The parents of a 14-month-old girl who died after a dental procedure done in North Austin have filed a lawsuit against the dentist, an anesthesiologist, and the dentist office.
In March last year, baby Daisy Lynn Torres was brought to Austin Children’s Dentistry to have her two cavities filled. Once at the office, the dentist believed she needed four crowns as well, her mother recounted.
Baby Never Woke Up Again
According to the suit, Daisy Lynn was put under anesthesia while the dentist, Dr. Michael Melanson, conducted root canals on four of her baby teeth. The baby no longer woke up.
“It’s still a struggle every day,” said the mother, Betty Squier, expressing anger last March 1 that no one has taken responsibility over her child’s demise.
Daisy Lynn, who would have turned two in January, was believed to die of greed and negligence, according to her mother, who is still filled with many unanswered questions over the incident. The lawsuit called the dentist office “pediatric predators” and charged them of having money-making schemes.
According to the autopsy, the baby died of complications from anesthesia, with a dental expert in the report saying there was no proof of dental disease.
“[T]here was no indication of any cavities and [the dentist] did, he took advantage of me … of my baby,” the mother added, believing it was a case of Medicaid fraud based on the X-rays and the death report.
Representing the family in the case, lawyer Sean Breen deemed the death senseless and cited a betrayal of the family’s trust. He said he has not handled a lot of cases that have put families “in darker times” than this one.
He also mentioned that a number of families have come forward to reveal similar though less tragic experiences with the same dentist office.
Austin Children’s Dentistry declined to comment due to pending litigation, but confirmed that the doctor is no longer doing his practice in their company. The two parties are expected to gather further evidence before they meet in court.
Deaths From Dental Woes
In Minnesota, a dental surgeon is facing similar raps after a routine wisdom teeth operation led to the death of a teen.
Dr. Paul Tompach, who continues to see his patients under state licensing board restrictions, faces allegations of medical malpractice over the death of Sydney Galleger back in June 2015. The lawsuit argues that there was incorrect administration of general anesthesia and failure to properly monitor during surgery.
Back in 2014, teen Benjamin LaMontagne succumbed to a rare and aggressive bacterial infection days after he had his wisdom teeth removed. The infection stemmed from a powerful type of streptococcus bacteria, famed for being flesh-eating and attacking skin, muscles, and fat before causing toxic shock and organ failure.
Just last month, what started as a simple toothache cost a Sacramento truck driver his life.
Vadim Kondratyuk Anatoliyevich, a 26-year-old father of two from Antelope, was driving the route from Truckee to New York on Jan. 24 when he began to experience pain in the lower left portion of the mouth. He was rushed to two facilities and was prescribed antibiotics, but the infection spread and he succumbed on the morning of Jan. 30.
The man had diabetes but was otherwise healthy, his wife recalled.
