A woman in the US state of Minnesota is suing her dentist after receiving four root canals, eight dental crowns and 20 fillings in a single visit — something she says disfigured her.
Key points:
- Kathleen Wilson says her dentist caused her pain, embarrassment, disfigurement and distress
- She also says he provided an unsafe dosage of anaesthesia and falsified medical records to cover it up
- Another dentist who reviewed the case said it was “inconceivable” to treat 28 teeth in five and a half hours
Kathleen Wilson filed the lawsuit last week, accusing Kevin Molldrem of Molldrem Family Dentistry in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, of providing negligent treatment in July 2020 which caused significant injuries, along with providing an unsafe dosage of anaesthesia and falsifying medical records to cover it up, the Star Tribune reported.
Beyond medical costs, Ms Wilson said she suffered pain, embarrassment, disfigurement and distress. She is asking for at least $US50,000 ($73,000) in damages.
Dr Molldrem and his attorney, Nathaniel Weimer, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Associated Press news agency on Thursday.
According to the Star Tribune, Ms Wilson’s legal team retained Avrum Goldstein, a dentist in Florida, to provide an expert opinion and review Ms Wilson’s medical records from Dr Molldrem and subsequent providers.
Dr Goldstein’s November 14 report identified various duty-of-care breaches. He said in the report that Dr Molldrem made the right diagnosis, but provided poor quality treatment.
An ‘inconceivable’ visit
Ms Wilson had decay on “virtually every tooth in her mouth, something that is quite rare”, Dr Goldstein wrote. Dr Molldrem’s attempt to restore all of Ms Wilson’s teeth in one visit did nothing to address her susceptibility to disease or the potential of losing teeth, he said.
“Katie required a slow, thoughtful, careful and measured response to her disease,” Dr Goldstein said.
“Trying to fill every hole in every tooth in her mouth in one visit is not only the antithesis of what was indicated, it is not humanely possible to achieve in an effective or constructive manner.”
He added it was “inconceivable” to treat 28 teeth in five and a half hours.
One challenge of a long appointment was maintaining adequate anaesthesia, Dr Goldstein said. The maximum dosage is 490mg — but Dr Molldrem administered 960mg to Ms Wilson.
Ms Wilson’s records show that Dr Molldrem said he administered eight tubes of dental anaesthetic, known as carpules. But Dr Goldstein found the first dose alone was eight carpules, and he administered 15 carpules throughout the visit.
Ms Wilson went to a different dental office for an evaluation while showing recurrent decay and other damage. For several months in 2022 she was treated at the University of Minnesota Dental School “for repair and replacement of many of her restorations in an attempt to stabilise her mouth”, Dr Goldstein said.
If all of Ms Wilson’s teeth end up having to be removed and replaced with implants, Dr Goldstein said “all of the work that was done and all of the expense associated with it will have been for nothing”.
AP