MINNESOTA WOMAN SUES AFTER SINGLE DENTAL VISIT LEAVES SERIOUS, INDUSTRY WIDE QUESTIONS
Who likes going to the dentist? The number of hands going up everywhere is inevitably paltry. Sure, there are literally hundreds of millions of people in the world who would love to be able to go to the dentist. But I doubt they’d appreciate the free market care most Americans get to enjoy. Even if you have dental coverage (I do), you may not be able to afford to cover your bill after the yearly max. It’s a little scary every year, leaving me with inevitable, scary questions. But a nightmare dental visit for one woman in Minnesota leaves even more questions, and an even worse taste.
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SINGLE DENTAL VISIT INCLUDED FOUR ROOT CANALS, 8 CROWNS, 20 FILLINGS
The woman’s name is Kathleen Wilson, and apparently she was really overdue for a dental visit. Almost every tooth in her mouth had decay. That’s not in dispute. But here’s what happened in her one, single trip to the dentist, Dr. Molldrem: four root canals, eight crowns and 20 fillings. In. One. Visit. Wilson, of course, is suing. She says Molldrem’s work was negligent, and she had to go to other dentists (plural) to fix it. Shoddy dental work isn’t new for anybody. But what dentist, anywhere (besides Minnesota), would do that volume of work on one patient in a single dental visit? One other dentist said that was “not humanely possible to achieve.”
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AMERICAN DENTAL AND ANESTHESIA AUTHORITIES REFUSE TO WEIGH IN ON SAFETY, AT ALL
And here’s where it gets more interesting, leaving more questions and even more of a bad taste. CNN reached out to the American Dental Association to learn whether that volume of procedures was ok in a single visit, and what their “typical recommendation” would be for a patient in that situation. Oh, and if the required amount of anesthetic was appropriate. And guess what? The AMA didn’t really comment on the volume of work, and referred CNN to the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology about proper amounts of anesthetic.
And guess what? They answered they couldn’t comment because the case involved dental, and not medical, anesthetic. So in summary, the American dental authorities won’t say how much work is appropriate in a single dental visit. And no one at all will talk about safe levels of anesthesia. It’s enough to make you grind your teeth.
