new floss and toothbrushes. When it was my turn for a cleaning, all 3 kids were practically on top of me looking in my mouth while the hygienist cleaned. Well, the baby was on top of me, she was perched on my belly peering into my mouth and looking up at the light. Good thing the hygienist is my SiL/their aunt!

[carnation]

Did y'all read any of the dozens of comments below the article? I'm trying to figure out why this investigation was begun almost 2 years ago and just now came to fruition yesterday.

[KDCat]

They are investigating the records of Medicaid patients. It's very hard for people to find a dentist that will take Medicaid. Most don't. If you do find one, it would be easy to feel like you have to take whatever treatment they hand out, because you might not find another dentist who will treat you. It's the abusive dentist or nothing.

They would never treat a college educated patient population like this. Jerks.

[AZTheta]

carnation, kd cat said in a few words what I am saying below:

It appears that the majority of the patients discussed in the article were Medicaid ("peachcare"?) eligible. I have had interactions with various pediatric dental clinics in Tucson who were treating children that were on my caseload. These children were AHCCCS ("Access" - AZ version of medicaid) eligible, meaning that the State was paying for their care. These children and their parents were being treated in ways that caused me to question the dental clinic; the result in all cases where I made a polite phone call was that the children went elsewhere for treatment, based on the information that I was able to elicit from the clinic. You would be stunned to hear some of the comments made by both front office staff and dentists/hygienists regarding their AHCCCS clients.

There are ethical dentists who take AHCCCS patients but all too often, it is the "dental clinics" that seem to pull in the AHCCCS families. It is a matter of education and information, and often - transportation. These clinics are on bus lines. They are not up in the foothills.

In my opinion, this particular practice took advantage of people from a socio-economic status that did not permit them to select dental care or be proactive and assertive in their care choices. And this clinic was likely committing fraud on the Medicaid system as well. I've seen some messed up mouths in little ones, but nothing quite like the procedures described in the article.

[IrishLake]

So so sad.

And now knowing that makes me thankful for men like my collegue's dad, who was a practicing dentist in Cleveland until the day he died at the age of 81 two months ago. Both men are Alpha Phi Alpha's, and the elder did all of his work over the last 15 years in low income areas for free.

[carnation]

My dad was like the men you describe, IrishLake. He was a surgeon who learned under DeBakey and Cooley and could have practiced anywhere but he chose to work in a low-income area of Houston. The idea that professionals would harm children in their greed for money is shattering.

I passed that dental office today. As you can imagine, there were no cars in the parking lot.

[AOII Angel]

I was going to post this morning that this sounded like Medicaid fraud. Do as many procedures as possible, whether or not they are needed to bilk as much as you can out of Medicaid.