Paging DENTIST... Can 3yo children need root canals? (1 Viewer)

[Tom Skerritt]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/04/justice/hawaii-girl-dead/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

(CNN) -- Finley Boyle, a 3-year-old Hawaii girl who suffered massive brain damage after undergoing a dental procedure last month, died Friday night, a hospice said Saturday.

The girl died with her family by her side, said Kenneth L. Zeri, president and chief professional officer of Hospice Hawaii.

"There are few greater privileges in life than to accompany someone on their end-of-life journey, providing comfort and support not only to that person but also to their loved ones," the statement said. "As with all of our patients, we were truly blessed to be able to be there for The Boyle Family and for Finley at the end of her journey."

Finley's parents are suing a Kailua, Hawaii, dentist, alleging negligence and dangerous conduct.

The lawsuit, filed against Lilly Geyer and her practice, Island Dentistry for Children, alleges improper medications with incorrect dosages were administered to the girl on December 3, according to court documents filed this week.

"As a direct and proximate result of the medications administered to (Finley) by defendants, (Finley) suffered cardiac arrest during her dental procedure," the lawsuit says. It alleges that, as a further result of improper medications, Finley "suffered severe and permanent brain damage."

Neither Geyer nor her attorney, John Nishimoto, responded to CNN's requests for comment. The Island Dentistry website states it has been permanently closed and directs patients to an e-mail address.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in Hawaii's First Circuit Court, alleges that Geyer had no plan in place to respond to medical emergencies, such as the one Finley suffered. It seeks unspecified damages.

Finley's mother, Ashley Boyle, said she first took her daughter to the dentist in November, when she was told her daughter needed six fillings and four root canals, she said.

They returned in December to undergo the root canals, Boyle said.

The parents allege that Finley was sedated and left unmonitored for 26 minutes.

Finley was moved from a hospital to the hospice in late December.

Finley's pediatric neurologist, Dr. Gregory Yen, said MRIs showed the girl suffered severe brain damage and that she was in a "persistent vegetative state."

Six fillings and 4 root canals??? At 3 years old?

 

[flapgreen]

My son had to have a root canal and 7 fillings at 3 years old. It happens.

 

[Tom Skerritt]

My son had to have a root canal and 7 fillings at 3 years old. It happens.

Not judging, but how does this happen? Just from not brushing?

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

My son had to have a root canal and 7 fillings at 3 years old. It happens.

Not judging, but how does this happen? Just from not brushing?

happens because dentists rip us off

 

[NutterButter]

My son had to have a root canal and 7 fillings at 3 years old. It happens.

Not judging, but how does this happen? Just from not brushing?

Not enough fluoride also plays a part. Tap water has fluoride added, but I don't believe bottled water does. Fluoride at a young age is crucial.

 

[The Big Guy]

I have to imagine that genetics play a role in this somehow.

 

[tikigods]

My son had to have a root canal and 7 fillings at 3 years old. It happens.

Not judging, but how does this happen? Just from not brushing?

happens because dentists rip us off

This.

Not to mention every kid in America has a prescription for ADHD meds, too.

 

[Wyld Stallyns]

I saw this story yesterday and wondered the same thing. The article I read quoted another dentist as saying most of the work was unnecessary. Seems like the bigger problem was the combination & dosage of drugs that the dentist used to put the child under. Very tragic story.

 

[shadyridr]

My dentist said my son didnt even need to see a dentist until he was 4 or 5 unless he had problems.

 

[flapgreen]

My son had to have a root canal and 7 fillings at 3 years old. It happens.

Not judging, but how does this happen? Just from not brushing?

Heck no. We have brushed and flossed from a very early age. It runs in my family. Some people just have bad teeth. I had to brush and floss my teeth from a very early age yet still had problems. When my permanent teeth came in, none of them had enamel on them, just came out brown and yellow. Every tooth in my mouth is crowned. A lot of my family members had the same problem. Sometimes, it's hereditary. We noticed my son's teeth getting discolored a few months after they came in. Due to my own experiences, we made sure to brush and floss from the beginning. It didn't matter. He started having a lot of pain and it got infected right before we had them fixed. My daughter, on the other hand, is one and a half and the dentist said her teeth are great. No problems at all so far. Just one of those things sometimes. We had to fight with them when they were really young but we held them down and brushed their teeth for 2 minutes no matter what.

eta: Our pediatric dentist gave us the option of sedation or going in 2 separate appointments and have my son drink some medicine that would relax him but not knock him out. He recommended going with the 2nd option due to the risks involved with sedating a child that young, so we went that route. No problems at all. Everything went great.

