WJLA I-Team Small Smiles Dental Centers Investigation Part 1

November 2007- Interviews with parents and children

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• dentist
• abuse
• trauma
• papoose
• boards
• pediatric
• dentistry

[DebHgn]

Daily, Corporate Dental Chains across the US are doing this in order to run the children through at a high rate of speed. Small Smiles, Smile Starters, Kool Smiles, are just the names of a few of these clinics with the DeRose family out of Pueblo, Colorado behind it all. People need to rise up and end this, evidently our government is only going to fine them for over billing, my concern is the torture the children are experiencing. If I treated a child like this, I would be in jail.

[Champ675]

Someone hire an extreemist to blow up all locations RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

[Champ675]

@csmith1973 Better yet, All those Dentists should be killed just for the hell of it!!!!!

[Champ675]

For those older kids, Makin' Death threats is the way to go!!!!

[Champ675]

If i was a dentist charged, I'd plead guilty and ask to be EXECUTED!!!!

[gufguuydrt]

i also herd that a chi;ld walked out to their mom bleeding . why would u go back scary!:o

[mizshorty527]

WTF????? that is sick, kids that young do NOT nead that root canal/filling/crown crap!!!! their teeth arent even done growing, that is just wrong, ahhhh that makes me wanna cry!

[FOBmuzungu]

small smiles my ass!

[csmith1973]

No child should ever be traumatized by treatment. The only safe and effective way to do this is with general sedation using an anesthesiologist. Would you be willing to pay the fee for the specialist to put your child to "sleep?" Most parents with Medicaid cannot afford this level of treatment for their children. This is why alternative methods of behavior management are used. No dentist enjoys working on a screaming, thrashing patient. It's a sad but true reality when dealing with medicaid

[csmith1973]

Medicaid barely reimburses the clinic or dentist for the sedation cost. With the information that is available to all of us, there is hardly any reason for a child to even have cavities anymore, except for poor parenting. Most times, in the operatory, the parent actually gets in the way. the child becomes confused b/c they are trying to listen to their mother and the dentist, who may be saying two different things. Most times the child is more uncooperative with their parent back there

[csmith1973]

Anesthetic is always used. If it is not, the dentist would be violating a basic standard of care and his/her license could be revoked. I've been a dentist for over 7 years now and have first hand knowledge of what is and is not done in a dental office. What was seen in the video (i.e. papoose board) is only used when a child is completely uncooperative. Ideally, these children should be under general sedation. Unfortunately, most parents are unwilling to pay for this service