Filed in Category Pediatric News
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/09021…
This dentist was a PEDIATRIC dentist? Excuse me, why did they not SEDATE the girl? I went through this type of thing with my young son and this procedure was actually done in a hospital dental clinic at the children’s hospital. He too had been traumatized by an incompetent dentist who has no business dealing with small children when they cry and scream. He should have immediately referred her to a child specialist.
I HATE hearing news like this. It’s so preventable. And as for the parents all they had to do was bring her to a hospital and hydrate her by IV, and they didn’t have the sense to do THAT knowing she wasn’t drinking at all? A child can dehydrate within a day, two at that age. How sad.
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Isn’t It Insane That A Child Should Die Because Of Neglect This Way?
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Oh my goodness that is terrible! That poor little girl! Her death was 100% preventable.
If I were the parents I would sue the doctors for everything there worth.That is not proper care.The doctor should of saw the child in person and then the doctor would know how the child really looked.Not talk to the parents over the phone.I hope those doctors are fired and I feel sorry for her parents.
Luckily the parents signed a waver.
Poor little one. Her parents were uninformed. Dehydration can kill.
I`m sure we`re not perfect, parents…..but this unfortunate mistake killed the child.
They took out her teeth in an operation, so I’m assuming they DID sedate her. Also, the parents expressed much concern over her condition and were told not to bring her in to the hospital, but were referred to a psychiatrist.
Still, I think I would have issues on several levels – the healthcare system or doctors who told the parents not to bring her in for medical attention; the psychiatrist who said ‘sucking on watermelon’ was enough for this girl to maintain weight; and lastly, the parents for not downright INSISTING on someone seeing this child. If my kid were dropping weight and not eating after even 2 days, let alone what it took this child to starve, I would see every friggin’ doctor in my state if that’s what it took before someone would listen to me. You are your child’s only advocate, and if you aren’t exhausting ALL options to get them care, then what exactly ARE you doing?
Obviously there are psychological issues because the kid wouldn’t open her mouth after having teeth pulled. At that point, it might have to come down to some tough love in the form of force feeding her if nothing else. At least if no one would treat her, that’s what I’d do – because it’s better than starving to death. At least at that age they can explain to her why they were doing it and how it can help her. Perhaps her issues with teeth were part of a greater problem, something that the parents themselves contributed to? We may never know.
sadly this type of stuff happens way more than you think.
When I was 6, I went to the a pediatric dentist. It was a dentist referred to my mother by a friend. The office had a jungle in it completely with a large plastic jungle tree for the kids to play on. I went in for a cleaning. The dentist came out and told my mother that I need 4 teeth removed. She agreed because she thought she had no reason no to trust him. I came out an hour or two later with 8 teeth removed. My mother was in shock. I was very sick. Thankfully, my mother immediately took me to my elementary school nurse and she told my mother what to do, to take care of me.
I was lucky my parents did take good physical care of me after it happened. But I was on a liquid diet for a month or two. I did lose weight but not much. Unfortunately, my parents did nothing to that dentist. And he probably did the same thing to many other children and families. It was very traumatic for me, as I was strapped to a chair and not told what was happening. I now have a life long fear of the dentist.
So all parents should be careful. You when your young child goes to the dentist you should go back into the room with them.