 

[Dentist]

yes, possible I've referred 2 cases to the pedodontist this month that probably needed a similar amount of work.

Lots of factors, heredity, bottles given to the children with things other than water at bed time.

It wasn't unnecessary work most likely.

 

[Fennis]

yes, possible I've referred 2 cases to the pedodontist this month that probably needed a similar amount of work.

Lots of factors, heredity, bottles given to the children with things other than water at bed time.

It wasn't unnecessary work most likely.

my 3 year old likes a brandy before bed. Will that #### up his teeth?

 

[Dentist]

yes, possible I've referred 2 cases to the pedodontist this month that probably needed a similar amount of work.

Lots of factors, heredity, bottles given to the children with things other than water at bed time.

It wasn't unnecessary work most likely.

my 3 year old likes a brandy before bed. Will that #### up his teeth?

no, the alcohol content will kill any cavity causing bacteria, just make sure to get him/her the higher end higher proof stuff.

admittedly the brandy is pretty acidic so as his palate develops you may want to get him/her trended over to something better like scotch, gin, or tequila

 

[tikigods]

pedodontist

Seems illegal.

 

[mon]

Root canals may be harmful. I've seen a lot about this lately.

 

[shadyridr]

Root canals may be harmful. I've seen a lot about this lately.

97% of terminal cancer patients have had a root canal. No ####. Thats cuz nearly everyone has had a root canal in their lifetime

 

[Dentist]

Root canals may be harmful. I've seen a lot about this lately.

Pediatric root canals are actually called pulpotomies and are done in a completely different way with completely different materials than adult root canals.

Also people that have had a root canal are more likely to have led unhealthy lifestyles which caused the need for the root canal in the first place, thus putting them at higher risks for lifestyle cancers.

Smokers, alcoholics, over-indulging in sugars, etc.

People love the idea of blaming dental stuff... x-rays, root canals, etc.. guess it's much easier than blaming yourself.

 

[SacramentoBob]

Root canals may be harmful. I've seen a lot about this lately.

97% of terminal cancer patients have had a root canal. No ####. Thats cuz nearly everyone has had a root canal in their lifetime

This strikes me as false.

 

[shadyridr]

Root canals may be harmful. I've seen a lot about this lately.

97% of terminal cancer patients have had a root canal. No ####. Thats cuz nearly everyone has had a root canal in their lifetime

This strikes me as false.

article said 25million are performed a year

 

[SacramentoBob]

Root canals may be harmful. I've seen a lot about this lately.

97% of terminal cancer patients have had a root canal. No ####. Thats cuz nearly everyone has had a root canal in their lifetime

This strikes me as false.

article said 25million are performed a year

And what percentage of those are repeat customers as opposed to new ones?

 

[shadyridr]

Root canals may be harmful. I've seen a lot about this lately.

97% of terminal cancer patients have had a root canal. No ####. Thats cuz nearly everyone has had a root canal in their lifetime

This strikes me as false.

article said 25million are performed a year

And what percentage of those are repeat customers as opposed to new ones?

wtf do i know and wtf do i care?

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Root canals may be harmful. I've seen a lot about this lately.

Pediatric root canals are actually called pulpotomies and are done in a completely different way with completely different materials than adult root canals.

Also people that have had a root canal are more likely to have led unhealthy lifestyles which caused the need for the root canal in the first place, thus putting them at higher risks for lifestyle cancers.

Smokers, alcoholics, over-indulging in sugars, etc.

People love the idea of blaming dental stuff... x-rays, root canals, etc.. guess it's much easier than blaming yourself.

This is like asking the guys at Jiffy Lube how often you should change your oil.

 

[Warrior]

When my permanent teeth came in, none of them had enamel on them, just came out brown and yellow.

:X

 

[NutterButter]

The dental surgery center at Nationwide has three operating rooms, which staff members and local dentists used to treat roughly 2,525 children in 2011, 6 percent more than in 2010. The average age of patients is 4, and most have decay in six to eight teeth, she said.

Article last year in the NY Times about this

 

[mon]

Root canals may be harmful. I've seen a lot about this lately.

Pediatric root canals are actually called pulpotomies and are done in a completely different way with completely different materials than adult root canals.

Also people that have had a root canal are more likely to have led unhealthy lifestyles which caused the need for the root canal in the first place, thus putting them at higher risks for lifestyle cancers.

Smokers, alcoholics, over-indulging in sugars, etc.

People love the idea of blaming dental stuff... x-rays, root canals, etc.. guess it's much easier than blaming yourself.

This is like asking the guys at Jiffy Lube how often you should change your oil.

I was thinking something similar, like asking an oil company if fracking is harmful to the environment.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

It wasn't unnecessary work most likely.

bull#### I say

3 year old getting all this dental work is nuts

 

[Dentist]

Root canals may be harmful. I've seen a lot about this lately.

Pediatric root canals are actually called pulpotomies and are done in a completely different way with completely different materials than adult root canals.

Also people that have had a root canal are more likely to have led unhealthy lifestyles which caused the need for the root canal in the first place, thus putting them at higher risks for lifestyle cancers.

Smokers, alcoholics, over-indulging in sugars, etc.

People love the idea of blaming dental stuff... x-rays, root canals, etc.. guess it's much easier than blaming yourself.

This is like asking the guys at Jiffy Lube how often you should change your oil.

look, no one is holding you down in the chair with a gun to your head.

if you think that root canals cause cancer, just get your tooth pulled and get a dental implant.

We don't do these things for effing fun. I'm sure there are dentists out there that too aggressively prescribe treatment for financial gain.

The last thing i want to do on a kid is a pulpotomy/root canal unless they really need it.. it's a pain in a butt of a procedure that really doesn't pay that well... i'd prefer not to do it honestly.

Honestly, if I've made mistakes in my career with pediatric dentistry, it's that i haven't done ENOUGH chrome crowns/pulpotomies.. i've tried to do fillings on teeth or extract teeth that needed these procedures and I didn't do the patient a good service.. i should have done the more aggressive treatment.

Live and learn

 

[Dentist]

It wasn't unnecessary work most likely.

bull#### I say

3 year old getting all this dental work is nuts

what do you think should happen with a child that has gross tooth decay?

should we:

1) let the tooth decay progress until the child is in pain or has an infection? (kids can die from dental infections as well)

2) just pull any tooth that has dental decay and leave the child with an inadequate amount of teeth to chew and condemn them to braces since the adult teeth are almost sure not to come in properly at that point?

Serious. I want to know what you'd do with your child.

 

[shadyridr]

It wasn't unnecessary work most likely.

bull#### I say3 year old getting all this dental work is nuts

what do you think should happen with a child that has gross tooth decay?

should we:

1) let the tooth decay progress until the child is in pain or has an infection? (kids can die from dental infections as well)

2) just pull any tooth that has dental decay and leave the child with an inadequate amount of teeth to chew and condemn them to braces since the adult teeth are almost sure not to come in properly at that point?

Serious. I want to know what you'd do with your child.

i know what id do. If a dentist told me my son needs a root canal id get him the ####### root canal.

 

[Dentist]

It wasn't unnecessary work most likely.

bull#### I say3 year old getting all this dental work is nuts

what do you think should happen with a child that has gross tooth decay?

should we:

1) let the tooth decay progress until the child is in pain or has an infection? (kids can die from dental infections as well)

2) just pull any tooth that has dental decay and leave the child with an inadequate amount of teeth to chew and condemn them to braces since the adult teeth are almost sure not to come in properly at that point?

Serious. I want to know what you'd do with your child.

i know what id do. If a dentist told me my son needs a root canal id get him the ####### root canal.

edited

 

[shadyridr]

It wasn't unnecessary work most likely.

bull#### I say3 year old getting all this dental work is nuts

what do you think should happen with a child that has gross tooth decay?

should we:

1) let the tooth decay progress until the child is in pain or has an infection? (kids can die from dental infections as well)

2) just pull any tooth that has dental decay and leave the child with an inadequate amount of teeth to chew and condemn them to braces since the adult teeth are almost sure not to come in properly at that point?

Serious. I want to know what you'd do with your child.

i know what id do. If a dentist told me my son needs a root canal id get him the ####### root canal.

well if you said something like that in a professional office they most likely would be unlikely to continue to treat you.

Also with kids its not root canals, they would use the term pulpotomy.

Additionally they may give you the choice between pulptotomy and extraction. You didn't answer my question, are you suggesting you'd choose extraction?

Now imagine your child has large cavities along all the front 4 of their teeth and they are 3. Are you telling me that you would get all 4 teeth extracted and let the child be toothless for the next 3 years until the permanents came in?

Now, let's say you did elect to have them extracted... wouldn't you most likely have them sedated for the experience?

Well now you're in the same place this person's child was prior to treatment

wtf are you talking about? Did you even read what i posted?

 

[Dentist]

It wasn't unnecessary work most likely.

bull#### I say3 year old getting all this dental work is nuts

what do you think should happen with a child that has gross tooth decay?

should we:

1) let the tooth decay progress until the child is in pain or has an infection? (kids can die from dental infections as well)

2) just pull any tooth that has dental decay and leave the child with an inadequate amount of teeth to chew and condemn them to braces since the adult teeth are almost sure not to come in properly at that point?

Serious. I want to know what you'd do with your child.

i know what id do. If a dentist told me my son needs a root canal id get him the ####### root canal.

well if you said something like that in a professional office they most likely would be unlikely to continue to treat you.

Also with kids its not root canals, they would use the term pulpotomy.

Additionally they may give you the choice between pulptotomy and extraction. You didn't answer my question, are you suggesting you'd choose extraction?

Now imagine your child has large cavities along all the front 4 of their teeth and they are 3. Are you telling me that you would get all 4 teeth extracted and let the child be toothless for the next 3 years until the permanents came in?

Now, let's say you did elect to have them extracted... wouldn't you most likely have them sedated for the experience?

Well now you're in the same place this person's child was prior to treatment

wtf are you talking about? Did you even read what i posted?

i read it completely wrong. I apologize and retract the statement in full

 

[flapgreen]

When my permanent teeth came in, none of them had enamel on them, just came out brown and yellow.

:X

Hell of a thing for a teenager to deal with. Glad we had insurance. Was not fun spending so much time at the dentist.

 

[DiStefano]

Obviously Hawaii is not the place to have this done.

Think Mexico.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Root canals may be harmful. I've seen a lot about this lately.

Pediatric root canals are actually called pulpotomies and are done in a completely different way with completely different materials than adult root canals.

Also people that have had a root canal are more likely to have led unhealthy lifestyles which caused the need for the root canal in the first place, thus putting them at higher risks for lifestyle cancers.

Smokers, alcoholics, over-indulging in sugars, etc.

People love the idea of blaming dental stuff... x-rays, root canals, etc.. guess it's much easier than blaming yourself.

This is like asking the guys at Jiffy Lube how often you should change your oil.

look, no one is holding you down in the chair with a gun to your head.

if you think that root canals cause cancer, just get your tooth pulled and get a dental implant.

We don't do these things for effing fun. I'm sure there are dentists out there that too aggressively prescribe treatment for financial gain.

The last thing i want to do on a kid is a pulpotomy/root canal unless they really need it.. it's a pain in a butt of a procedure that really doesn't pay that well... i'd prefer not to do it honestly.

Honestly, if I've made mistakes in my career with pediatric dentistry, it's that i haven't done ENOUGH chrome crowns/pulpotomies.. i've tried to do fillings on teeth or extract teeth that needed these procedures and I didn't do the patient a good service.. i should have done the more aggressive treatment.

Live and learn

Dude, I was kidding.

 

[Sarnoff]

When my permanent teeth came in, none of them had enamel on them, just came out brown and yellow.

:X

Yikes. Seriously. Reading that makes me glad I didn't get many of my permanent teeth.